Blue Jays Acquire Connor Seabold
The Blue Jays announced that they have acquired right-hander Connor Seabold from the Tigers. Detroit, who designated Seabold for assignment a few days ago, gets minor league lefty Juanmi Vasquez in return. Seabold is out of options and will need a spot on the active roster once he joins the team. The Jays opened a 40-man spot by moving José Berríos to the 60-day injured list. Berrios required Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
More to come.
Royals Designate Bailey Falter For Assignment
The Royals have designated struggling left-hander Bailey Falter for assignment, per a team announcement. He’s out of minor league options, so simply sending him to Triple-A Omaha without a DFA wasn’t possible. Righty Mason Black was recalled from Omaha in a corresponding move.
Falter, 29, has appeared in five games (two of them starts) for the Royals this season. He’s allowed runs in all five, including multiple runs in four of the five. Those struggles culminated last night in a seven-run drubbing at the hands of the Yankees in a start that saw Falter fail to escape the third inning.
Kansas City acquired Falter from the Pirates last July in a trade sending reliever Evan Sisk and minor league first baseman Callan Moss back to Pittsburgh. Falter didn’t fare well in a dozen post-trade innings last season and clearly hasn’t turned a corner in 2026. His time with the Royals could well wrap up with a gruesome 12.46 ERA in 21 2/3 innings.
Despite the fact that Falter allowed 15 runs in a dozen innings following last year’s trade, the Royals opted to tender him a contract. That resulted in a $3.6MM deal for the current season, which all but guarantees that Falter will pass through waivers unclaimed and accept an outright assignment to Omaha. Rejecting the assignment would mean forfeiting the remainder of that money. If he’s not added back to the roster at any point this season, Falter would have the right to become a free agent at season’s end (as is true of all outrighted players with three-plus years of service who are not added back to the 40-man before the offseason).
Although Falter’s time with the Royals has been nightmarish, the lanky southpaw has had some decent stretches in the majors. He posted a 3.86 ERA in 84 innings for the 2022 Phillies and notched a 4.44 ERA in 54 games (52 starts) between the two Pennsylvania clubs (and, briefly, Kansas City) from 2024-25. From 2022-25, Falter pitched 467 2/3 major league frames and turned in a 4.50 earned run average with a 17.3% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate. That’s certainly not high-end performance, but it’s serviceable.
The Royals will have five days to trade Falter, place him on outright waivers or release him. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so the DFA can take up to a full week for resolution. It’d be a surprise if another club picked up the rest of that salary, so he’ll probably land in Omaha and try to get back on track with the Storm Chasers. The Royals have Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic and Alec Marsh all on the injured list at present, so there’s certainly opportunity in the rotation if Falter can right the ship in the upper minors.
Blue Jays Select Austin Voth
The Blue Jays announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Austin Voth from Triple-A Buffalo. To make room on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Toronto optioned right-hander Tanner Andrews to Buffalo and transferred catcher Alejandro Kirk from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Kirk has already been out for nearly 60 days since undergoing thumb surgery in early April, so that move is largely a formality. The move to the 60-day doesn’t restart his IL clock, so he’ll still be eligible for activation once he reaches 60 total days on the shelf.
Voth, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Jays in March and has already been summoned to the majors once this season. He allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings during his only appearance with the Jays this season and was then passed through waivers. Voth briefly elected free agency but wound up re-signing on a new minor league contract.
It’s been a fine season for the journeyman Voth in Buffalo. He’s taken the ball eight times (all starts) and logged a 2.90 ERA, a 17.4% strikeout rate, a 6.8% walk rate and a 39.4% ground-ball rate in 31 innings. He was building up a bit early on but has gone five innings multiple times now, including two of his past three starts. That’ll make him an option for a swingman role in the bullpen, a bulk reliever following an opener or a more conventional starter at any point.
