Phillies Select Trevor Richards
The Phillies made a move in between games of today’s double-header. Left-hander Kyle Backhus has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 27th, with left elbow inflammation. Right-hander Trevor Richards has been selected to take his place on the roster. The Phils have had an open 40-man spot since Taijuan Walker was released a week ago, so no further corresponding moves are required.
No details have been provided about the injury to Backhus, who last pitched on Saturday. IL stints can be backdated by by a maximum of three days. Perhaps more information on his status will be released after the second game of today’s twin bill but he’ll be on the shelf for at least 12 days.
His injury opens the door for Richards to get back to the majors. Richards signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason and has been pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley so far this year. He has been in great form for the IronPigs, tossing 14 innings over nine appearances, allowing three earned runs. His 1.93 ERA has gotten some help from a .111 batting average on balls in play and 100% strand rate, since his three runs allowed all came on homers, but he struck out 26 of the 50 batters he has faced, a massive 52% clip. He only walked three, a 6% pace.
Richards has had some intriguing but inconsistent major league results in the past. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 201 innings, mostly for the Blue Jays. His 31.3% strikeout rate in that time was very strong but he gave out walks at a high rate of 10.9% and also struggled with the long ball. 14.5% of his fly balls cleared the fence in that time, a few ticks north of par. He recorded 25 holds but posted a 4.61 ERA for that stretch. That’s obviously not a great number but his 3.37 SIERA showed some optimism, since that metric expects home run rates to even out in larger samples.
2024 ended up being a real mixed bag for Richards. Back with the Jays to start the year, he gave them 51 1/3 innings with a 4.64 ERA. He wasn’t allowing as many homers but also wasn’t striking as many guys out. He was traded to the Twins at the deadline. Though his 4.15 ERA was technically an improvement from his time with the Jays, his control problems became untenable. He walked 11 of the 59 batters he faced as a Twin, an 18.6% clip. He also hit another two batters and threw seven wild pitches.
Minnesota designated him for assignment before the month of August was done. In 2025, he was mostly stuck in the minors. He made five big league appearances in total, three for the Royals and two for the Diamondbacks. He allowed five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. He spent most of the year in Triple-A, for three different clubs, and had a combined 5.19 ERA at that level.
Though it’s been a frustrating road at times, Richards has shown strikeout stuff in the past and is doing so again now, albeit in a small sample. He has usually undercut the punchouts by giving out too many walks and surrendering home runs. For the Phillies, there’s little harm in giving him the last spot in the bullpen and seeing what happens. Richards is a veteran with at least five years of service time, meaning he can’t be optioned without his consent. If the Phils want to bump him off the active roster in the future, he’ll need to be removed from the 40-man as well.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Tencza, Imagn Images
Brandon Woodruff Removed From Start After Velocity Dip
Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff was removed from today’s game in the second inning with his velocity notably lower than usual. It quickly became obvious that something was off, as he started the game with his velocity way down. His fastballs were averaging around 85 miles per hour today, whereas he had been around 93 mph in his previous outings this year.
At this point, it’s unclear what the problem is, as Woodruff evidently wasn’t experiencing any pain. “He wasn’t himself,” manager Pat Murphy said in a mid-game interview on the TV broadcast, relayed by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He felt like, felt kind of dead. He said he didn’t feel any pain, just nothing was coming out. We’ve seen a little bit of this, but never at this level, where he can’t get the ball over 85 mph. He’s so important to us. We’re not going to risk anything, maybe long-term by having him to try to step on it. He’s going through this process and hopefully will be okay.”
A 7 mph drop in velocity would be worrisome for any pitcher. The concern is heightened since this relates to Woodruff, given his recent history. Shoulder problems limited him to just 11 starts in 2023. He eventually required surgery, which wiped out his entire 2024 campaign. He was able to return to the mound in the summer of 2025 and made 12 good starts, but finished the season on the injured list with a lat strain.
The Brewers felt good enough about Woodruff’s health to make him a $22.025MM qualifying offer, a notable gesture for a club that rarely pays players at that level. Woodruff took some time to explore his opportunities but eventually accepted the QO and returned to Milwaukee for 2026.
