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Immaculate Grid: A Perfect Game For Baseball Fans, Especially Amid Trade Deadline Chaos (Sponsored)

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This is a sponsored post from Sports Reference.

The upcoming few days are among the most exciting of the year for baseball fans. There’ll be plenty of trades before next Thursday’s evening deadline, shuffling the makeup of the league as stars change teams and top prospects are on the move. Amidst the upcoming flurry of roster movement, all baseball fans should keep an eye on the 2025 season’s daily Immaculate Grid!

What Is Immaculate Grid?

Immaculate Grid is a free daily trivia game powered by Sports Reference that challenges players to fill a 3×3 grid with players who meet specific criteria, like sharing a team or achieving a statistical feat. Each square on the grid requires the player to recall a particular player from the past or present who meet both criteria, such as those who have played for two teams or tallied a certain number of strikeouts. The goal is to complete the grid with as few incorrect guesses as possible.

Immaculate Grid is a great way for baseball fans of any kind to flex their knowledge of the game. Take the opportunity to remember players from years past or impress your friends by staying up to date on all of this year’s deadline movement. Demonstrate your knowledge of the most obscure players who meet each day’s parameters.

Challenge your friends and compete for the lowest “rarity score,” which is calculated as the sum of the percentages for each cell you get correct plus 100 for each empty cell. You can even test yourself against the professionals. If the hosts play, challenge to beat their rarity score or to play/share the day’s grid with them. Think you’re relying too often on Rich Hill, who is on his 14th MLB team after getting called up by the Royals? Create a free account to track your grid history, most used players, most used teams, and more.

How to Play:

  • You have nine guesses to fill out the grid.
  • Each guess, whether correct or incorrect, counts as a guess.
  • There is a new grid every day at 6:00am ET.
  • A player cannot be used twice.
  • Players may be active or inactive.
  • For team and team cell: player must have played at least one game (regular season or playoffs) for each team.

Deadline Transactions and the Challenge of Immaculate Grid

In addition to being one of the most exciting times on the baseball calendar, keeping track of every move this month allows hardcore fans to stay ahead of the rest in Immaculate Grid. We’ve already seen a few trades that opened up new eligibility for players on the Immaculate Grid!

Keep an eye out for plenty more notable players who should be on the move in the next week!

  • Sandy Alcantara
  • Mitch Keller
  • David Bednar
  • Ryan O’Hearn
  • Eugenio Suárez
  • Josh Naylor
  • Luis Robert Jr.
  • Ryan McMahon

Your new daily routine: Remember some guys with Immaculate Grid, powered by Baseball Reference. It’s a free trivia game with a new game every day. Can you go 9 for 9, or name the most obscure players from baseball past and present? Try it today!

Also be sure to visit ImmaculateGrid.com for puzzles on other sports too like NBA, WNBA, NHL, NFL, and soccer!

Padres Have Discussed Dylan Cease With Several Teams

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The Padres have spoken to several teams about the possibility of trading right-hander Dylan Cease, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Cubs, Mets and multiple AL East clubs have had some talks with San Diego, per the report. Separately, Olney’s colleague Jeff Passan also suggests that Cease has come up in trade talks, though that’s framed as other clubs approaching the Padres and not expressly being turned away.

Whether the Padres have initiated talks or whether they’re simply hearing other teams out, the possibility of trading Cease speaks to multiple challenges for San Diego over the next week-plus. The Friars’ farm system is not particularly well regarded beyond its top two prospects, and the team is ostensibly reluctant to part with either Leo De Vries or Ethan Salas. That leaves the Padres with a fairly light slate of prospects from which to deal.

Talks surrounding Cease could also reflect what looked to be the case in the late stages of the offseason: the Padres’ baseball operations staff does not appear to have much financial firepower at its disposal. The new-look ownership structure hasn’t been as keen to spend as the late Peter Seidler. They’re still well north of the luxury tax threshold, but the team’s actual cash payroll is down considerably from its 2023 peak.

