Carlos Correa Returning to Houston Astros

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Correa is preparing for an astronomical return…

The Houston Astros have reacquired the 30-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball in a shocking blockbuster deal with the Minnesota Twins just before the MLB trade deadline Thursday.

Correa, a Rookie of the Year and a two-time MLB All-Star in his prior stint with the Astros, waived his no-trade clause in order to make the deal happen.

He has also agreed to play third base, sharing the left side of the infield with Jeremy Pena.

“I had some conversations with the front office in Minnesota, and we were not moving [the direction] I thought we were after making the playoffs [in 2023],” Correa told MLB.com on Thursday, “and they agreed with me that it was time to move me.

“I let them know there was only one team I would allow that to happen.”

The Astros went into the trade deadline prioritizing a left-handed hitter and a starter, but third baseman Isaac Paredes could miss the rest of the season with a serious hamstring injury, prompting them to get aggressive in a trade for Correa.

Moments later, their need for a left-handed hitter was also filled — in a deal to acquire outfielder Jesus Sanchez from the Miami Marlins.

The trade amounted to a salary dump, with the Twins, up for sale since last October, clearly motivated to shed financial obligations during the trade deadline. The Twins agreed to take on only $33 million of the remaining $104 million owed to Correa through 2028 and thus did not get much prospect capital in return for one of the sport’s most recognizable players. Matt Mikulski, a 26-year-old lefty who is still in A ball, went from the Astros’ system to the Twins’.

The Marlins received shortstop Chase Jaworsky, a top-10 prospect in the Astros’ system, as well as minor league outfielder Esmil Valencia and major league right-hander Ryan Guston in exchange for Sanchez.

A former No. 1 pick out of high school in Puerto Rico in 2012, Correa was one of the faces of an Astros team that won the World Series in 2017 and became the most successful American League franchise in recent years.

This year, though, Correa’s numbers are down. He is slashing .267/.319/.386 with seven home runs in 93 games.

“This is a big move for the team, for the city, for where we’re going in the future,” Houston general manager Dana Brown said. “We feel like … he’s just going to bring a lot, not only as a player but as a human being — his leadership skills and the energy that he’s going to bring to this club. So I’m fired up.”

This will be Correa’s first time playing third base in the majors, but he told MLB.com it’s something he had been looking forward to.

“I’ve been wanting to play third base for the past couple of years, but it wasn’t happening in Minnesota,” Correa said. “We were waiting for a shortstop to come in, and now that I get to play third base it would be great for me at this stage of my career.”

Sanchez, 27, has slashed .246/.312/.432 with 69 homers and 29 steals in 522 games with the Marlins from 2021 to 2025, during which he played mostly right field. He is controllable through 2027.

New York Mets Acquire Gregory Soto from Baltimore Orioles

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Gregory Soto is headed to New York.

The New York Mets have acquired 30-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher, a left-handed reliever, from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two minor leaguers in what could be the first of multiple moves by New York to bolster its bullpen before the trade deadline Thursday.

The trade, which sent Class A right-hander Wellington Aracena and Double-A right-hander Cameron Foster to Baltimore, gives the Mets a hard-throwing left-hander to complement the club’s only lefty on the roster, Brooks Raley, who returned from Tommy John surgery last week.

Soto, who is 30 and was an MLB All-Star with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and 2022, has posted a 3.96 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate in 45 appearances this season.

The Mets will be his fourth team since the 2022 season.

On Monday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns plainly signaled that upgrading the bullpen for the stretch run is his top priority.

The need is clear. Injuries and overuse have depleted a relief corps that led the majors in bullpen ERA through May 31. Since June 1, the group has posted 4.52 ERA, good for 23rd in the majors.

Aracena, 20, is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 17 games for St. Lucie. The Orioles said he is one of two pitchers in the minors this season to have thrown at least 60 innings without surrendering a home run.

Foster, 26, is 5-2 with two saves and a 2.97 ERA while pitching at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

New York Mets Recalling Francisco Alvarez From Triple-A

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Francisco Alvarez is se to return to major league play…

The 23-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball catcher, a former top prospect, is set to return to the New York Mets a month after being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, according to a report in The Athletic.