Coming into this year, he was ramped up in measured fashion and it wasn’t clear if he would be built up in time for the Opening Day roster, but he did eventually break camp with the Brewers. Through his first five starts, he had a solid 3.77 earned run average, though with some yellow flags. His 20% strikeout rate was a big drop from last year’s 32.3% clip. He seemed to benefit from a .235 batting average on balls in play. ERA estimators like his 4.06 FIP and his 4.27 SIERA felt he was lucky to have his ERA under 4.00.
Presumably, Woodruff is slated for some testing, with more information to be revealed in the coming days and weeks. If Woodruff needs to spend some time on the injured list, that would be a blow to the Milwaukee rotation. He is capable of ace-level production when at his best, with a 3.13 ERA and 28.8% strikeout rate in his career. But due to the shoulder issues, he hasn’t made more than 12 starts in a season since 2022.
The rest of the Milwaukee rotation is currently manned by Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick and Brandon Sproat. Someone would have to step up to replace Woodruff if he needs to miss some time. DL Hall, Shane Drohan and Jake Woodford have been working multiple innings out of the bullpen of late and could perhaps step up with a spot start or working as a bulk guy in a bullpen game.
They also have guys in the minors they could pull from. Logan Henderson, Coleman Crow, Robert Gasser and Carlos Rodriguez are all on optional assignment in Triple-A. Any one of them could be an option to make a spot start or perhaps get a few turns in the rotation, depending on how Woodruff’s situation eventually pans out.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Guardians Option George Valera
The Guardians announced Thursday that outfielder George Valera has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. They’re off today, so a corresponding move won’t be announced until tomorrow.
A longtime top prospect, the 25-year-old Valera hasn’t been the boost to the lineup for which the team hoped. Injuries have repeatedly set Valera back, to the point where he was at one point designated for assignment and non-tendered. He returned on a minor league deal and rebuilt his stock in 2025 with a .318/.388/.550 slash in the minors. Cleveland called him up for his big league debut late last year, and Valera hit .220/.333/.415 with a pair of homers in 48 plate appearances. He tacked on another homer during postseason play.
Valera opened the season on the injured list due to a calf strain and hasn’t hit since returning. He’s taken 38 plate appearances and floundered with a .216/.237/.297 slash. Valera has chased off the plate at a huge 40.4% clip, nearly doubling his chase rate from last year’s small-sample debut (21.7%). He’s beaten 52% of his batted balls into the ground and already popped up to the infield four times.
The Guardians quite literally did nothing to improve their lineup over the offseason. They’re running a payroll under $70MM and hanging their 2026 hopes on big steps forward from young players like Valera, Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayfus, Travis Bazzana and others. It’s worked out in some respects. DeLauter has been great, and both Brayan Rocchio and Angel Martínez are hitting at career-best levels. Utilityman Daniel Schneemann has improbably been one of the best hitters in the American League, though he’s striking out at a 30% clip and isn’t going to sustain his current .438 average on balls in play or 21% homer-to-flyball ratio.
On the other end of the spectrum, José Ramirez has been good but hasn’t hit at his typically elite levels. Meanwhile, the Guardians have seen Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo take substantial steps back with the bat. Kayfus struggled before being optioned earlier in the year, and already light-hitting catcher Bo Naylor is mired in the toughest slump of his career.
The end result is a lineup that’s slashed .228/.314/.371. That comes out to a 93 wRC+ that ranks 23rd in the majors. Cleveland is tied with Boston for 23rd in runs scored. The Guardians are 17th in home runs, 26th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage and 25th in slugging percentage.
With Valera sent down, Cleveland’s outfield options include Kwan, DeLauter, Martínez and Schneemann. They’ll make a move to add another position player tomorrow. Candidates already on the 40-man roster include Kayfus and outfielders Petey Halpin and Kahlil Watson. Juan Brito is also down in Columbus, but he was optioned just a couple days ago, so he can only be recalled if he’s replacing an injured player. Non-roster outfielders Nolan Jones and Stuart Fairchild are both hitting well in Columbus. Top catching prospect Cooper Ingle opened the season on a ridiculous tear (.394/.630/.788 in 54 plate appearances) but is currently on the minor league injured list due to a hip injury.