The Padres’ late-offseason dealings put a spotlight on that lack of resources. Nick Pivetta’s four-year, $55MM deal pays him just $4MM in the first season of the contract. Catcher Elias Diaz ($3.5MM), lefty Kyle Hart ($1.5MM) and outfielders Connor Joe ($1MM) and Jason Heyward ($1MM) signed one-year contracts valued at a combined $7MM. Their other late additions included minor league deals for Yuli Gurriel, Gavin Sheets, Jose Iglesias and Martin Maldonado. Each cracked the big league roster at the end of camp, but Iglesias’ $3MM base salary was the largest of the bunch.

Trading Cease while still aiming to contend might seem counterintuitive, but the Padres could accomplish multiple goals, in theory. He’s an impending free agent who’s earning $13.75MM this season with about $4.95MM of that sum yet to be paid out. Trimming nearly $5MM off the books would create a decent bit of money to pursue upgrades behind the plate, in left field and perhaps on the bench — all areas of need. It’d also net some prospects of note, any of whom could subsequently be flipped to another team to address various needs on the roster.

Of course, moving Cease would also further deplete a perilously thin rotation. Michael King has been out nearly two months due to shoulder inflammation, and Joe Musgrove is out all season following last year’s Tommy John surgery. With Cease out of the picture, the Padres would be left with Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Stephen Kolek, Randy Vasquez and rookie Ryan Bergert in the rotation — at least until King returns. It’s not a great group, and the depth beyond it is shaky at best.

To that end, Olney further reports that even while discussing Cease, the Padres have been in contact with the Orioles about right-hander Charlie Morton, who’s widely expected to be traded between now and July 31. Morton’s $15MM salary is even larger than that of Cease, so presumably the Padres would be interested only if the Orioles were to include cash to offset a portion of the deal (likely enough so San Diego would owe a good bit less than the $4.95MM left on Cease’s contract).

Morton got out to a terrible start this season but has posted terrific numbers over his past 12 appearances overall (even including a seven-run hiccup his last time out). Since May 10, he’s posted a 3.47 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate, a 7.7% walk rate and a 44.2% grounder rate. Metrics like FIP (3.30) and SIERA (3.49) generally support his resurgence. Over that span, Morton has actually outpitched Cease, though Cease’s power arsenal, track record and sustained ability to miss bats would still hold greater appeal to most clubs on the lookout for rotation upgrades.

Cease hasn’t had his best season but has been generally solid since a catastrophic nine-run drubbing in his third start of the year. Dating back to April 14, Cease has pitched 99 innings with a 4.09 ERA, a 30% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. His swinging-strike rate in that time is nearly 17% — a massive mark — and he’s averaging better than 97 mph on his heater. He’s had some struggles with runners on base this year and at least a little bit of batted-ball misfortune (.319 compared to his .290 mark entering the season), but Cease is still throwing hard, missing bats at a plus rate and limiting walks at an average clip. For any of the Cubs, Mets or any AL East contender, he’d very likely step right into a theoretical playoff rotation, barring a late injury or substantial downturn in results.

Latest On Luis Robert Jr.’s Market

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With the deadline just over a week away, White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. figures to be one of the most talked-about names on the market. Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic report that two clubs “made aggressive attempts” to acquire Robert last week but the Sox held out for a better prospect package. Along similar lines, Jeff Passan of ESPN writes that Robert is in “trade limbo” because the Sox don’t want to move him for “a reduced return.”

The Sox are running out of time to pull the trigger on a Robert trade. He is in the final year of his contract. The Sox hold a $20MM club option for next year with a $2MM buyout. The piece from The Athletic mentions the possibility of the Sox picking up that option since they have almost no payroll obligations, a possibility that Buster Olney of ESPN also mentioned yesterday.

Though it’s true that the Sox have almost no money on their future books, it’s still hard to see them shelling out an extra $18MM on Robert right now. He’s been hurt and/or ineffective for most of the past two years. They’ve already missed a few opportunities to flip him when his value was higher, so it’s probably not wise to kick the can down the road yet again. The option value could look decent if Robert is hot through the end of the season but it’s also possible that he is hurt or slumping again, meaning they would have held him for nothing.