The Mets reportedly intend to recall Alvarez ahead of their matchup against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

New York optioned Alvarez after the team’s game on June 21. At the time of his demotion, he was batting .236 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in 35 games.

As a rookie in 2023, Alvarez belted 25 homers and hit .209 across 123 games.

Over the past month, however, Alvarez has shown notable improvements. Since joining Syracuse, he batted .299 with 11 home runs, including a long ball Sunday that was his third homer in three days and seventh in 19 at-bats.

According to the report, Alvarez’s defense and framing — which ranked in MLB‘s bottom 9 percent, according to Baseball Savant — earned rave reviews from coaches and pitchers in Syracuse.

Alvarez was considered the No. 1 prospect in 2022, but wrist and hand injuries hampered him after his rookie season. Since debuting with the Mets in 2022, Alvarez has batted .223 with 40 home runs and 122 RBIs in 263 games.

The Mets stumbled out of the MLB All-Star break, posting back-to-back home losses to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

New York avoided the series sweep Sunday, escaping with a 3-2 victory.

Rowdy Tellez Works Out with Texas Rangers in Anticipation of Joining Their Roster

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Rowdy Tellez could be heading back into the game soon…

The 30-year-old Mexican American professional baseball first baseman took part in a workout with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, with the anticipation that he’ll be added to their roster before the first game after the MLB All-Star break.

Tellez signed a minor league deal with the Rangers on July 5, a week after being released by the Seattle Mariners.

He had been designated for assignment after he hit .208 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 62 games with the Mariners.

The Rangers (48-49) open a three-game series at home Friday night against the Detroit Tigers (59-38), which has the best record in Major League Baseball despite a four-game losing streak.

Texas has an open spot on its 26-man active roster and an open spot on its 40-man roster.

Texas first baseman Jake Burger (left quad strain) was put on the 10-day injured list for the second time this season Wednesday. That move was retroactive to Sunday, after he had played only 10 games since missing 10 games during his previous IL stint from June 21 until July 2 because of a left oblique strain.

There was no corresponding move by the Rangers when they put Burger on the IL. They did make two moves Thursday, when infielder Justin Foscue was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock and infielder/outfielder Michael Helman was optioned to the minor league team.

Tellez has a .232 average with 116 homers and 346 RBIs with four teams since his big league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates before signing with the Mariners as a free agent in February.

Texas got Burger in a trade from Miami in December. After he hit .190 with three homers and a team-high 32 strikeouts in 100 at-bats his first 30 games, the Rangers sent him briefly to Triple-A Round Rock. In 45 games since returning to the majors, he hit .250 with eight homers and 23 RBIs. He is hitting .228 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs in 75 games.

Tampa Bay Rays Slugger Junior Caminero to Compete in MLB’s Home Run Derby

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Junior Caminero is ready to come out swinging…

The 22-year-old Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, who leads all American League third basemen in home runs, said Wednesday that he’ll take part in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Atlanta.

“I’m going to put on a show. I’m going to try to put on a show just to give the fans the opportunity to get to know me, see my power,” Caminero said before Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. “Just being there with all those other [MLB] All-Stars, it’s going to be something very special.”

Caminero followed that up by hitting his 22nd home run of the season in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. He is batting .254 with 58 RBIs in 87 games this season.

He is the sixth contestant for the Home Run Derby, joining Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins and Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

MLB still has to name two more contestants to fill out the field of eight sluggers.

Caminero was chosen as a replacement for the MLB All-Star Game earlier this week as a substitute for the Boston Red Sox‘s injured Alex Bregman.

Caminero will be the fourth Tampa Bay player to compete in the Home Run Derby, joining Evan Longoria (2008), Carlos Pena (2009) and Randy Arozarena (2023).

Pittsburgh Pirates Star Oneil Cruz to Compete in the MLB’s Home Run Derby

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

It’s batter up for Oneil Cruz.

The 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who made headlines over the weekend for an inspiring high-speed throw, has accepted an invitation o compete in Monday’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta.

Cruz is the fifth player to commit to the competition, held one day before the MLB All-Star Game.

