It’s time for the Astros to pull the plug on this aging veteran.
The Houston Astros went through quite a roller-coaster ride of an offseason. To begin the winter, it seemed like they were all in to win in 2025: They were reportedly very aggressive about trying to re-signing veteran third baseman Alex Bregman, and it looked for all the world like a deal would eventually come to fruition. But when the two sides could come to terms, everything changed for the Astros.
Houston eventually traded outfielder Kyle Tucker, likely the team’s best player, to net two young infielders in Isaac Paredes and top prospect Cam Smith. At the time, the move looked like the kind of deal that would set them up well for the future.
But Houston is much better than many expected. Paredes and Smith are both playing well of late, and the Astros have a very talented roster. They’re right in the thick of a wide-open AL West, but winning the division won’t be too easy, especially if Yordan Alvarez continues to struggle. The Astros are going to need to put together the best roster possible.
Now, the Astros could look to cut ties with one of their veteran relievers in order to maximize their roster and make a postseason push.
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The Astros need to pull the plug on veteran pitcher Kaleb Ort
When looking at the Astros’ roster, there aren’t too many weak links, but reliever Kaleb Ort is a pretty glaring hole in the bullpen. Ort is 33 years old and has never found himself on a Major League roster for more than 30 innings in a season.
This season, he’s tossed just two innings for the Astros and he’s the clear weak link in the bullpen. Instead of trotting out a veteran like Ort, the Astros could use this spot for one of their top pitching prospects, or they could pursue a trade for a reliever.
St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley is expected to be available in a trade if the Astros are willing to spend a lot to get a lot. Adding Helsley next to Josh Hader at the back-end of games would be a huge addition for Houston.
There are likely other options for the Astros to pursue as well, some of those being internal solutions. Either way, Ort shouldn’t remain on the roster for much longer.
Four Internal Red Sox First Base Options After Triston Casas Injury.
Casas suffered a ‘significant knee injury’.
The Boston Red Sox lost their starting first baseman Triston Casas Friday night to a “significant knee injury” in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins.
The first baseman played just 63 games last year and suffered an early-season injury for the second season in a row. While Boston will not have more details on Saturday, it certainly appears the Red Sox will be without Casas for the foreseeable future this season.
Boston has a special team that, despite early inconsistencies, has the makings of an American League contender. Without Casas, the Red Sox need to act fast to find serviceable production at first base in his absence.
If the Red Sox prefer an in-house option, here are four options that may be considered.
Vaughn Grissom
Grissom lost out on the starting second base competition to Kristian Campbell in spring training. He returned to Triple-A Worcester and caught fire to start the season. Worcester even gave him four games at first base to better prove his versatility.
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Grissom currently sits with a .289 batting average with three home runs, 12 RBIs and an .825 OPS as he works for his next Red Sox opportunity.
Romy Gonzalez
Gonzalez has started at first base most of this season against left-handed pitchers and virtually platooned with Casas to start the 2025 campaign. Alex Cora has inserted reps for Gonzalez before and will likely play there the next few days while the Red Sox figure out their sustained plan.
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