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Under-The-Radar Trade Possibilities For The Astros

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The Astros have spent the entire offseason looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder. They swapped Jesús Sánchez for Joey Loperfido last week. That saves around $6MM in the difference between Sánchez's arbitration salary and Loperfido's league minimum sum but doesn't change their lineup balance. They added Cavan Biggio on a minor league deal and are reportedly looking at Michael Conforto, who could also settle for a non-roster invite after a rough year in Los Angeles. They're fine depth targets but not locks to even be on the MLB roster -- much less to be a meaningful upgrade.

Free agency only offers those types of reclamation targets at this point. Beyond Conforto, there are also Max Kepler (suspended for the first 80 games after a failed PED test), Jesse Winker and Alex Verdugo. If the Astros are going to make a significant move, it'll have to be via trade. Most of their trade pursuits have been tied to their willingness to field offers on Isaac Paredes given their infield logjam. That's one avenue but obviously not the only way they could trade for a lefty-hitting outfielder.

MLBTR readers are familiar with the top trade targets who fit the bill. Either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu would be an ideal fit but seem likelier to remain in Boston. The Cardinals could deal Lars Nootbaar this spring but may prefer to hold him until the deadline, as they'd be selling a little low with their left fielder coming off a pair of heel surgeries. Last week's Caleb Durbin/Kyle Harrison swap is a reminder that teams explore various avenues that don't involve players who have been the subject of public trade speculation. It's safe to assume the Astros have had some of those conversations behind the scenes. Let's run through a handful of affordable left-handed bats whom they could look to pry from another club.

  • Daylen Lile, Nationals (pre-arbitration, controllable through 2031)

Lile made his MLB debut in late May and hit the ground running, at least offensively. He ran a .299/.347/.498 slash line with nine home runs through 351 plate appearances. Lile is an excellent pure hitter. He has advanced contact ability and has always hit a ton of line drives. Although he doesn't have huge power, he should have a strong offensive floor based on the batting average alone. He's a career .273 hitter in the minors and had the highest "expected" batting average in MLB last year (.302), per Statcast.

All that said, the 23-year-old looks more like a quality complementary player than a cornerstone of a rebuilding Nationals team. Lile was a mid-tier prospect during his climb through the farm system. Scouts have never doubted the hit tool but have questioned how much all-around impact he'll make. He has fringe-average power. Although he has plus straight line speed, his reads in the outfield are rough. Defensive Runs Saved had Lile a dismal 14 runs below average in just over 600 innings. He was 10 runs worse than average by Statcast.

Single-season defensive metrics can be fluky, but those grades match the eye test. Here are a handful of examples of Lile turning what should have been easy outs into hits, largely by playing very conservatively at the catch point. Maybe he'll improve with time, but he's not a good outfielder right now. The Astros haven't cared much about left field defense, playing Yordan Alvarez, late-career Michael Brantley, and Jose Altuve out there in recent years. The Nationals have a new front office that played no part in drafting or developing Lile. They'd presumably be open to conversations.

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Poll: Which Team Had The Best Offseason?

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The offseason has more or less come to a close at this point. While a handful of players remain available in free agency and there’s always a chance of a surprise trade or two throughout Spring Training, the vast majority of the heavy lifting has been done. As Spring Training begins, it’s worth checking in on what teams around the league did this winter to see which club had the strongest offseason. A look at a few of the candidates:

Baltimore Orioles

After a disastrous 2025 season that saw the club fall to the basement of the American League, the Orioles have been very busy in their efforts to turn things around. A rotation that struggled to stay above water last year saw the return of Zach Eflin as well as the additions of both Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt. Those additions may not have included the front-of-the-rotation ace the Orioles were widely expected to pursue, but the club was aggressive elsewhere on the roster. Ryan Helsley was brought in to close while Felix Bautista is injured, and the club swung a deal for Taylor Ward to help round out their outfield. By far the biggest addition of the winter, however, was slugger Pete Alonso, who signed a five-year, $155MM contract. Alonso adds a legitimate 40-homer threat to the middle of a lineup that struggled to generate much offense outside of Gunnar Henderson last year and was heavily slanted toward lefty hitters.