The others are Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m really, really happy just because that’s what I do,” Cruz said ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Kansas City. “I like to hit balls far. I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot.”

Cruz, 26, is known for having a powerful bat and regularly delivers some of the hardest-hit homers.

His home run May 25 at home against the Milwaukee Brewers had an exit velocity of 122.9 mph and was the hardest-hit homer in the 10-year Statcast era.

But Cruz has never hit more than 21 in a season, and that was in 2024. He’s on track to set a high this year and has 15 in 80 games.

“They’ve been trying to get me in the Home Run Derby for the last couple years, but last year, I was coming back from an ankle injury and was not feeling that good at that time,” Cruz said. “But I’m in a good spot right now.”

Cruz has 55 career homers in 324 games with the Pirates.

Cruz will be the first Pittsburgh player to participate in the Derby since Josh Bell in 2019.

Other Pirates to be part of the event were Bobby Bonilla (1990), Barry Bonds (1992), Jason Bay (2005), Andrew McCutchen (2012) and Pedro Alvarez (2013).

“Oh, man, I can’t wait to see him hit down there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s going to make Atlanta look small after seeing him hit [batting practice] down there last year and the year before. Just really excited for him and the opportunity he’s got to go be a part of that.”

Overall, Cruz is batting just .203 this season but leads the National League with 28 steals.

Among the players to turn down an invite to the eight-player field are two-time champion Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies and 2024 runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.

Defending champion Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers recently turned down a spot as a consideration to nagging injuries.

Top power threats Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers also are expected to skip the event.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Takes Lead Among American League First Basemen in MLB All-Star Voting

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is taking the lead…

The 26-year-old Dominican-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, a four-time MLB All-Star, has jumped ahead of seven-time MLB All-Star Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees for the top spot at first base in the American League as the first stage of Major League Baseball‘s All-Star Game balloting nears its conclusion.

Guerrero, who will tie a franchise record if he’s selected by the fans for a fourth time, has garnered 1,192,604 votes for a season that has him batting .279 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs through 76 games. Goldschmidt, the National League’s MVP in 2022, remains in striking distance with 1,118,501 votes.

Also going for a franchise record is Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who seeks a fifth MLB All-Star nod from the fans that would match Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy for the most in Braves history.

Acuna, who would get to play in front of his home fans July 15 at Truist Park, jumped two spots in the latest tabulations to rank fourth among National League outfielders with 1,140,061 votes. His leap is likely due to the .396/.504/.698 slash line he has produced — along with 29 runs and eight home runs — in 27 games since returning from the injured list May 23.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks well on his way to his first All-Star appearance as he leads the majors in home runs with 31. His 1,901,389 votes are tops among all American League catchers and rank second overall in the AL.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who have combined to win five of the past eight Most Valuable Player awards, continue to lead the way in overall voting.

Judge, the New York Yankees slugger who paces the majors in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.468) and slugging percentage (.727), leads all players with 2,699,483 fan votes.

Ohtani, who has amassed an MLB-best 76 runs to go with a .291 batting average, 26 homers and 11 steals, leads in the NL with 2,521,718 votes.

This year’s All-Star Game balloting process features two stages of fan voting. The current stage runs through Thursday. At that point, the top two vote-getters at each position (including six outfielders) in each league will engage in a runoff to determine which players will start July 15 at the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Field.

Here are the top American League vote-getters at each position:

Catcher: Seattle’s Cal Raleigh
First base: Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Second base: Detroit’s Gleyber Torres (1,133,888)
Shortstop: Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson (1,120,791)
Third base: Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (1,780,631)

The top three AL outfielders are Judge and Detroit’s Riley Greene (1,370,098) and Javier Baez (901,969). Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn (937,205) leads AL designated hitters.

Ohtani and his Dodgers teammates are well-represented among the National League’s top vote-getters at each position:

Catcher: Los Angeles’ Will Smith (2,099,944)
First base: Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman (2,095,672)
Second base: Arizona’s Ketel Marte (1,561,235)
Shortstop: New York’s Francisco Lindor (1,641,053)
Third base: San Diego’s Manny Machado (1,683,022)

The top three NL outfielders are Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong (2,005,630) and Kyle Tucker (1,219,866) along with Los Angeles’ Teoscar Hernandez (1,366,537).