It’s likely that Robert’s appeal on the market is up a bit, at least relative to earlier this year. His overall season is still bad, as he’s sitting on a line of .206/.292/.344. However, he has actually been in a groove for a while now.

Robert sat out a few games in early June. Manager Will Venable said, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com, this was to give Robert some time to focus on making adjustments. Though Venable said it would be for two games, Robert missed three, the games on June 3rd, 4th and 5th. Whatever those adjustments were, they seem to have worked. At the time of that breather, Robert had a .177/.266/.286 batting line and 30.8% strikeout rate. Since then, he has hit .267/.347/.467 with a more manageable 25.5% strikeout rate.

That latter line is still in a small sample of work. Robert had a quick stint on the injured list due to a left hamstring strain in there and then there was the All-Star break, so it’s only 102 plate appearances. However, it’s production he’s been capable of in the past. The 123 wRC+ for that stretch is in the same ballpark as the 129 wRC+ he had in his excellent 2023 season.

Even when he was really struggling, he was still providing value. He had a 112 wRC+ against lefties at the end of April and then had a 151 wRC+ versus southpaws in May. He has 25 steals on the year and can run the ball down in center field.

Though it’s been a rough season, there should be some appeal and it’s understandable that some clubs have attempted to get him. He seems to have the floor of a speed-and-defense guy who can fill the short side of a platoon. The ceiling is obviously much higher. FanGraphs credited him with 4.9 wins above replacement in 2023 thanks to his .264/.315/.542 line, defense and speed. He has shown glimpses of that over the past six weeks or so.

Teams will naturally still have some hesitation due to his injuries and slumps, but few available players have Robert’s upside. The market could also feature center fielders such as Cedric Mullins, Harrison Bader and Alek Thomas. Mullins had a great April but has been in a slump since then. Bader is having a nice season but is four years older than Robert, has a checkered injury history of his own and has never had the same ceiling. Thomas is a great fielder but a subpar hitter.

The Sox are reportedly willing to include cash in a Robert deal in order to improve the prospect return. He is making $15MM this year, which will leave about $5MM left to pay out at the deadline. That will naturally appeal to clubs with tight budgets. Robert hasn’t been connected to any specific teams yet but reportedly had eight teams on the phone earlier this month. As mentioned earlier, a couple made recent pushes. Teams like the Royals, Guardians, Mets, Phillies, Tigers and Angels are some of the contenders who could use center field upgrades.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Rockies Place Germán Márquez On Injured List

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July 23: The Rockies announced Wednesday that they have indeed placed Márquez on the 15-day injured list due to right biceps tendinitis. The move is retroactive to July 21 but will still keep him on the injured list beyond the July 31 trade deadline. Injured players can still be traded, but the IL placement obviously impacts his value and reduces the chance of a deal coming together.

July 22: Per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the MRI showed biceps inflammation but no structural damage. Thomas Harding of MLB.com says that Tanner Gordon is with the club and will likely start tomorrow, with Márquez likely bound for the IL.

July 21: Germán Márquez went for an MRI on his shoulder this afternoon, relays Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. The Rockies have not placed the veteran right-hander on the injured list to this point. They’re currently calling the issue shoulder inflammation but are awaiting more specifics from the imaging.

Márquez only managed three innings in yesterday’s start against the Twins. He told reporters (including MLB.com’s Thomas Harding) that the issue stems from his final start before the All-Star Break. He’d pitched well in that appearance — six innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in Cincinnati — but apparently worked through some discomfort. He’d hoped that the issue would resolve itself with over a week of rest because of the break. That didn’t happen, and Márquez acknowledged yesterday that he and the training staff are considering skipping his next start.

It’s an inopportune time for an injury. Márquez is an impending free agent. He’s very likely to be traded if he’s healthy. A pitcher with a 5.67 earned run average across 20 starts seemingly wouldn’t be of much interest to contenders. Márquez has an even worse road ERA (5.95) than he does at Coors Field (5.31).

Still, some teams could view him as a change-of-scenery candidate in a market that’ll be starved for starting pitching. Márquez was an above-average starter before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. He’s averaging north of 95 MPH on his fastball and getting whiffs on his mid-80s knuckle-curve. Márquez also seemed to be rounding into form over the past six weeks.