Chicago Cubs

It’s rare that a team would be in this conversation after losing the offseason’s top-ranked free agent, but there’s a lot to like about the 2026 Cubs even after bidding farewell to Kyle Tucker. Alex Bregman, signed to a five-year, $175MM deal, can’t be expected to be the same offensive force as peak-level Tucker, but he makes up for that by helping to complete what’s arguably become the best defensive infield in baseball alongside Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch. The move pushes Matt Shaw into a utility role, where he can serve as protection against injury for the club while also potentially sharing time with fellow youngster Moises Ballesteros at DH. The addition of Bregman was complemented by the decision to swing a trade for high-upside righty Edward Cabrera in the rotation. That likely pushes swingman Colin Rea back into a bullpen that’s been rebuilt with Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Hoby Milner after losing Brad Keller, Andrew Kittredge, and Drew Pomeranz back in November.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers’ offseason hasn’t been an exceptionally busy one, but the few moves they wound up making could prove to be the most impactful of any team this winter. They kicked off their offseason by poaching star closer Edwin Diaz away from the Mets, but their biggest splash was the addition of Tucker to their outfield. Diaz and Tucker are both All-Stars with among the highest ceilings in the game at their respective positions. Adding both to an already star-studded roster, the Dodgers managed to address the 2025 team’s biggest weaknesses: a lackluster outfield and a leaky bullpen. They also extended Max Muncy on an affordable one-year deal and reunited with Kiké Hernandez and Evan Phillips. After back-to-back World Series championships, the Dodgers look even better headed into 2026 despite their relatively low volume of transactions.

New York Mets

While the Dodgers mostly kept their 2025 team intact for 2026 with just a few additions, the Mets went in the opposite direction with a complete roster overhaul. Out went Alonso, Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. Replacing them is a host of talent ranging from new staff ace Freddy Peralta to relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver on the pitching side, and a cluster of position players headlined by star infielder Bo Bichette. In addition to Bichette, who’ll move to third base alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor, the team brought in Marcus Semien to handle the keystone, Jorge Polanco to cover first base, and Luis Robert Jr. to work in center field. It’s a busy offseason that completely changed the look of the team that failed to make the playoffs last year, though it remains to be seen if this team will better support Lindor and Juan Soto in their pursuit of a World Series championship.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays finished just shy of a World Series championship last year, and this winter they acted like a team that wanted to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to close the gap. A new-look rotation added Dylan Cease at the front and Cody Ponce at the back. A lineup that lost Bichette in free agency looked to make up for it by bringing in Kazuma Okamoto and Jesus Sanchez. Meanwhile, the team’s shaky bullpen upgraded from hard-throwing righty Seranthony Dominguez by bringing in ever-reliable soft-tosser Tyler Rogers. Missing out on both Bichette and Tucker takes some of the punch out of Toronto’s offseason, but adding Cease to a rotation that already includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage should make the Jays significantly more threatening than they already were last year.

Other Options

Plenty of teams had offseasons worthy of praise aside from the five listed above. The Tigers managed to snag arguably the top pitcher available in lefty Framber Valdez on a short-term deal while also reuniting with future Hall of Famer and Detroit legend Justin Verlander, though failing to upgrade the lineup is surely disappointing for fans hoping to see the team make the most of Tarik Skubal’s likely last year in town.

The Red Sox were very busy this winter as they brought in Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, Willson Contreras, and Caleb Durbin via the trade market while signing Ranger Suarez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in free agency, but the team’s failure to reunite with Bregman casts a shadow over their busy winter.

The Astros got the rotation depth they coveted, signing NPB star Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal with multiple opt-outs and acquiring righty Mike Burrows in a three-team trade that sent outfielder Jacob Melton to the Rays. They’re still too right-handed and have a glut of infielders that could still lead to one more big spring trade.

The Pirates were very active by their usual standards, overhauling the lineup to bring in Ryan O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and Brandon Lowe among others. The Rangers came into the winter without much room to add but managed to come away with a solid bat (Nimmo) for the lineup and a big arm (MacKenzie Gore) for the rotation nonetheless. The Mariners kept Josh Naylor and added Brendan Donovan to the infield. The A’s added only complementary pieces (McNeil, Aaron Civale) in terms of external additions but deserve praise for their franchise-altering extensions of Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson.

On the flipside, the rebuilding Cardinals managed to shed significant portions of the Contreras, Gray and Nolan Arenado contracts and pulled in a nice return from the Mariners (and Rays) in the three-team Donovan trade.