Ohtani’s total votes put him in first place in DH voting for the NL, followed by San Francisco’s Rafael Devers (1,103,085) and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki (641,687).

Jose Trevino Agrees to Three-Year Contract Extension with Cincinnati Reds

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Jose Trevino is still seeing red(s).

The 32-year-old Latino professional baseball catcher and the Cincinnati Reds have agreed on a three-year contract extension through the 2027 season.

The deal, which includes a club option for 2028, is worth $15 million, sources confirmed to ESPN, and includes $11.5 million in newly guaranteed money.

He’ll begin the season as the Reds top catcher. Tyler Stephenson is sidelined by an oblique injury; he last played March 11, was scratched the following day and had an MRI on March 13.

Trevino, who was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, hit eight home runs with 28 RBIs in 73 games for the New York Yankees last season. He was acquired by the Reds in December for right-hander Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson.

In seven major league seasons, Trevino is a career .236 hitter with a .637 OPS, 32 home runs and 141 RBIs in 399 games with the Texas Rangers (2018-21) and New York Yankees.

An MLB All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner in 2022, he was 1-for-5 with a walk in four postseason games last fall.

William Contreras Agrees to One-Year, $6.1 Million Deal with Milwaukee Brewers, Avoiding Arbitration

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Brew-tiful day for William Contreras.

The 27-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball catcher and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a one-year contract guaranteeing $6.1 million, avoiding an arbitration hearing.

Contreras gets a $6 million salary this year, and the Brewers have a $12 million option for 2026 with a $100,000 buyout.

A two-time MLB All-Star, Contreras had asked for $6.5 million and had been offered $5.6 million when proposed figures were exchanged.

His deal with the reigning National League (NL) Central champions includes a team option for 2026.

Contreras batted .281 with a .365 on-base percentage, 23 homers and 92 RBIs in 155 games last year and was an All-Star for the second time in three seasons. He hit .289 in 2023 with a .367 on-base percentage, 17 homers and 78 RBIs in 141 games.

The Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected Contreras as the Brewers’ most valuable player in each of the past two seasons.

The Brewers acquired him from the Atlanta Braves after the 2022 season.

Anthony Santander Agrees to Five-Year, $92.5 Million Contract with Toronto Blue Jays

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Anthony Santander has nearly 100 million reasons to grin from ear to ear…

The 30-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball right fielder and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a five-year contract worth $92.5 million, giving the team one of the best hitters available this offseason after failed attempts to land a marquee free agent in recent years.

The deal, announced by his agents at the Beverly Hills Sports Council and pending a physical, includes an opt-out clause and an escalated team option provision for 2030 that can make the deal worth $110 million over six years.

The Blue Jays, who also announced they had landed Santander, designated left-hander Brandon Eisert for assignment in order to add the outfielder to the 40-man roster.

A Rule 5 selection after the 2016 season, Santander ascended to a starting role during the Baltimore Orioles‘ lean, rebuilding years before becoming a key component for the franchise’s playoff teams the past two seasons.

Santander recorded a career year at the right time in 2024, making his first American League MLB All-Star team and posting a .506 slugging percentage with 44 home runs, 102 RBIs and 25 doubles in 155 games before reaching free agency this winter.

The home runs ranked third in the majors last season behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

They were also the fifth most for a switch-hitter in a single season and the most for a switch-hitter since Lance Berkman hit 45 in 2006.

Santander’s shortcomings — he has a .307 career on-base percentage and isn’t a strong defender — did not prevent him from landing a multiyear contract with an organization that has been thirsting to add impact players.

The Blue Jays had been considered finalists to sign Ohtani, Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki over the past two off-seasons, only to fall short each time. In Santander, Toronto adds a star a tier below those four players, but one who will bolster a lineup centered on Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is slated for free agency next winter.

Santander’s offense also better supplements one of the best starting rotations in baseball, as the organization looks to reverse its last-place finish in a loaded American League East.

Because Santander received and rejected a qualifying offer from the Orioles, the Blue Jays will lose their second-highest draft pick in 2025 and $500,000 in international bonus pool room for signing him.

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