This is Valera’s final option year, so if he spends 20 days in the minors on this assignment, he’ll be out of options heading into the 2027 season. Valera is controllable for at least five more years beyond the current season — possibly six depending on how long he spends down in Columbus. He entered the season needing 144 days of service to reach a full year, and he’s already accrued 36 of those days. If he’s down until June 12 or later, he’ll fall shy of a year of service and be controllable all the way through 2032.
Mets Claim Andy Ibáñez
The Mets have claimed infielder/outfielder Andy Ibáñez off waivers from the Athletics, per an announcement from the A’s. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported the move prior to the official announcement. The A’s designated him for assignment a few days ago. The Mets have an open 40-man spot after designating Carl Edwards Jr. for assignment earlier today. Ibáñez is out of options and will need to jump onto the active roster, so they will need to make a corresponding move in that regard when he reports to the team.
Ibáñez, 33, is a utility guy who provides defensive versatility. His offense has been mercurial and is currently at a low ebb. He had solid seasons in 2021 and 2023, with a swoon in 2022. Over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, he slashed .240/.297/.355 for the Tigers. That production led to an 85 wRC+, indicating he was 15% worse than league average. Detroit could have retained him via arbitration but non-tendered him instead, sending him to free agency.
Teams around the league still believe in his potential. The Dodgers signed him to a one-year, $1.2MM deal in January. The designated him for assignment a couple of weeks later, which may seem odd, but was by design.
Ibáñez has just over three years of service time. Players with at least three years of service have the right to reject outright assignments after clearing waivers. However, if they have less than five, they have to walk away from their salary commitments. The Dodgers were hoping that the contract was enough for other teams to pass on him. Once he passed through waivers, he wouldn’t want to walk away from the $1.2MM, so he would surely stick around as non-roster depth.
The A’s interrupted that plan, claiming him back in February. He stuck around for a few weeks but hit .118/.167/.118 in 18 plate appearances. Despite that poor showing in recent weeks, the Mets are going to take a shot on him.
Ibáñez will at least provide some flexibility off the bench. He has experience at all four infield spots and the outfield corners. His shortstop work consists of just nine innings but he has over 1,000 innings at second base and almost 800 at third, with good numbers to boot. Combining that with improved offense would be ideal but it’s been a few years. His most recent above-average offensive season was 2023, when he hit .264/.312/.433 for a 103 wRC+.
The Mets have operated with narrow infield flexibility for much of this year. They opened the campaign with Francisco Lindor at shortstop, Marcus Semien at second and Bo Bichette at third. First base has been shared by a rotation of Jorge Polanco, Mark Vientos, Jared Young and Brett Baty. with Young and Baty also playing some outfield. The Mets have mostly been playing without a bench infielder. Bichette was effectively the backup for Lindor, while guys like Baty or Vientos could cover third for Bichette. Baty could also cover second if Semien missed time.
The picture has been shuffled in recent weeks. Lindor, Polanco and Young have all hit the IL recently, as has outfielder Luis Robert Jr. That leaves the Mets with Ronny Mauricio at short, while Bichette and Semien still hold their positions. Mauricio has struck out in nine of his 22 plate appearances so far this year. The Mets called up infielder/outfielder Eric Wagaman today when Robert hit the IL but Wagaman is more of a corner guy. Ibáñez gives them some more cover in the middle infield. Wagaman has options and could be sent back out when Ibáñez joins the team.
Photo courtesy of Scott Marshall, Imagn Images
Mets Place Luis Robert Jr. On Injured List
11:30am: Robert is receiving an epidural injection and will be reevaluated in a week to 10 days, per Tim Britton of The Athletic. The Mets don’t currently expect him to miss too much more than the minimum.
9:20am: The Mets have formally placed Robert on the 10-day injured list due to a lumbar disc herniation. Corner infielder Eric Wagaman is up from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster.
9:12am: The Mets are expected to place center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list today, reports SNY’s Chelsea Janes. Robert has been battling back discomfort for several days and underwent an MRI yesterday, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo noted.
Trips to the injured list are nothing new for Robert, a star-caliber outfielder whose health hasn’t allowed him to regularly reach his sky-high ceiling. The 28-year-old raked at a .264/.314/.542 clip and belted 38 homers to go along with 20 steals and plus-plus defense with the White Sox back in 2023. He’s only played in 234 of 354 possible games since that time (66.1%). That 2023 season is the only time Robert has reached even 450 plate appearances or exceeded 110 games played in a single season. (He did play in 56 of 60 possible games as a rookie in the shortened 2020 season.)
