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.
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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.
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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!
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Tommy Pham Elects Free Agency
Outfielder Tommy Pham has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. The veteran has exercised his right to reject the assignment and elect free agency. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported the news.
Pham, 38, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in March. He was added to the roster in mid-April. He got into nine games and was sent to the plate 14 times. He struck out seven times, walked once and did not get a hit. The Mets pounced on Austin Slater a couple of days after the Marlins let him go. Pham was the roster casualty for that signing. As a veteran with many years of experience, Pham has the right to reject outright assignments and has exercised that right.
He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. He’ll most likely be limited to minor league offers. In the most recent offseason, he lingered unsigned until late into March, signing on March 26th. His recent performance with the Mets surely didn’t do anything to improve his stock.
Though Pham is in his late-30s, he was still providing offense close to league average with the Pirates last year. He hit ten home runs and drew walks at an 11.1% clip, leading to a .245/.330/.370 line and 94 wRC+. That’s not too inspiring but he did have a torrid stretch in the summer. He had a brutal .207/.280/.237 line through the end of May but then slashed .304/.382/.495 from the start of June to the end of August, before he scuffled through September with a .143/.270/.270 line.
Coming into 2026, Pham expressed some hope that a treatment to address plantar fasciitis could improve his game after struggling with the condition in recent years. That hasn’t panned out yet but he also didn’t really get a good chance to get into form. As mentioned, he remained unsigned long enough to miss spring training. The Mets put him into five Single-A games before calling him up and he didn’t get into a groove. Though he may only get minor league offers, it’s theoretically possible that some regular reps could position him for another summer surge.
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Brewers Select Brian Fitzpatrick, Outright Luis Matos
3:45pm: Manager Pat Murphy says that Zerpa’s issue is concerning, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The lefty is likely facing a notable absence but will undergo further testing and will get a second opinion.
2:45pm: The Brewers announced that left-hander Angel Zerpa has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 26th, with left forearm tightness. Fellow lefty Brian Fitzpatrick has been selected to take his place on the active roster. Milwaukee has had a 40-man vacancy since they designated outfielder Luis Matos for assignment last week. Matos cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, per the Brewers today.
Zerpa hasn’t been in good form this year, his first as a Brewer. He has a 6.39 earned run average and his fastball velocity is down about one mile per hour relative to last year. Details on his injury haven’t yet been provided but the club will perhaps provide some more info in the future.
Regardless of the specifics, his injury opens a path for Fitzpatrick to make his major league debut, a few weeks before he turns 26 in June. A tenth-round pick from 2022, Fitzpatrick isn’t a top prospect but put up some intriguing numbers in the minors last year. He started at High-A and quickly got bumped to Double-A. Between those two stops, he tossed 39 1/3 innings with a 2.06 ERA. He struck out 28.8% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 7.8% clip.
He got promoted to Triple-A in August but struggled, posting a 6.87 ERA over 13 appearances. He returned to that level to start 2026 and has fared much better, with 10 1/3 scoreless innings. He has a 28.9% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 54.5% ground ball rate. His four-seamer and sinker are both averaging above 93 miles per hour while he’s also throwing a slider and changeup around 83 mph.
Swapping in Fitzpatrick for Zerpa allows the Brewers to keep their bullpen balanced with four righties and four lefties, the other three southpaws being Aaron Ashby, DL Hall and Shane Drohan. That’s with Zerpa, Rob Zastryzny and Jared Koenig all on the IL. Since this is Fitzpatrick’s first time on a big league roster, he has a full slate of options and could be sent back to Triple-A at some point if other guys get healthy or fresh arms are needed.
As for Matos, he was once a notable prospect with the Giants but he struggled to produce in the majors. He languished in the minors a lot and eventually exhausted his option years. Out of options coming into 2026, he got squeezed into DFA limbo and was flipped to the Brewers in a cash trade. His struggles in the big leagues continued for a few weeks and the Brewers designated him for assignment last week.
Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he does not have the right to elect free agency. The Brewers can keep him as non-roster depth and will see if they can get him back on track. They have had some decent results with post-hype hitters, including Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers. With Matos, he has a .230/.279/.363 line in the majors but a much better .287/.345/.505 slash in Triple-A.
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Cubs Outright Scott Kingery, Vince Velasquez
The Cubs have sent infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery and right-hander Vince Velasquez outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to each player’s transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates they cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. Both players have the right to elect free agency but the log doesn’t indicate whether they will or not.
Kingery, who turns 32 tomorrow, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He gave them some versatile depth off the bench but manager Craig Counsell didn’t use him much. Kingery was on the roster for a month and put into eight games, mostly as a pinch runner, only getting four plate appearances. It seems Counsell and the Cubs preferred Nicky Lopez in that bench role, as they traded for Lopez last week and added him to the roster, with Kingery bumped off as the corresponding move.
In his big league career, Kingery has been a light-hitting utility guy. In 1,160 plate appearances, he has produced a .227/.278/.381 batting line. He has lined up at every position on the diamond except for first base and catcher.