What team do MLBTR’s readers think had the best offseason this winter? Have your say in the poll below:

Which team had the best offseason?

Vote to see results

Will The Angels Make A Late Offseason Splash?

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It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the Angels and they are currently slated to open 2026 with a notably lower payroll than last year. What’s unclear is if they plan to use that difference to make a move before the season starts or if they’re simply cutting costs.

The Halos began the offseason with some initial savings. A number of players hit free agency, taking some money off the books. 2025 was the last year of Tyler Anderson’s three-year, $39MM deal, which paid him $13MM annually. Kenley Jansen’s $10MM one-year deal ran its course, among others.

Some of the savings were going to be undercut by an arbitration raise for Taylor Ward. He made $7.825MM in 2025 and was projected to almost double that, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a jump to $13.7MM in 2026. The Halos quickly avoided that by flipping Ward to the Orioles in mid-November, just a couple of weeks into the offseason. In return, they received Grayson Rodriguez, a former top pitching prospect who has struggled to stay healthy. Since Rodriguez has not yet reached arbitration, they essentially wiped Ward’s entire projected salary from the 2026 payroll.

Not long after that, in late November, it was reported that the Angels were trying to work out some kind of financial arrangement with Anthony Rendon. The frequently-injured third baseman was set to be paid $38MM in 2026, the final year of his ill-fated seven-year, $245MM deal. It took a few months to get everything worked out but the two sides eventually agreed to pay the money over five years in even instalments. The Halos will pay Rendon $7.6MM this year instead of $38MM. That’ll cost them more in future seasons but free up more than $30MM for the short term.

That led to some optimism that the club was clearing the deck for something bold, but that hasn’t come to fruition. The Angels have given big league deals to six free agents, all one-year pacts, none of them worth more than $5MM. Brent Suter got $1.25MM, Jordan Romano and Alek Manoah $2MM each, Drew Pomeranz and Yoán Moncada $4MM apiece, and Kirby Yates $5MM. Put together, those six deals add up to $18.25MM.

Taking everything into consideration, where does that leave the Angels? RosterResource projects them for a payroll of $181MM, though that includes Rendon’s full $38MM salary. They opened last year at $204MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. That means they could have more than $20MM of space relative to last year, before even factoring in the Rendon savings. They probably want to put some of the Rendon money aside for the deferred payouts but theoretically have some extra powder dry in the short term.

Perhaps the plan all along was to wait until late in the winter, as the free agents who linger unsigned the longest usually have to settle for below-market deals. The tide has indeed shifted in that direction recently. Since the start of February, the notable free agent deals have all come in under what MLBTR predicted at the beginning of the offseason.

Eugenio Suárez was projected for $63MM over three years but settled for $15MM on a one-year deal. Framber Valdez was projected for $150MM over three years but got $115MM over three. Zac Gallen was predicted for $80MM over four years but settled for one-year and $22.025MM, with notable deferrals. Chris Bassitt was projected for $38MM over two years but got a one-year deal worth $18.5MM. Nick Martinez was predicted for $25MM over two but got $13MM on a one-year deal with the Rays. Justin Verlander was always expected to get just one year because of his age, but his heavily-deferred $13MM deal with the Tigers was well below his $22MM projection.

There aren’t many free agents left at this stage of the calendar, but one area with a bit of meat left on the bone is starting pitching. Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, Max Scherzer and others remain unsigned. Giolito was predicted for two years and $32MM at the start of the offseason but won’t get that now. Littell’s projection was a bit lower at $24MM over two years. Like Verlander, Scherzer’s age will cap him at one-year offers. MLBTR projected $15MM in the fall but that doesn’t seem possible now.

The Angels have added Rodriguez and Manoah to the rotation but there’s room for another arm. Yusei Kikuchi projects as the top guy on the chart. José Soriano will be in there. Soriano is coming off a healthy season but has a lengthy injury history. Rodriguez and Manoah have hardly pitched in the past two years. Reid Detmers is going to get a chance to return to the rotation but was pitching in relief in 2025. Everyone in that group apart from Kikuchi can be optioned to the minors.

Perhaps the Angels are looking to strike in that department, but it’s also possible they have simply been trimming payroll for its own sake. The Angels are one of nine teams who terminated deals with Main Street Sports as that company is apparently in poor shape financially. Early this month, six of those nine pivoted to having MLB handle their broadcasts in 2026. The Angels followed suit a week later.