The 30-year-old posted a 2.97 ERA over six starts in June (though he gave up six unearned runs on June 18). Márquez was bombed by the White Sox in his first appearance of July before turning in arguably his best start of the year during the aforementioned appearance against the Reds. Sunday’s start was terrible — three runs in as many innings with four hits and walks apiece — but it’s easy to forgive that based on the injury. While he wouldn’t be anyone’s top target, teams seeking a back-end starter could view him as more of an intriguing upside play than the likes of Andrew Heaney, Aaron Civale or Erick Fedde.

If Márquez requires an injured list stint, he’ll be out beyond next Thursday’s trade deadline. Even if he simply skips one turn through the rotation, he wouldn’t be lined up to pitch again by July 31. They could push him back a few days while running him out on July 29 or 30 against the Guardians in an attempt to showcase his health, but that’s dependent on the imaging results. Márquez is playing on a $10MM salary and would receive a $1MM assignment bonus if he’s traded. He’d also unlock $2MM in bonuses at each of 140, 150 and 160 innings pitched, but those are lofty targets considering he’s currently at 98 1/3 frames and now facing an injury.

Guardians Open To Offers On Shane Bieber

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The Guardians have made rehabbing right-hander Shane Bieber available, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner has yet to pitch in the majors this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April but is currently on a minor league rehab assignment.

Bieber, 30, signed a two-year, $26MM contract to remain with Cleveland after that ill-timed injury. He can opt out of the contract at season’s end, which only further muddies a complicated trade scenario. Bieber is owed the balance of a $10MM salary and at least a $4MM buyout on a $16MM player option for the upcoming season.

Cleveland had hoped that Bieber would be back on a big league mound by now. He originally embarked on a minor league rehab assignment on May 31 but felt some soreness that caused the Guards to pull him from that rehab stint and slow his return process. That initial soreness didn’t prove to be any kind of significant recurrence of injury, as Bieber’s now back on the mound. He made the second start of his current rehab stint last night with High-A Lake County. He’s pitched five innings and held opponents to a run with a 9-to-1 K/BB ratio on this rehab stint. Bieber also tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts back in that May 31 appearance.

Bieber made only two starts in 2024, his final season of club control in Cleveland, before incurring his injury. He tossed 12 shutout innings and struck out a comical 20 of his 45 opponents (44.4%) against just one walk (2.2%). Fifty percent of the balls put in play against him were grounders. Also encouraging was the fact that his average fastball had ticked back up to 92 mph after sitting 91.3 mph in each of the past two seasons. His heater had been particularly limited in April in the 2022-23 seasons, sitting under 91 mph in both. That made the velo uptick all the more encouraging. It was a sample of just two starts, but it’s hard to draw up a better beginning to a pitcher’s walk year — or a worse finish than what quickly transpired thereafter.

It’s hard to know what to expect from Bieber at this point. Scouts figure to keep a particularly close eye on his remaining rehab starts as a result. Not only is Bieber recovering from Tommy John surgery, he’d pitched with diminished results in 2023 due to elbow troubles. He tossed 128 innings in 2023 and logged a 3.80 ERA with a career-low 20.1% strikeout rate.

At his best, Bieber is a frontline starter capable of dominating any lineup in baseball. From 2020-22, he pitched 374 innings with a 2.70 ERA, a 30.4% strikeout rate, a 6% walk rate and a 47.2% ground-ball rate. Those rate stats all range from good to excellent, and fielding-independent metrics were similarly bullish on Bieber’s success (2.75 FIP, 3.04 SIERA). He looked like more of a third or fourth starter in 2023 while working with career-low velocity, and now he’s coming off a major surgery with at least one minor setback. He’s an enigma, to say the least.

The player option for the 2026 season makes him all the more difficult to value. If Bieber is activated within the next two to three weeks and pitches even competently down the stretch, he’s sure to decline a net $12MM player option in favor of a return to free agency. If he pitches poorly and/or encounters further injury woes, he’d likely pick up that player option and stick his new club with a $16MM salary it’d prefer not to have on the books.