Toronto’s rotation has been decimated by injury in 2026, so adding some length to the staff is sensible. The Jays lost José Berríos to Tommy John surgery last week and put Dylan Cease on the 15-day IL over the weekend due to a hamstring strain. Max Scherzer has been out for a month due to tendinitis in his right forearm and inflammation in his ankle. Shane Bieber has yet to pitch this season due to elbow inflammation. Cody Ponce tore his ACL in his first start back on a big league mound after signing a three-year, $30MM deal following a dominant run in the KBO. He’s not likely to pitch again this season. Bowden Francis underwent Tommy John surgery in February.
It could be another short stay on the roster for Voth, but that mounting pile of injuries creates more opportunity for him to stick around than was the cast the last time he was called to the big leagues in early April. He can’t be optioned to the minors, so if the Jays want to free up his roster spot, they’ll need to opt for the DFA route once again.
As for Kirk, he’s still on the mend from a broken left thumb. He underwent surgery and had a screw placed in the thumb to help stabilize the injury back on April 6. He’s not expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment until next week anyhow, per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement a week from today, on June 3.
Travis Kelce Purchases Minority Stake In Guardians
Longtime Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has purchased a minority stake in his hometown club, the Cleveland Guardians, per a team announcement. It’s not clear how large a stake he purchased. He’s reportedly earned more than $111MM in career salary with the Chiefs, to say nothing of other revenue streams (e.g. endorsements, podcast).
“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce tells ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate — they all made me the man I am today. It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. … There was nothing like Cleveland baseball in the ’90s. That’s just a core memory for me. Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar Jr., the list goes on, and I admire how they just continue to pour into this city and this game.”
The Dolan family still holds the majority stake in the team. The late Larry Dolan purchased the club for a reported $323MM back in 2000. Recent estimates have pegged the Guardians’ present-day franchise value at more than five times that sum.
Larry Dolan passed away at 94 years of age in Feb. 2025. His son, Paul, had succeeded him as the team’s official control person back in 2013 and remains the team’s chairman and chief executive officer. However, in 2022, the Dolan family agreed to sell a 25-30% stake in the team to David Blitzer, the managing partner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Blitzer also has minority stakes in the NFL’s Washington Commanders and in Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake. His 2022 deal with the Dolan family also came with the option to purchase a majority stake of the club in 2028.
Kelce, 37 in October, is an 11-time Pro Bowler with three Super Bowl rings. He ranks third all-time among tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards and is fifth all-time in touchdowns at his position. His stake isn’t likely to be a significant one, though it’s always feasible that he seeks to increase his share at some point down the road. Kelce’s teammate and fellow three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes can now formally be on opposite ends of an American League Central rivalry; Mahomes purchased a minority stake in the Royals back in 2020.
MLBTR Podcast: Gage Jump, Tigers Trade Speculation, And The Twins’ Roster Shuffle
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 Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Athletics promoting Gage Jump (2:15)
- The Tigers dropping in the standings as Tarik Skubal nears free agency (12:00)
- A listener asks what the Tigers could get if they traded Casey Mize or Riley Greene (19:30)
- A listener asks if the struggles of the Tigers have put Scott Harris and A.J. Hinch on the hot seat (25:00)
- The Twins losing Ryan Jeffers to hamate surgery (28:45)
- A listener asks if the Twins should extend Joe Ryan and, if not, what he could get in a trade. Also, does Royce Lewis have any trade value? (37:00)
- The Red Sox looking for more offense while they lose Trevor Story to hernia surgery and move Marcelo Mayer to shortstop (45:55)
- Listeners ask if the Padres can trade Jake Cronenworth or Fernando Tatis Jr. (51:45)
Check out our past episodes!
- Colt Emerson Debuts, Blue Jays’ Rotation Issues, And What To Make Of The Mets And Astros – listen here
- Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes – listen here
- Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down – 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 Dennis Lee, Imagn Images
The Opener: Cubs, Sanchez, Sandlin
After six scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Tuesday, Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison has his ERA down to 1.57. He’s one out short of qualifying for the crown, but that mark would lead the NL. Harrison hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his 10 starts. The lefty has put together three straight scoreless outings.