As recently as 2023, the Angels were getting expected annual revenues of about $125MM from their regional sports network (RSN) deal. Main Street, previously known as Diamond Sports Group, was in bankruptcy proceedings and dropped the Angels going into 2025. The two sides worked out a new deal for last season but presumably with a lower fee payment. That was supposed to be a three-year deal but, as mentioned, the Angels and several other clubs cut ties with the company not too long ago.

Now that the Angels seem to be going the MLB route, that should be another hit. Travis Sawchik of MLB.com reported in January that teams who have lost their RSN deals are now getting about 50% of the revenues they used to receive on those pacts.

Perhaps owner Arte Moreno’s response to that declining revenue is a payroll decrease. That would be a frustrating situation for the club and its fans. The Angels are the club with the longest active playoff drought, with their last appearance coming back in 2014. They won 72 games last year, finishing ahead of just the Twins and White sox in the American League standings. They look like one of the weaker clubs going into 2026. FanGraphs’ Projected Standings have them second from the bottom in the A.L., ahead of just the Sox. The PECOTA Standings at Baseball Prospectus are even more pessimistic, putting the Halos behind Chicago.

Long-term help may not be on the way either. The club has a tendency to use top draft picks on college players and then rush them to the majors, which has contributed to a farm system that isn’t well regarded. Baseball America ranks their system 28th out of the 30 clubs in the majors. ESPN puts them 27th and The Athletic 29th.

Signing someone like Giolito or Littell wouldn’t solve everything that’s currently ailing the franchise, but it would raise the floor on a team that’s currently below sea level. At this part of the calendar, it’s that or nothing. Based on the way the offseason has gone, the smart money might be on nothing.

Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images

Steven Kwan To Get Center Field Reps In Spring Training

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Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters today that Steven Kwan will get some center field reps during spring training as the club tries to find its best outfield alignment for the upcoming season. Zack Meisel of The Athletic was among those to pass the word along.

Kwan, 28, has logged 4,873 2/3 innings in the outfield in his career. The vast majority of those, 4,689 2/3 innings, have been spent in left field. His center field experience consists of just 31 frames. 30 of those were back in 2022, his debut season, with one frame at that spot last year.

His work in left has been superlative, with the numbers putting him head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Dating back to his 2022 debut, he has been credited with 68 Defensive Runs Saved and 25 Outs Above Average in left. The DRS tally is more than double anyone else at that spot, with Ian Happ coming in second on that leaderboard with a tally of 33. Even though he’s primarily a center fielder, Daulton Varsho is second on the OAA leaderboard for left fielders over the past four years, with his 11 coming nowhere near Kwan. In his four seasons, Kwan has four Gold Gloves and three Fielding Bible awards.

Despite his excellent work in left, the Guards haven’t tried him at the more-demanding center field position. Myles Straw, an excellent defender in his own right, was in center for most of 2022 and 2023. Straw’s poor offense spurred the Guards to move on eventually. He spent most of 2024 in the minors and was traded to the Blue Jays last winter.

The center field job in Cleveland has been fairly open the past two years but the Guards haven’t tried moving Kwan over. That could be because he was comfortable in left and no one was pushing him for the job. The Guards have barely spent any money on free agents in recent years and have also struggled with finishing the development on some of their outfield prospects.

That has left them to cycle through a hodgepodge of guys in center, including Ángel Martínez, Tyler Freeman, Lane Thomas, Daniel Schneemann, Nolan Jones and others. No one has really taken hold of the spot and the Guards are going into 2026 with some outfield uncertainty, a common position for them in recent years.

Kwan will be locked into a spot somewhere. The top options for the other two slots could be George Valera and Chase DeLauter, who both received promotions late in 2025. Valera appeared in 16 regular season games and three postseason contests, splitting his time between right field and designated hitter. DeLauter hasn’t even appeared in a regular season game, as he was promoted to make his big league debut in the Wild Card round of last year’s playoffs.

Valera doesn’t appear to be an option up the middle. He has some minor league experience there but his last regular action at that spot was in 2023. He only logged nine Triple-A innings in center in 2024 and was kept in the corners last year. DeLauter did play some center for the Guards in the postseason last year but that seemed to be a sort of emergency plan to get his bat into the lineup. He actually didn’t play any center in the minors last year. His most recent regular run there was 86 1/3 innings of Double-A ball in 2024.