Given all those layers, the Guardians may not extract the sort of return that would typically be commensurate with a brand-name pitcher of this caliber. Bieber stands as a high-upside play but one who comes with plenty of risk as well. A trade shouldn’t be seen as a given, particularly not with Cleveland riding a three-game win streak that’s put them back to .500 and within 2.5 games of a Wild Card spot in the American League. But Bieber’s next rehab outing and the Guardians’ play in the next week merit a watchful eye, as a healthy Bieber could be a major boon for a contender’s staff — whether that’s the Guardians themselves or a theoretical trade partner.

Cardinals Designate Erick Fedde For Assignment

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11:22am: The Cardinals have announced the moves.

11:17am: The Cardinals have designated struggling right-hander Erick Fedde for assignment, reports Katie Woo of The Athletic. Right-hander Andre Granillo is being recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot on the roster, MLB.com’s John Denton adds.

A year ago, the resurgent Fedde was one of the most sought-after arms on the trade market. A former first-round pick and top prospect with the Nationals, he’d struggled for several injury-marred years in the majors before reinventing himself with an MVP-winning season in the Korea Baseball Organization. The White Sox signed him to a two-year, $15MM contract and received excellent value, as Fedde posted a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts for them before being traded in a three-team deal that brought Miguel Vargas and prospects Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez. The Cardinals parted ways with utilityman Tommy Edman.

Fedde was solid but not quite as effective for the Cardinals down the stretch. Heading into the 2025 season, his $7.5MM salary looked like a bargain after he’d posted a combined 3.30 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate in 177 1/3 innings between St. Louis and Chicago. With the Cardinals announcing an intent to take a step back to focus on player development and give young players an opportunity, Fedde looked like an obvious offseason trade candidate.

Instead, St. Louis wound up holding onto Fedde in hopes of getting some first-half innings and flipping him at the deadline. It now represents a missed opportunity. The Cards still have five days to trade him for a nominal return, but the legitimate trade value that Fedde had in the offseason has dried up with a shaky season that’s had a few highlights but far more low points.

Even early in the season, when Fedde was sporting a solid earned run average, his rate stats told another story. The right-hander’s strikeout rate has plummeted this season, while his walk rate has crept up. Fedde was masterful in a May 9 shutout of the Nationals, wherein he allowed just six hits and no walks against eight punchouts. He followed that with 5 2/3 shutout frames against a tough Phillies lineup, albeit with four walks against three strikeouts.

Much of the season has been a tightrope walk for Fedde due to his worsened command and diminished ability to miss bats, but the wheels really came off beginning in late June. Fedde served up seven runs in back-to-back starts on June 25 and 30. His results have only worsened since. Over his past five starts, he’s been shelled for 26 runs on 33 hits and 11 walks with only eight strikeouts through 17 2/3 innings.

Fedde is being paid $7.5MM this season. He still has about $2.7MM of that sum yet to be paid out. No team is going to claim his salary if he’s placed on waivers. The Cardinals will have five days to try to trade him, though they’ve presumably already been looking for matches and haven’t lined up on anything. If they’re willing to eat the rest of that salary, perhaps a team will take a low-risk flier on Fedde, but there’s a real chance he’ll simply be released. At that point, he’d be free to sign with any team and would only cost his new club the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the major league roster.

With Fedde out the door, the Cardinals will clear a permanent rotation spot for prospect Michael McGreevy. The 2021 first-rounder has pitched 28 1/3 MLB frames this year and logged a 3.49 ERA with a minuscule 2.7% walk rate. McGreevy’s 15.2% strikeout rate is one of the lowest in baseball, although he’s punched out 25.5% of his Triple-A opponents, so there’s clear upside for more missed bats. Add in that he’s also sporting a tidy 4.9% walk rate in Memphis, and it’s not hard to see why St. Louis is keen on getting him a look. The hope had been to trade Fedde for some minor league talent but that seems quite unlikely given the extent of the veteran’s struggles.

Royals To Acquire Joey Krehbiel

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10:26am: The Royals are sending cash to the Rays, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

10:16am: The Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever Joey Krehbiel from the Rays, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 32-year-old Krehbiel is not on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster. He’s been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Durham after signing a minor league deal back in January.