Players have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of free agency if they have either a previous career outright or at least three years of service time. Kingery qualifies on both accounts. He would surely be limited to minor league offers as a free agent, since every club just declined to claim him off waivers. He could stick with the Cubs as non-roster depth who could be called up in the event of a future injury, though he could also look for a comparable role elsewhere.
Velasquez was called up for one relief appearance last week. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames in his first MLB action since 2023. The Cubs designated him for assignment a day later to swap in another fresh arm. Velasquez, who signed an offseason minor league contract, has a 3.71 ERA across four appearances (three starts) with Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Twins Select Luis García, Designate Zak Kent For Assignment
The Twins have placed right-hander Garrett Acton on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. To take his place on the active roster, they have selected the contract of fellow righty Luis García. To open a 40-man spot for Garcia, righty Zak Kent has been designated for assignment. Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune was the first to report the moves.
Garcia is a 39-year old veteran who debuted in the big leagues way back in 2013. He began this campaign with the Mets on a one-year deal worth $1.75MM. The Mets quickly pulled the plug on García after just six appearances of poor results and diminished velocity. After being released, he landed with the Twins on a minor league deal.
As recently as last year, García was an effective big leaguer. He split the season between the Dodgers, Nationals and Angels, tossing 55 1/3 innings with a 3.42 earned run average. His 20.6% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate were subpar but his 49.7% ground ball rate was quite strong.
But as mentioned, his 2026 season got out to an inauspicious start. He allowed five earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. His sinker averaged 94 miles per hour after being at 96.9 mph last year. Since joining the Twins, he has made two Triple-A appearances, allowing one earned run in two innings. His sinker velocity ticked back up to 96.2 mph in that small sample.
The Twins will plug him into their bullpen to cover for Acton’s injury. It’s a minimal commitment from a financial point of view. Assuming his deal with the Mets didn’t have an advanced consent clause, which would mean his salary wouldn’t become guaranteed until 45 days into the season, the Mets are on the hook for the remainder of his $1.75MM salary. The Twins will only have to pay him the prorated version of the league minimum for any time spent on the roster. García has more than enough service time to have the right to refuse an optional assignment to the minor league but the Twins could decide to cut bait on him at some point if things don’t work out, due to the minimal commitment.
Kent, 28, appears to be bucketed as a guy who is worth rostering but just barely. He rode the waiver wire this offseason, going from the Guardians to the Cardinals, Rangers, Cardinals again, then finally the Twins.
He broke camp with Minnesota this year but made just two appearances, allowing two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, before being optioned to the minors. Combined with his work with the Guardians last year, he now has a 4.64 ERA in 21 1/3 big league innings.
His recent work in the minors has featured some punchouts but also some wildness. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has thrown 73 1/3 innings on the farm with a 4.17 ERA, strong 27.9% strikeout rate but high 14.2% walk rate.
He is now pushed into DFA limbo yet again, a process which can take as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Twins could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, though they could also put Kent on waivers earlier than they if they so choose. His results have been uneven in recent years but he is still optionable for the rest of this season, which could appeal to clubs looking for some extra depth. It’s clear that some clubs like him based on all the waiver claims this winter.
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Justin Steele Out Beyond All-Star Break Due To Flexor Strain
4:40pm: Manager Craig Counsell tells 104.3 The Score that Steele has a flexor strain and will be re-evaluated in a month. The skipper tells Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network that Steele is no longer expected back before the All-Star Break.
3:55pm: Cubs left-hander Justin Steele has hit a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The specifics of the setback aren’t clear but Rogers suggests that Steele’s return timeline is likely to be pushed into the future.
Steele underwent surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in April of 2025. The Cubs called it a “revision repair”, something less than a full Tommy John surgery, and suggested Steele could be back in about a year’s time. He was throwing off a mound by the end of January 2026, creating some hope that he could return fairly early in 2026.
The Cubs put Steele on the 60-day injured list just as the season was beginning, meaning he couldn’t officially return prior to late May. Even that timeline may no longer be on the table, as Rogers says the plan of returning by Memorial Day may now be in jeopardy.
Further details will likely be forthcoming from the club prior to tonight’s game. Whenever Steele is finally healthy, it will still be a while before he can rejoin the club. He’ll need to build up through the standard steps of throwing bullpens, then live batting practice, then a rehab assignment, with that overall process to take at least a few weeks.
It’s the latest bit of rough injury news for the Cubs. They have had a number of pitchers hit the injured list this year. In terms of quantity, most of the guys on the IL have been relievers. But the most notable blow has been that starter Cade Horton required Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
As of a few weeks ago, it was possible to imagine the Chicago rotation having Steele, Horton and Edward Cabrera in the top three spots. Now Horton is ruled out completely and Steele is up in the air. Cabrera has a 2.73 earned run average but with some worrying signs under the hood. His four-seam velocity is down more than a tick, having gone from last year’s 97 miles per hour to this year’s 95.7. His strikeout rate has also fallen, sitting at 18.5% this year, a huge drop from the 25.8% rate he had in 2025.