The Guards seemed like a good fit for a center field addition this winter but didn’t land one. They’ve had an extremely quiet winter, with their most notable signing being a $5.5MM deal for reliever Shawn Armstrong, followed by $1.5MM for reliever Colin Holderman. That lack of spending comes in spite of José Ramírez deferring some of his guarantee as part of his new extension. The Guards are also unlikely to pay Emmanuel Clase due to his gambling investigation.

With the lack of offseason activity, the Guards go into the season with Kwan, Valera and DeLauter as their three most exciting outfielders but someone will have to play center. The designated hitter spot could be used for extra flexibility but first basemen Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus could be sharing that spot.

If Kwan can handle center, it could help the Guards add some thump to a lineup that has been lacking in recent years. They won the American League Central last year mostly due to pitching and defense, as the team as a whole hit .226/.296/.373 for an 87 wRC+, better than just the Pirates and Rockies. Kwan has a .281/.351/.390 line and 112 wRC+ in his career. Valera hit .255/.346/.457 for a 114 wRC+ in Triple-A last year while DeLauter slashed .278/.383/.476 at that level for a 130 wRC+.

It’s also possible that Kwan doesn’t take to center and ends up back in left where he’s comfortable. The Guards could try DeLauter or Valera there but, as mentioned, neither has played a lot of center in recent years. If all three end up as corner guys, that would leave center to guys like Martínez and Schneemann while DeLauter and/or Valera could be battling Kayfus for at-bats in the DH slot. Martínez has a .226/.277/.353 line and 77 wRC+ in his career with Schneemann at .210/.290/.358 and an 84 wRC+.

Guys like Kahlil Watson and Petey Halpin could also get some playing time but are probably behind Valera and DeLauter on the depth chart. Watson is a converted infielder who has only been playing the outfield for a couple of years, though he is considered to be making good progress on the grass. Halpin’s offensive prowess is considered a bit behind the rest of the guys in this group.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Rays’ Edwin Uceta Headed For Testing On Shoulder

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Rays right-hander Edwin Uceta is headed for testing after experiencing shoulder discomfort early in camp, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Uceta had been planning to pitch for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but those plans were nixed earlier in camp due to what manager Kevin Cash described as a “cranky” right shoulder. He’s been resting that shoulder and attempted to play catch today but “didn’t feel great” when he did so, per Cash.

Uceta, 28, pitched for four different organizations (Dodgers, D-backs, Mets, Cubs) before landing with the Rays on a minor league deal in the 2023-24 offseason. He’d posted a 5.80 earned run average in 40 1/3 big league innings prior to his time in Tampa Bay, but the Rays’ vaunted pitch lab immediately unlocked something in the hard-throwing righty.

In 2024, Uceta erupted with a 1.51 ERA across 41 2/3 innings, fanning a mammoth 35.8% of the batters he faced against a minuscule 5% walk rate. His 2025 follow-up wasn’t quite as dominant but still resulted in a team-leading 76 relief innings and a 3.79 earned run average. He didn’t quite replicate his sensational rate stats from the ’24 season, but his 32.1% strikeout rate was still excellent and his 8.4% walk rate was about average.

Overall, Uceta has a 2.98 ERA with terrific strikeout and walk rates in 113 2/3 innings with the Rays. His breakout has quickly thrust him into a high-leverage role. He’s saved six games and picked up 28 holds in his two years as a Ray.

With longtime closer Pete Fairbanks out the door, Uceta was among the favorites to take over ninth-inning duties for Cash. If this shoulder injury proves to be relatively minor, that could still be the case. For now, his spring ramp-up is on hold while the team awaits medical evaluation.

There are other potential implications for the Rays. They’ve been receiving recent interest in left-hander Garrett Cleavinger, who has also emerged as a quality late-inning option after being plucked from relative obscurity. However, if the Rays fear a prolonged absence for Uceta, that might make them more wary about parting with Cleavinger in any trade.

A’s Hire Bob Melvin For Baseball Operations Role

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The A’s are bringing longtime manager Bob Melvin back to the organization, albeit in a new role. The team announced Thursday that Melvin is returning as a special assistant in the baseball operations department. Details regarding these types of roles are typically vague but often include working with young players in camp and serving as an in-season resource for both the front office and coaching staff.