1. Cubs lose 10th straight
The Pirates scored five runs in the first inning against the Cubs on Tuesday and never looked back. Pittsburgh cruised to a 12-1 win, handing Chicago its 10th consecutive loss. The Cubs alternated wins and losses in the first eight games of the season. Since then, they have alternated results just twice. The up-and-down performance has included two separate 10-game winning streaks and now a 10-game stretch of losses. Wednesday’s defeat dropped Chicago to a tie for fourth place in the NL Central with Pittsburgh. The series is only halfway over, so the Pirates have two more shots to gain ground on the Cubs.
2. Sanchez’s scoreless streak on the line
Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez shut out the Guardians for eight frames in his last outing, pushing his scoreless innings streak to 37 2/3. He’s gone nearly a month without giving up a run. The impressive stretch ranks second in franchise history. Sanchez needs four more zeroes to pass Grover Alexander for the Phillies’ record. He’ll match up against a vulnerable San Diego offense tonight. The Padres have the second-lowest OPS against lefties this season. No club has scored fewer runs when facing southpaws.
3. Sandlin gets the ball
White Sox right-hander David Sandlin is expected to draw the start on Wednesday against the Twins. The prospect was stellar in the minors this year, allowing just one earned run over 16 1/3 innings split between High-A and Triple-A. Sandlin posted a massive 35.1% strikeout rate over six starts. The righty joined the organization in a February trade from the Red Sox. The deal was mostly an opportunity for Boston to offload Jordan Hicks‘ contract, but it netted Chicago an intriguing arm. Sandlin draws a Minnesota offense that has performed well lately. The Twins rank ninth in OPS and 10th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching in May. Sandlin will be opposed by fellow prospect Connor Prielipp.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
The Fall And Rise Of Jordan Walker
The Cardinals thought they had a future star on their hands during outfielder Jordan Walker‘s first couple of years in the organization. Drafted 21st overall out of high school in 2020, the former third baseman tore through the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels with a combined .310/.388/.525 line through 2022.
Widely considered one of the game’s five best prospects entering 2023, Walker cracked the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster as a 20-year-old and avoided Triple-A time. That may have been too aggressive on the Cardinals’ part, as Walker’s career has not gone smoothly. However, now in his fourth season in St. Louis, signs are pointing to Walker finally living up to the hype at age 24.
With Nolan Arenado entrenched as the Cardinals’ third baseman three years ago, they shifted Walker to right field. He got the lion’s share of playing time there during the initial few weeks of his rookie campaign and turned heads during a career-opening 12-game hitting streak. Although Walker batted a respectable .279/.329/.412 with two home runs in his first 20 games in the bigs, it was discouraging that he drew just three walks against 20 strikeouts. With Walker also struggling to adjust to a different position, the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A Memphis for the first time in late April.
Walker mustered a subpar .239/.349/.398 line in 135 plate appearances during what amounted to a 29-game trip to Memphis, but his walk, strikeout and ground-ball rates all trended in the right direction. The Cardinals saw enough progress to summon the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder back to the majors at the beginning of June. He held his own from then on and finished a 117-game, 465-plate appearance first season in St. Louis with a strong .277/.346/.455 line (116 wRC+), 16 homers, and walk (8.0%) and strikeout (22.4%) rates that hovered around league average. He drew negative marks in right (minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-7 Outs Above Average, minus-6 Fielding Run Value), but that didn’t come as a surprise for a young player transitioning to a new spot.
The Cardinals and Walker likely went into his second season with the expectation they would never again send him to the minors for performance-based reasons. It didn’t work out that way. Walker’s offensive production plummeted in 2024, during which the Cardinals optioned him twice, and didn’t recover last year. He played in exactly 162 major league games from 2024-25 and hit a dreadful .211/.270/.324 with 11 homers, a 30.7% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate over 574 plate appearances. Among 291 hitters who amassed at least 550 trips to the plate during that two-year span, Walker ranked last in fWAR (minus-1.9) and seventh from the bottom in wRC+ (68). He didn’t make up for it in the field, where he continued to receive poor grades (minus-15 DRS, minus-12 FRV, minus-8 OAA).
Last September, a few weeks before a miserable year for Walker and the Cardinals ended, hitting coach Brant Brown and manager Oliver Marmol asked for more from the former prized prospect. Brown said Walker would “have to devote more focus on preparation.” Meanwhile, Marmol called for “a sense of urgency” from Walker, though he made sure to note, “I’m nowhere close to giving up on Jordan Walker.”