Krehbiel has a 3.65 ERA in 74 big league innings spread across parts of four seasons. He most recently pitched in the majors for the 2022-23 Orioles. He’s posted an ugly 6.11 earned run average with Durham this season but has far more encouraging rate stats: 20.6% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate, 53.8% ground-ball rate. Krehbiel has been dogged by a .371 average on balls in play and a 57% strand rate, both of which seem ripe for positive regression. Fielding-independent metrics feel he’s been far better than his ERA would otherwise indicate (3.99 FIP, 3.96 xFIP).

Krehbiel is averaging 93.8 mph on his four-seamer this season and has coupled that pitch with a cutter sitting 89.6 mph, a sinker at 92.6 mph and a changeup that’s averaged 85.4 mph. Unsightly earned run average notwithstanding, he’s done a nice job avoiding hard contact, limiting opponents to an 88.3 mph average exit velocity with just a 33.3% overall hard-hit rate.

Since Krehbiel isn’t on the 40-man roster, the Royals don’t need to make a corresponding move — unless the plan is to immediately select him to the majors. If that’s the case, they’d need to open a 40-man spot. Krehbiel has one minor league option year remaining and is technically controllable for another five seasons, though that’s not much of a consideration at this time, given his age and lack of track record.

MLBTR Podcast: David Robertson, Trade Chips For The O’s and A’s, And What The Rangers Could Do

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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…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What about a Duran Duran trade? Jarren Duran of the Red Sox for Jhoan Durán of the Twins? (29:55)
  • Should the Angels be buying? (37:30)
  • If the Cardinals are sellers, who should be untouchable? (44:50)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Rays’ Ownership, The Phillies Target Bullpen Help, And Bubble Teams – listen here
  • Firings in Washington, Bad Braves, And An AL East Shake-Up – listen here
  • Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More! – 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 Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Isaac Paredes Has “Pretty Significant” Injury; Astros Could Pursue Additional Bat

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Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes went on the injured list with a strained hamstring over the weekend, and manager Joe Espada last night suggested that the 26-year-old slugger won’t be back anytime soon. Espada called Paredes’ hamstring issue “pretty serious” and added that while the team is still awaiting further testing results before an official diagnosis and recovery timetable is provided, the injury is “definitely something that’s going to keep him out for a while” (link via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). Espada could not definitively say whether Paredes would return this season.

It’s yet another brutal injury blow to an Astros club that has somehow weathered an avalanche of health troubles to sit atop the AL West. Houston has only gotten 29 games out of Yordan Alvarez this year due to an ongoing hand injury that was originally diagnosed as inflammation before the team eventually revealed he’s dealing with a small fracture. Jeremy Peña’s breakout season was interrupted by a broken rib in late June. He’s missed nearly a month. Outfielders Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick and Jacob Melton have spent time on the injured list; Meyers and Melton are there presently.

The pitching side of the coin has been even worse. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski both required Tommy John surgery by early June. Spencer Arrighetti hasn’t pitched since early April after suffering a fluke injury when he was playing catch in the outfield during batting practice and was struck by a batted ball. Luis Garcia’s rehab from 2023 Tommy John surgery is now up to well over two years in the making after some early-season setbacks.

Houston has persevered through it all, improbably sitting 17 games over .500 thanks in no small part to dominant pitching performances from Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu and several unexpected contributors (e.g. Bennett Sousa, Steven Okert, Shawn Dubin, Ryan Gusto, Brandon Walter, Colton Gordon). They’ve also enjoyed career-best performances at the plate from Meyers, Mauricio Dubon and catcher Victor Caratini.

Paredes has been a huge part of the team’s success, however, playing in 94 of 101 games and batting .259/.359/.470 with a team-leading 19 home runs. He hasn’t singlehandedly replaced Kyle Tucker’s bat in the lineup, but Paredes and Cam Smith — both acquired in the Tucker return — have provided above-average offense throughout the season.