Melvin, 64, managed the Athletics from 2011-21, leading the then-Oakland club to the postseason on six occasions. Despite perennially working with one of the lowest payrolls in the league — oftentimes the lowest — Melvin led the A’s to an 853-764 record during his 11 seasons at the helm (.528 winning percentage). He was voted the American League Manager of the Year in both 2012 and 2018, and he also won NL Manager of the Year honors with Arizona back in 2007.

The 2026 season will be the first year since 2010 — and just the second year since 2003 — that Melvin has not been a big league manager. Despite Melvin still being under contract in Oakland, the A’s allowed him to interview with the Padres and take the managing job in San Diego following the 2021 season. That was a largely financial decision by the A’s. Melvin was reportedly earning around $4MM per season, and the A’s were aggressively cutting payroll as they both rebuilt the farm system and prepped for a potential relocation.

Melvin spent two years in San Diego, taking the Padres to the NLCS in 2022 before missing the playoffs entirely in 2023. Melvin and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller reportedly clashed at various points, however, and the tension between the two grew to the point that Melvin was granted permission to interview with the division-rival Giants despite being under contract through 2024. The Giants hired Melvin, while the Padres replaced him with former Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt.

As was the case in San Diego, Melvin stayed two years but departed while still under contract for an additional season. Farhan Zaidi was San Francisco’s president of baseball operations when Melvin was hired, but as is often the case, a new front office regime eventually gave way to new dugout leadership.

Giants ownership fired Zaidi following the 2024 campaign and installed franchise icon (and board member) Buster Posey as the new baseball operations leader. Posey exercised a 2026 club option on Melvin back in July, but less than three months later Posey announced that Melvin had been fired. The Giants went outside the box and hired University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello to replace Melvin.

It’s been a tumultuous few years for Melvin, but he’ll now return to the organization that provided him stability for more than a decade. He’ll be an experienced voice with plenty of perspective for general manager David Forst to consult and can also offer various insights to the Athletics’ young core and a coaching staff that’s now run by fifth-year skipper Mark Kotsay.

Dodgers, Yency Almonte Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers are bringing right-handed reliever Yency Almonte back on a minor league contract, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports. The Wasserman client will presumably be in big league camp.

It’s the second stint with the Dodgers for the 31-year-old Almonte. He was with Los Angeles in 2022-23, combining for 83 1/3 innings with a 3.35 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate out of manager Dave Roberts’ bullpen. That production came in quite uneven fashion, however; Almonte delivered 35 1/3 innings of immaculate 1.02 ERA ball in 2022 but was roughed up for a 5.06 mark in 48 innings in 2023. The Dodgers traded Almonte to the Cubs alongside Michael Busch in a 2024 swap that brought prospects Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris back to Los Angeles. (Neither has made his MLB debut yet, but Hope currently sits No. 63 on Baseball America’s Top 100 list.)

Almonte’s two years in Chicago didn’t go as either he or the team hoped. He posted a 3.45 ERA in 2024 but was limited to just 15 2/3 innings due to a shoulder strain that wiped out the bulk of his season. The Cubs passed Almonte through outright waivers in November 2024. He subsequently elected free agency but returned on a minor league contract. Injuries again derailed his season, as he pitched just 19 1/3 frames in Chicago’s minor league ranks in 2025.

In 223 major league innings, Almonte carries a 4.44 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate and 43.5% ground-ball rate. He struggled with the Rockies earlier in his career (5.30 ERA in four seasons) but carries a more encouraging 3.36 mark in 99 innings since moving away from Coors Field. Almonte sat at or just shy of 96 mph with both his four-seamer and sinker during his time with the Dodgers but was down about two miles per hour on each pitch with the Cubs prior to hitting the injured list with that shoulder strain.

The Dodgers don’t have a clear need for another arm in a deep bullpen that’s headlined by Edwin Diaz, Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia, but Almonte could fight for a job in camp and, failing that, provide some experienced depth with their Triple-A club in Oklahoma City.

Jordan Westburg Undergoes Imaging For Potential Elbow Injury

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Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg has been slowed by an oblique injury in camp and was already expected to miss the first few games of exhibition play as a result. However, it appears there’s greater concern than just a mild oblique strain. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner reports that Westburg was sent for imaging on his elbow. The results have not yet been disclosed. O’s podcaster Brooks Rothschild suggested yesterday that Westburg could miss significant time due to an elbow issue.