John Mozeliak, who drafted Walker, stepped down as the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations after last season. Former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom then assumed the reins in St. Louis. Bloom has been a member of the Cardinals’ front office since 2024, meaning he witnessed Walker’s severe two-year slump firsthand. But Bloom, like Marmol, was not ready to wave the white flag on Walker coming into this season.
When Bill Ladson of MLB.com asked Bloom about Walker’s woes in March, the executive answered: “We all know that ultimately this is a results business, but we get to the results by having a great process. Jordan’s process this offseason is as good as I’ve seen since I’ve been in this organization.”
Bloom added he had “a lot of optimism” about Walker turning his career around, though it looked like more of the same in spring training. Walker took 47 trips to the plate in 14 exhibition games and batted a meek .205/.255/.273 with one homer, 16 strikeouts and three walks. He nonetheless entered 2026 as the Cardinals’ starting right fielder. If you were expecting another rough season from Walker, odds are you had plenty of company. But roughly a third of the way through, Walker has been a revelation. His performance has been a key factor in a surprising 29-23 start for the Cardinals, who hold a wild-card spot as June nears. FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a measly 8.5% chance to make the playoffs before the season began in late March. Now at 27.6%, those odds have more than tripled two months later.
The Cardinals’ offense has gotten significant contributions from stud rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt, DH/catcher Iván Herrera and first baseman Alec Burleson, but Walker has easily been their greatest threat. Across 51 games and 218 plate appearances, Walker has slashed .297/.367/.585 with improved strikeout and walk percentages of 25.7 and 9.2, respectively. He sits fourth in the majors in wRC+ (168), seventh in ISO (.287), tied for seventh in HRs (15) and tied for 14th in fWAR (2.2). Same-handed pitchers were especially tough on the righty-swinging Walker from 2024-25, but he has put up a matching 168 wRC+ against them and lefties this year. While inconsistency was another glaring problem for Walker in previous years, there have been no drawn-out slumps so far. The season is 62 days old, and Walker’s OPS has been .900-plus for 57 of them.
Diving deeper, this looks more like a true breakout than a fluke. Over his first three seasons, Walker paired a 47.9% ground-ball rate with a 37.5% fly ball percentage. That prevented him from tapping into his power potential and taking advantage of his elite bat speed. He is now hitting grounders at a 39.3% clip and fly balls 44.3% of the time. That bodes well for someone whose bat speed ranks in the 100th percentile. He boasted 99th percentile bat speed last year, but that was one of the few red marks on a Baseball Savant page that featured far too much blue. It is draped in red this year, as Walker is also close to the top of the league in expected batting average (81st percentile), expected weighted on-base average (90th) and expected slugging percentage (93rd). Those are just a few Statcast categories that support his offensive explosion.
If you’re looking for a potential cause of negative regression, it is easy to point to Walker’s .344 batting average on balls in play. He’s a fast runner whose sprint speed falls into the 92nd percentile, but fewer than 10 players typically sustain that high of a BABIP in a given season. Even if that comes down, it may not be a drastic fall for a player who came into 2026 with an above-average lifetime BABIP of .310 (the league mean is .286). Less BABIP luck would damage Walker’s .412 wOBA, which is fifth-best in the game, but his .383 xwOBA isn’t indicative of someone whose numbers are going to careen off a cliff.
Turning to the defensive side, Walker has started 49 of the Cardinals’ 52 games in right field. The reviews have been mixed, which is a step up from the across-the-board negatives he earned in prior seasons. Walker has been worth 6 DRS, which is tied for sixth among outfielders. His 99th percentile arm strength was on full display when he threw out the Brewers’ Christian Yelich on a play at the plate on Memorial Day. That was one of Walker’s league-high five outfield assists. Despite the positive developments, OAA and FRV (minus-2 apiece) remain bearish on his work in the grass.