Along with that decline in health came a downturn in performance. Robert suffered an MCL sprain at the end of September in 2023 and a hip flexor strain early in 2024, the latter costing him about two months of action. When he was on the field in ’24, he stumbled through the least-productive season of his career, slashing just .224/.278/.364 with a career-worst 33.2% strikeout rate.
It was more of the same to begin the 2025 season, though Robert caught fire in early June after the Sox sat him for a few days to refocus his mechanics in the batter’s box. Robert took a few games to find his stroke even after that little breather, but he went on a tear thereafter, slashing .282/.344/.471 (125 wRC+) in nearly 200 plate appearances … before again returning to the injured list — this time due to his second hamstring strain of the ’25 campaign.
Along the way, the White Sox fielded trade interest in Robert, but they opted to hang onto him after not finding offers to their liking. They exercised the first of two $20MM club options on Robert to begin the offseason, and several months later the Mets landed him in a trade sending infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuña and minor league righty Truman Pauley back to Chicago.
Robert is currently mired in a 2-for-19 slump, dropping what was a solid .258/.372/.379 batting line to a .224/.327/.329 output that checks in about 7% worse than league-average overall, by measure of wRC+. The dip in production coincides with the Mets beginning to sit Robert on occasion about a week and a half ago. Manager Carlos Mendoza eventually revealed that Robert has been dealing with back discomfort. Last night’s MRI, it seems, did not produce favorable results.
A formal diagnosis isn’t clear. The Mets have not yet announced an IL placement and thus have not revealed the nature of Robert’s ailment. Robert last appeared in a game on April 26, so his IL stint can be backdated to April 27 — the maximum three days allowed. That technically makes him eligible to return in just a week’s time, though his actual timetable will naturally hinge on the specific injury that’s been plaguing him.
Robert joins Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco on the shelf. That’s a third of the Mets’ starting lineup sidelined. With Robert out of the equation for the time being, the Mets’ options in center field include veteran Tyrone Taylor and rookie Carson Benge (who’s been their primary right fielder but has four games in center this year). Recently signed veteran Austin Slater has a fair bit of center field experience but hasn’t played there this season and has only logged 63 frames at the position since Opening Day 2024.
Down in Triple-A, the Mets have 2022 No. 75 overall pick Nick Morabito, who’s already on the 40-man roster (but has yet to debut) and is slashing .262/.382/.452 with four homers, four doubles and six steals. Morabito entered the season ranked 11th among Mets farmhands at Baseball America. He’s the Mets’ No. 12 prospect at MLB.com and No. 19 over at FanGraphs. Scouting reports peg him as a plus runner and center field defender with well below-average power.
Reds Place Brandon Williamson On Injured List
The Reds announced that left-hander Brandon Williamson has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder fatigue. Right-hander Zach Maxwell has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Williamson started yesterday’s game against the Rockies at Great American Ball Park. He pitched three innings before being removed with shoulder fatigue. After the game, manager Terry Francona said Williamson would undergo an MRI, per Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Today, Francona tells Goldsmith that Williamson’s shoulder is fine structurally but he’ll get a cortisone injection. His specific timeline isn’t clear but he’ll spend at least a couple of weeks on the shelf.
Injuries have been a recurring issue for Williamson in recent seasons. He began the 2024 season on the IL due to a strain in his throwing shoulder. His attempts to get healthy that summer hit speed bumps and season-ending surgery seemed possible at one point. He eventually returned in September and made four appearances before he hurt his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery. That wiped out his 2025 season.
Coming into 2026, Williamson didn’t project to crack the Cincinnati rotation after missing almost two entire seasons but injuries to other hurlers pushed him up the depth chart. Two of Cincinnati’s best starters, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, hit the IL to start the year. That left them with a rotation of Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Williamson.
Those five have stayed on turn until now. The results haven’t been great, with the group having a collective 4.57 earned run average, which is better than just five other MLB clubs. Williamson has been a part of the problem, with a 6.11 ERA on the year so far. Despite the struggles from the rotation, and plenty of other weak spots, the Reds have managed an incredible 19-11 record so far.