With Paredes sidelined indefinitely, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that the Astros are now likelier to target an additional bat than they were prior to the injury. Houston had been looking around for a left-handed bat who could help at second base, but GM Dana Brown’s primary focus had been on improving his strained pitching depth.

It creates a fascinating dynamic for the Astros. Over the winter, it was clear that owner Jim Crane was only interested in exceeding the luxury tax threshold for what would be a second straight season in very specific cases (namely, if it meant re-signing Alex Bregman at their price — not his). Trades of Tucker and Ryan Pressly helped keep the team’s CBT number under the $241MM first-tier threshold even as they brought in free agent Christian Walker on a three-year contract. The April trade of Rafael Montero to the Braves — in which they surprisingly found a taker for a portion of his underwater contract — spared the Astros just under $3MM of his salary and created a bit more breathing room. That could wind up being pivotal if Crane remains intent on avoiding the luxury tax.

RosterResource projects the Astros for about $235.5MM worth of CBT considerations — just $5.5MM shy of the threshold. Cot’s Contracts is a bit more bearish at $238.9MM. Both of those are estimates, as the exact calculations of CBT spending are not all publicly available. But they still paint a generally similar picture: the Astros have minimal wiggle room with which to operate if keeping that number under $241MM is still a priority.

The Astros could always convince a trade partner to pay down some of a new acquisition’s salary, but doing so would require paying an increased price in terms of prospects. Houston’s farm system is not well-regarded, though their player development staff continues to churn out players (particularly pitchers) who exceed industry expectations. If the team needs to stay under the $241MM level, finding pre-arbitration players would be one path to explore, though the prices on those players will be notable.

The Mets are open to dealing from their infield depth (including lefty-swinging third baseman/second baseman Brett Baty), presenting one possible path. Tampa Bay speedster Jose Caballero is a below-average hitter who bats from the right side of the dish but is a plus defender with 32 stolen bases already. He’s reportedly drawn trade interest. Houston could also look to buy low on a former top prospect like Minnesota’s Edouard Julien or the Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman. Julien is hitting well in Triple-A but has slipped down the organization’s depth chart. Gorman is out with a back injury at the moment but has provided average offense for the Cards. The St. Louis infield picture is getting more cluttered, however, and Gorman could be squeezed out when top prospect JJ Wetherholt is ready for a big league look. Those are speculative examples, to be clear, but that’s the type of move that could provide some infield help while managing CBT limitations.

Another alternative would be trading from the big league roster to try to free up a bit more financial freedom. The previously mentioned McCormick is making $3.4MM and doesn’t have a starting role, especially when Meyers returns. Trading him would trim about $1.22MM from the CBT bill (as of this writing, though that number will drop incrementally as the deadline draws nearer). One way or another, Houston will be one of the more interesting clubs to track between now and next week’s trade deadline.

Tigers Designate Brewer Hicklen For Assignment

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The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Brewer Hicklen for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-handed pitching prospect Troy Melton, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Toledo (as was previously reported). In order to open a 26-man roster spot for Melton, ace Tarik Skubal was placed on the paternity list. Skubal can be absent for up to 72 hours.

Detroit picked up Hicklen in a March 28 trade sending cash back to the Brewers. He’s appeared in just one game for the Tigers in 2025, going 2-for-3 with a walk in that lone appearance. The bulk of Hicklen’s season has come in Triple-A, where he’s carrying a .227/.335/.394 batting line (99 wRC+) with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. He’s walked at a strong 11.4% clip but also fanned in more than 30% of his plate appearances.

The 29-year-old Hicklen has just 13 major league plate appearances under his belt. The two hits he collected with Tigers were the first of his major league career. Hicklen has played in parts of four Triple-A seasons and has a .242/.351/.466 slash through 1598 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in his career and has good speed to go along with a solid track record in Triple-A (contact issues notwithstanding). He’s in the second of three minor league option years.

The Tigers will trade Hicklen or place him on waivers within the next five days. If he’s placed on waivers, that’ll be another 48-hour process. His DFA will be resolved within a week’s time. He hasn’t been outrighted to this point in his career and doesn’t have three years of big league service, so if he clears waivers Hicklen will stick with the Tigers as a depth option who’s no longer on the 40-man roster.

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