While Walker’s defensive metrics vary, there is no debating that he has been among the fiercest sluggers in the game two months into 2026. As the six-year anniversary of the 2020 draft approaches, it looks as if Walker has finally blossomed into a cornerstone player for the Cardinals. He is due to make his first of three potential trips through arbitration over the winter, but Walker may soon emerge as a priority extension candidate for Bloom if he continues terrorizing opposing pitchers.
Royals Outright Elias Díaz
The Royals sent veteran catcher Elias Díaz outright to Triple-A Omaha, according to the MLB.com transaction log. It’s unclear if he’ll report or elect free agency.
Díaz was designated for assignment last week when K.C. recalled speedy outfielder Tyler Tolbert. Kansas City had carried three catchers for the previous five weeks. Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen have each logged a lot of designated hitter work. Díaz gave skipper Matt Quatraro a little more flexibility for rest days. Jensen and Perez have alternated starts between catcher and DH over the past four games.
The 35-year-old Díaz picked up seven starts among his 10 games during his five weeks on the MLB roster. He popped a couple home runs and doubles apiece in 23 plate appearances. Díaz has been a below-average hitter throughout his career and hadn’t hit much in a tiny sample with Omaha before his call-up. He batted .204/.270/.337 across 283 plate appearances for the Padres a year ago.
Díaz has a plus arm and routinely throws out base stealers at a strong rate. He graded poorly as a receiving catcher early in his career but has tightened those numbers up in recent seasons. If he reports to Omaha, he’ll rejoin Luke Maile as non-roster depth catchers whom the Royals could call upon if one of Perez or Jensen is banged up.
Blue Jays, Matt Bowman Agree To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays are in agreement with reliever Matt Bowman on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The 34-year-old sinkerballer (35 on Sunday) will presumably report to Triple-A Buffalo.
Bowman was granted his release last week after opting out of a non-roster deal with Minnesota. It was moderately surprising that a Twins team with one of the worst bullpens in MLB didn’t carve out a spot. He pitched well at Triple-A St. Paul, working 21 1/3 innings of 1.69 ERA ball. Bowman got ground-balls at a 55% clip with quality strikeout (28.1%) and walk (6.7%) marks.
Minnesota’s front office was evidently skeptical he’d maintain anything close to that against big league hitters. Bowman’s 7.1% swinging strike rate in the minors is well below average. He sits in the low-90s with his sinker while mixing in a cutter, slider and splitter. Bowman has pitched parts of seven MLB seasons with as many teams, logging the majority of his work with the Cardinals between 2016-18. He made 20 big league appearances with Baltimore last year, pitching to a 6.20 earned run average through 24 2/3 frames.
Toronto’s bullpen has been middle of the pack despite a top five strikeout rate. They lost a couple middle relievers, Tommy Nance and Joe Mantiply, to the injured list last week. They have a handful of middle relievers who have bounced up and down from Buffalo this season and could be sent down if they want to carve out a spot for Bowman at some point. Chase Lee, Tanner Andrews and Adam Macko have options remaining. Yariel Rodríguez does not but would likely clear waivers and accept a Triple-A assignment based on his contract.
Angels Sign Alex Faedo To Minor League Deal
The Angels signed reliever Alex Faedo to a minor league contract last week. He has been assigned to the team’s Arizona Complex for the time being. He’ll build into game shape before reporting to a higher level affiliate, likely Triple-A Salt Lake.
Faedo was a first-rounder by the Tigers in 2017. The Florida product pitched parts of three MLB seasons, posting a 4.51 ERA across 175 2/3 innings. The 30-year-old righty missed more bats following a move to the bullpen in 2024. He allowed 3.61 earned runs per nine but was designated for assignment over the 2024-25 offseason. The Rays acquired Feado in a minor trade but got nothing out of the deal, as the righty went on the injured list with a shoulder issue.
The 6’6″ righty spent the entire season on Tampa Bay’s injured list. The Rays placed him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason when the injured list went away. He went unclaimed and elected minor league free agency.
Faedo will take some time to build up and put himself on the radar for a midseason look. The Halos have had one of the worst bullpens in the American League. They have the second-highest bullpen ERA (5.41) in the Junior Circuit. They’re middle of the pack in strikeout rate but have issued walks at the third-highest clip in MLB.