Though Williamson hasn’t been in great form, it’s not ideal for the rotation to lose another member when they’ve been playing above their heads. Having to reach further into the depth will make it harder for the club to keep winning unless the other parts of the roster step up.
Maxwell gives them another bullpen arm for the time being but the Reds don’t have an off-day until May 11th, so they have games scheduled for the next 11 days. That means they will need a fifth starter or some bullpen games to get through a couple of turns in the rotation. Abbott is taking the ball today, followed by Singer, Lowder and Burns in the next three.
Jose Franco has been working as a long reliever in the big league bullpen and could be part of the solution on Monday, if he’s not needed in the interim. Lodolo just tossed five innings on a rehab start on Sunday. Assuming he makes one more rehab start in the coming days, he could be back in the mix in about a week. Chase Petty is on optional assignment and started yesterday, so he’s on the same schedule Williamson was and could slot in for him. Julian Aguiar is also on optional assignment but has been on the minor league IL for the past three weeks.
Photo courtesy of Albert Cesare, Imagn Images
Mets Designate Carl Edwards Jr. For Assignment
The Mets announced Thursday that reliever Carl Edwards Jr. has been designated for assignment. They also confirmed the previously reported IL placement for center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who’s been diagnosed with a lumbar disc herniation. Righty Austin Warren and recently claimed corner infielder Eric Wagaman are up from Triple-A Syracuse in a pair of corresponding moves.
Edwards, 34, signed a minor league deal back in December. The longtime reliever opened the season as a starter in the Mets’ Syracuse rotation but was added to the big league bullpen earlier this month. He’s pitched well, holding opponents to one run in six innings. Edwards has punched out a whopping 44% of his opponents (11 of 25) but has also dished out four free passes already (16%).
A key member of the Cubs’ bullpen from 2016-18, Edwards has bounced around the league in the eight years since. The Mets are Edwards’ ninth club in the majors, and this year’s six innings already tie his highest single-season workload since 2023.
Edwards also had a productive two-year stint with the Nats in 2022-23, but his stops with the other seven clubs for which he’s pitched have typically been fleeting. In addition to the Cubs and Nationals, he’s suited up for the Padres, Mariners, Braves, Blue Jays, Angels and Rangers. However, Edwards hasn’t pitched more than six innings for any of those teams. Overall, he carries a career 3.51 ERA in the majors, though most of his production came during that initial run with the Cubs, when he had about three extra miles per hour on his fastball over his current 92.5 mph average velocity.
The Mets will have five days to place Edwards on waivers, release him, or trade him. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors even if he clears waivers, so barring a minor trade for cash, he’s likely to end up a free agent. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so his DFA will be resolved in no more than seven days.
The Opener: Dominguez, Dobbins, Palencia
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz drew a walk against right-hander Michael Wacha in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game. The free pass pushed his streak to 18 games with a walk. Kurtz is now tied with Barry Bonds for the third-longest run since 1900 (h/t Martin Gallegos of MLB.com). Ted Williams is next on the list at 19 games.
1. Dominguez leaves after HBP
Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez was knocked out of Wednesday’s contest after taking a Nathan Eovaldi cutter to the elbow. He was replaced by Max Schuemann in left field. Dominguez underwent initial X-rays and is now headed back to New York for more imaging, per Erik Boland of Newsday Sports. It’s a tough blow for the former top prospect, who has struggled to gain his footing as a big leaguer. The returns of Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham this offseason helped push Dominguez off the Opening Day roster. An injury to Giancarlo Stanton afforded him another opportunity with the big-league squad. He was recalled on Monday and started all three games against Texas. Dominguez went 1-for-9 before the elbow injury.
2. Dobbins activation Thursday
Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins is expected to be activated for a start today. The 26-year-old is making his way back from a torn ACL and has been on the 15-day IL all year so far. Dobbins came over from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras trade, along with prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita. He was solid in his first taste of the majors with Boston, delivering a 4.13 ERA across 13 appearances (11 starts). St. Louis moved several veteran players in the offseason, bringing back a slew of prospects. Dobbins will be the first of the group to debut with the club. The Cardinals have been more competitive than expected this year, but finding out what they have in the players acquired last winter will be a key storyline to watch as the season unfolds.