The current rotation is therefore lacking in upside compared to the theoretical one they could have had. Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga and Colin Rea are talented pitchers but the whole group would be better if Steele and Horton were in it and if Cabrera was shoving more concretely.
Despite all the injuries, the Cubs have a strong 17-12 record. Assuming they stay in contention for the next few months, they were likely going to be looking for rotation upgrades to replace Horton. If Steele’s setback proves significant, then that should only increase their urgency there. If another injury pops up in the meantime, Javier Assad is probably the next man up, as he is currently pitching in long relief out of the bullpen.
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Cubs Claim Doug Nikhazy, Designate Ben Cowles For Assignment
The Cubs have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. There wasn’t any previous indication Nikhazy had been removed from the Sox roster but it appears they tried to sneak him through waivers in recent days. The Cubs designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was the first to report the moves.
It’s mildly surprising that the Sox put Nikhazy on the wire. He has options and has mostly been in the minors as depth since they claimed him off waivers three weeks ago. They don’t have 40-man pressure, as guys like Tanner Murray and Drew Thorpe are 60-day IL candidates. Perhaps the Sox felt now was a good time to try to pass Nikhazy through waivers since he has an 8.71 earned run average in Triple-A this year.
Instead, the Cubs have swooped in and put the kibosh on that plan. The North Siders are looking past this year’s struggles and focusing on Nikhazy’s better numbers in previous seasons. The southpaw had a strong 2024 campaign in the Guardians’ system, tossing 123 2/3 innings on the farm with a 2.98 ERA. His 10.8% walk rate was high but he struck out 25.4% of batters faced.
He hasn’t been in amazing form since then. He made a brief major league debut in 2025 but spent most of the season in the minors, where he posted a 5.02 ERA. As mentioned, this year has been even worse so far. Despite the poor results of late, he clearly still has interest around the league. The Guards put him on waivers a few weeks ago, which is when the Sox scooped him up. Now the Cubs are taking a turn.
The Cubs have had a large number of pitching injuries this year, moreso in the bullpen than in the rotation. Nikhazy gives them some extra starting depth but perhaps could be recalled if they need a spot start or another long relief option in the bullpen. His stuff isn’t overpowering, as he averages around 90 miles per hour with his fastball. Between that and his subpar control, perhaps he should be moved to the bullpen so that his stuff could play up, but he’s mostly been a starter/swingman to this point in his career.
Cowles, 26, is clearly in a fringe zone where he’s considered a borderline roster guy. The Cubs put him on their 40-man roster in November of 2024. He was designated for assignment in September of last year and claimed by the White Sox. In the offseason, he went to the Cubs, to the Blue Jays and then back to the Cubs via waiver claims. Now he’s been bumped into DFA limbo once again.
Despite all that time on various rosters, he is still looking to make his major league debut, since he hasn’t been producing much in the minors. Back in 2024, he slashed .286/.372/.457 in Double-A, which is why the Cubs gave him a roster spot in the first place. But since then, he has a .235/.305/.372 line in Triple-A.
DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to explore trade interest. Cowles hasn’t been hitting for the past year-plus but he does provide speed and defensive versatility. He’s generally good for about 15 to 25 steals per year. Defensively, he has spent time at the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as left field. He still has options and could be stashed in the minors for the rest of this season and one additional campaign.
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Angels Release Jordan Romano
Right-hander Jordan Romano has been released by the Angels, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment a couple of days ago. He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity.
Players with at least five years of major league service time have the right to reject outright assignments to the minor leagues, instead electing free agency while retaining their salaries. The Halos have seemingly skipped that formality and opted to release Romano. They will remain on the hook for the remainder of his $2MM salary for now. Another club could sign him and only pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Angels pay.
Any interest from other clubs would not be based on recent trends. Romano has had a tough time in the past few years. He was injured for much of the 2024 season with the Blue Jays. He signed with the Phillies last year and had awful results. The Angels tried to get a bounceback but didn’t succeed. Between those three clubs, he has tossed 64 1/3 innings since the start of 2024, allowing 8.11 earned runs per nine.
That number probably overstates how poorly Romano has pitched. His 9.3% walk rate in that time was close to average, while his strikeout rate of 24.7% was a couple of ticks better than par. An 18.1% home run to fly ball rate didn’t help. His .331 batting average on balls in play and 54.2% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His 5.43 FIP for that time wasn’t good but far better than his ERA. On the wildly optimistic side, Romano actually has a 3.71 SIERA in that span.
Rather than sifting for positives in recent numbers, Romano’s potential is best shown in his more distant past. From 2020 to 2023, he posted a 2.29 ERA in 200 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays. He racked up 97 saves in that time with a 30.8% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and 43.3% ground ball rate.
He hasn’t been nearly as effective since, as mentioned. Despite some optimistic underlying data, getting back to that level will be difficult with such diminished stuff. Romano averaged 97.6 miles per hour on his four-seamer back in 2021. That number has ticked down every year since and has been at 94.5 mph so far in 2026. Similarly, his slider is more than 4 mph down from its peak.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images