Asked today whether Westburg was dealing with an elbow issue in addition to that oblique injury, manager Craig Albernaz told reporters (via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko): “Right now, he’s physically unable to participate. So he’s getting evaluated by a medical team and also outside people to make sure we have a plan in place and see what’s going on with Jordan and get him going.”

Baltimore’s infield is already banged up. Second baseman Jackson Holliday suffered a hamate fracture recently and is expected to open the season on the injured list. Westburg has typically been Baltimore’s third baseman but has plenty of experience at second base and could have filled in for Holliday while Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander or Jeremiah Jackson handled the hot corner. Now, it seems there’s a chance Westburg will instead join Holliday on the injured list.

Since his 2023 MLB debut, the now-27-year-old Westburg has been a consistently productive, well-rounded player when healthy. The “when healthy” caveat has proven critical, however. Westburg has never topped 107 games or 447 plate appearances in the majors. Since his initial call to the big leagues, he’s seen IL time for a broken hand, a pair of hamstring strains and an ankle sprain. Westburg carries a .264/.312/.456 batting line in 1027 major league plate appearances, but he’s played in only 341 games (majors and minors combined) across the past three seasons.

Baltimore has been giving former top prospect Coby Mayo plenty of reps at third base during spring training and will presumably continue to do so. Mayo has said that the focus of his early spring work is his defense at the hot corner. He was drafted as a third baseman, but scouts have long questioned whether he can handle the position, and the O’s have given him the majority of his major league work at first base. However, between the Pete Alonso signing and injuries elsewhere in the infield, it’s only logical to get Mayo some more work at third base to see if he can help out there on at least a semi-regular basis.

Mayo’s name was bandied about the rumor mill throughout the winter. Even as recently as this weekend, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested that Baltimore has continued to discuss the 24-year-old in potential trade scenarios. If there’s now concern surrounding Westburg’s availability, one would imagine that will lessen any such talks (unless, speculatively speaking, Mayo is shipped out for a more established veteran infielder).

If Westburg is sidelined for any significant period of time, there are possibilities outside the organization. Old friends Ramón Urías, Jose Iglesias and Emmanuel Rivera remain unsigned, as do veteran utilitymen Jon Berti and Luis Urías (Ramón’s younger brother). None of those players could be reasonably expected to match the offense of a healthy Westburg, but any of the three would deepen the infield mix and — specifically for Urias and Berti — provide a fair bit of defensive versatility. Myriad trade possibilities abound, even beyond the obvious names still on the market. The aforementioned Alexander certainly wasn’t a frequently discussed trade candidate when the O’s sent Kade Strowd and a pair of prospects to Arizona to pry him loose.

That swap looked a bit surprising at the time but will now pay considerable dividends. Alexander can handle either second base or third base. He hit .230/.323/.383 in 74 games last year but closed out the season on a more impressive .239/.338/.415 stretch following the D-backs’ trade of Eugenio Suárez, at which point Alexander took over as the primary third baseman.

The Opener: Astros, Rays, Twins

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Astros still looking for outfield help:

The Astros have been looking for left-handed outfield help throughout the offseason in an effort to balance out a heavily right-handed lineup. One might think that the team’s recent acquisition of Joey Loperfido helped to solve that issue, but it was more of a net-neutral move given that Loperfido was brought in as the return for lefty-swinging outfielder Jesus Sanchez. Yesterday’s report that Houston has some interest in veteran outfielder Michael Conforto suggests they’re still open to a lower end move in free agency, and a trade of Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker could still theoretically yield the left-handed hitter the team has sought. Other lefties still available in free agency include Jesse Winker and Alex Verdugo.

2. Will the Rays be able to extend another young star?

The Rays have long been known to get aggressive with extensions for their players, dating back to early-career deals for Evan Longoria and Matt Moore. In more recent years, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs, Pete Fairbanks, and Tyler Glasnow are among the players they’ve extended prior to or early in arbitration, even if many of those players were ultimately traded before those extensions ran their course.

Budding superstar Junior Caminero has voiced an openness to an extension this week. The question is whether or not the Rays have interest in putting together the sort of offer it would take to lock up a 22-year-old who just hit 45 homers in his first full MLB season. It would surely require the Rays leaving their typical comfort zone, though Tampa Bay did give Wander Franco a $182MM deal before his career came to an abrupt halt over off-the-field improprieties and legal issues. That was under Stu Sternberg’s ownership, and it’s unclear what appetite the team’s new ownership group would have for a big-time extension of that sort.