3. Palencia could return without rehab
The Cubs’ banged-up bullpen could get back a key piece on Friday. Closer Daniel Palencia has a chance to return for the series against the Diamondbacks, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The righty has been sidelined with what was initially labeled an oblique injury, then was updated to a lat strain. Chicago is also missing Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Ethan Roberts, and Riley Martin. Porter Hodge is done for the year. Phil Maton returned this week after missing time with a knee injury. Manager Craig Counsell has mixed and matched in the ‘pen with Palencia out. It was lefty Hoby Milner who recorded the final out on Wednesday against the Padres. He’s the fifth different Cubs reliever to pick up a save this season.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
MLB Mailbag: Cardinals, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Mize
This week's mailbag gets into the Cardinals' strong start, the Mets' terrible offense, what a Mets, Red Sox, or Phillies sell-off might look like, Casey Mize's contract year, and more.
Andrew asks:
I came into the year with low expectations for the Cardinals, but we still have a decent record. How long would the Cardinals need to maintain a winning record before I get any hopes up about making the playoffs?
FanGraphs is much more optimistic than PECOTA on this team, so we'll go with their 13.5% playoff odds. The Cardinals have played .552 ball through 17.9% of their season, but FG calls for .462 from here on out. If the Cards instead play .500 ball for their final 129, they'll win 82-83 games, which might put them firmly in the mix for a wild card spot until the end.
At 4.83 runs scored per game, the Cardinals' offense ranks sixth in the NL. If they actually get into the neighborhood of 800 runs, it'd be impressive for any team, not just one that entered the season with low expectations.
Nine Cardinals players have 60+ PA and account for 85% of the team's total:
- Ivan Herrera - 138 wRC+. The Statcast metrics are strong, and even if Herrera can't maintain a 17% walk rate, his .278 xBA and .471 xSLG suggest this is mostly real. If so, the Cardinals have a lineup cornerstone at DH/catcher through 2029.
- JJ Wetherholt - 132 wRC+. The highly-regarded rookie is getting on base and exceeding expectations. He'll slump at some point, but with a 70 hit grade and 55 power, one can make the case for strong production to continue even if it looks different (such as a higher batting average).
- Alec Burleson - 115 wRC+. He has a track record at this level, so this is reasonable.
- Jordan Walker - 153 wRC+. If this holds up, Walker is a top ten hitter in baseball. Maybe that's optimistic, but the breakout is backed by Statcast.
- Nolan Gorman - 81 wRC+. He hasn't really hit since 2023, though he's OK against righties and looks fine at third base this year. If the Astros fall further, could the Cardinals make a trade for Isaac Paredes?
- Masyn Winn - 103 wRC+. He's hitting to expectations.
- Victor Scott II - 39 wRC+. Scott isn't in there for his bat, but seems best-suited for a fourth outfielder role.
- Nathan Church - 106 wRC+. The speedy 25-year-old came into the year as just a 40-grade prospect and may also lack the bat to be a starter, but he hit well in the upper minors. I'm not sure I'd want Scott and Church in the same lineup, but they are a strong defensive pair. Thomas Saggese is in this mix, and prospect Joshua Baez could join it if he cuts down on strikeouts.
- Pedro Pages - 106 wRC+. Pages does have a little bit of pop, but he probably can't keep this up.
Lars Nootbaar underwent surgery in October to address deformities in his heels, and could be a great June addition capable of a 115-120 wRC+. If Nootbaar has a setback, a trade for the aforementioned Duran or Marsh could be interesting. You can't help but wonder how good this offense would look had the Cardinals retained Contreras and Brendan Donovan, though.
Bottom line, though: there's something here with this offense, especially if Nootbaar can provide a boost. And this also seems to be one of the better defenses in the NL. What about the pitching side?
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MLBTR Podcast: The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Red Sox firing manager Alex Cora and several coaches (0:30)
- The Padres signing Lucas Giolito (27:30)
- The Phillies firing manager Rob Thomson and releasing Taijuan Walker (39:00)
- The Guardians promoting prospect Travis Bazzana (59:45)
Check out our past episodes!
- Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time – listen here
- Lenyn Sosa Traded, And Injury Concerns For The Astros, Cubs And Orioles – listen here
- Previewing The 2026-27 Free-Agent Class – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images