3. Will the Twins add to their rotation?

Yesterday’s news that Twins ace Pablo López suffered a UCL tear that will likely end his season was a gut punch for a Minnesota club that opted not to follow up on last summer’s deadline sell-off and instead make some modest additions to the roster. The rotation, led by López and Joe Ryan, had the makings of a solid group. Bailey Ober is looking to bounce back from a hip injury, while Simeon Woods Richardson pitched well down the stretch. Young arms like Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp give the Twins plenty of options to round out the staff.

However, the Twins made a late run at Framber Valdez, with new executive chair Tom Pohlad publicly confirming the team’s interest. That was before López suffered his elbow injury. There’s no one akin to Valdez left in free agency, but the Twins clearly have at least some room for additional spending, and free agency offers names like Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell.

MLB Mailbag: Red Sox, Brewers, Phillies, Braves

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This week's mailbag gets into the Red Sox and their offense, Masataka Yoshida's trade value, how far Jacob deGrom is from Hall of Fame consideration, the Brewers and Christian Yelich's contract, the Phillies' and Braves' rotations, and how revenue sharing money is spent.  Now that Bruce Meyer has been named executive director of the MLBPA, I've added thoughts on that news at the bottom of this article.

Christopher asks:

Do the Red Sox have enough offense to make the playoffs?

David asks:

It's two weeks before the trade deadline and the Red Sox are in contention but it's painfully obvious they didn't solve their problem with needing a power hitter. I appreciate it's only February but look into your crystal ball. Who are their likely targets?

Dave asks:

Given the fact Luis Arraez recently signed for $12M year contract, do you still feel there is no value for some team picking up Yoshida? Both have bad marks defensively and Arraez has a higher batting average but Yoshida provides more power, so that may balance out. Worse case someone should take Yoshida for at least $8M.

Lloyd asks:

Boston has an OF glut and Duran is mentioned as the one to most likely be traded. Detroit has an INF glut and Torres is tradeable after June 15. Is there a match here, assuming both players are healthy and productive? Would Boston move Duran for Anderson or Lee, Tiger Top-10 prospects who rank in the lower end of the top 110 MLB prospects? Detroit could use an OF bat for the big push. Assuming salary/contract considerations offer no stumbling block, is this something that would work?

The Red Sox continue to have room for a major addition at second or third base, given that recent addition Caleb Durbin can play either spot.  Such a pickup would bump Durbin or Marcelo Mayer to the bench, which already has a pair of infielders in Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Romy Gonzalez.  (Or Mayer could return to Triple-A, where he's only played 43 games).

It's worth keeping in mind that the most accurate projection system, The Bat X, has Durbin posting an 85 wRC+ this year, Mayer at 86, and Kiner-Falefa at 69.  Gonzalez is at 102, but he's done almost all his damage against left-handed pitching.  Even veteran shortstop Trevor Story is only at 97 in that projection system.  Throw in catcher Carlos Narvaez at 83 and Ceddanne Rafaela at 88, and there's a pretty good chance five of nine Red Sox lineup spots feature subpar offense.

Certainly, there is room for a Mayer breakout or a Kristian Campbell bounceback (Campbell is outfield-focused).  Durbin and Narvaez could sustain more of last year's success.  Story may hit like he did from June onward last year.  Rafaela flashed brilliance at the plate for a couple months.

But that's quite a few "ifs," and the club is reliant on good health from 33-34-year-olds Story and Willson Contreras.

Offense isn't everything, which is why FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a healthy 60.1 shot at the playoffs this year.  The club projects to get a lot of value out of its outfield and DH spots; they're fifth in baseball in total WAR for those four spots.  The opposite is true of Boston's infield, which rates 26th.  And that does account for the club's likely improved infield defense.

The Red Sox rank first in all of baseball for projected starting pitcher WAR.  About 72% of that value is coming from the trio at the top: Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez.  While the Sox do have a wealth of solid depth options behind them, it's fair to say a major injury to Crochet, Gray, Suarez, Roman Anthony, or Rafaela could knock them out of the playoff picture.  I'm sure you could say that about the top five players of any team, but three of these are pitchers.  Crochet and Suarez have lengthy injury histories, and Gray is 36.

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