As the Houston Astros get prepared for the start of the 2024 season, there aren't many pressing needs on the roster. The Astros are loaded offensively in their starting lineup but multiple players will have an opportunity to earn a bench spot with Jon Singleton and Grae Kessinger during Spring Training.
There seemingly is one candidate makes more sense than others.
According to Theo DeRosa of MLB.com, Trey Cabbage is a candidate to make the Opening Day roster.
Cabbage, 26 years old, was traded to Houston from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Carlos Espinosa earlier in the offseason.
He made his Major League debut in 2023, playing in 22 games for the Angels. Cabbage slashed .208/.232/.321 with one home run. Strikeouts were a concern for him at the big league level, striking out 26 times in 53 at-bats.
Despite his struggles in the MLB, Cabbage has played well in the minors. He's slashed .261/.336/.473 in 2,037 at-bats with 96 home runs.
Cabbage impressed in Triple-A during the 2023 season, blasting 30 home runs and stealing 32 bags.
That's the type of production that's needed out of him as the Astros look to potentially give him an Opening Day roster spot.
Spring Training won't be the end-all-be-all for his career, but a strong showing could be a huge help. He's had two at-bats so far, going hitless with a strikeout in the early showing.
30 home runs and 32 stolen bases in Triple-A is a good sign that he should find success at some point in the big leagues.
Whether he gets that opportunity to get consistent at-bats remains to be seen.
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The Rolling Stones knew what they were talking about while belting out "You Can't Always Get What You Want." It's very possible New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will find himself humming that tune ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline. The Yankees, like several contenders, are shopping for a power-hitting third baseman. Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star slugger Eugenio Suarez sits atop everyone's list. Running a distant second and third are Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and Pittsburgh Pirates Gold Glover Ke'Bryan Hayes. After that, it could be slim pickings. Should Cashman find himself scrambling to make a deal, here are a couple of new names entering the conversation. "Amed Rosario would be a good fit for Yankees," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Monday. "Played a lot of 3B this year. .802 lifetime OPS vs. lefties (.845 this year). Suarez is top target but many would qualify as upgrades." Rosario is hitting .271 with five home runs and 18 RBIs this season for the Washington Nationals. But the nine-year veteran has big-market experience, making his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017. The 29-year-old is making $2 million this season and will be a free agent after the World Series, according to Spotrac. But wait, there's more. "Other possible third-base trade targets include Royals All-Star Maikel Garcia — in theory, Kansas City would have interest in one of the Yankees’ outfielders to play left field for them," The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported Monday. Garcia, who made the American League roster for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, is hitting .291 this season with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. The 25-year-old is in his fourth big-league season and is making almost $775,000 this season, according to Spotrac. Garcia still has four years of arbitration eligibility remaining, so he won't come cheap. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Linked To Red-Hot Reliever Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor Yankees Could Land Infielder With World Series MVP Comparison Will Yankees Use Red-Hot Prospect As Trade Bait? Yankees One-Stop Shopping Pirates?
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
A team that has gone through several changes already this summer, the Vancouver Canucks remain active, currently engaged in discussions with unrestricted free agent forward Jack Roslovic. According to reports from Rick Dhaliwal and Cam Robinson, the organization has spoken to Roslovic on several occasions and are still interested in potentially signing him to a free agency deal. Roslovic posted 39 points in 81 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25. He is reportedly seeking a two- or three-year deal worth just over $3 million annually. Roslovic could be a solid middle-six contributor for an NHL team, but there is some concern over whether he’s a needle mover. He could be a solution for Canucks, who need a true third-line center, but some wonder if he’s the best place to be using the little cap flexibility Vancouver has. A Roslovic signing would take up much of the $3.2 million available to add to the roster. Can the Canucks work the math out on Roslovic? At this stage of free agency, it’s about finding value in overlooked talent. Roslovic likely won’t be a dynamic top producer, but he has value. The question is if Vancouver can make the math work. He could provide reliable depth scoring, but is that where the money should go? Some believe the Canucks would be better served by taking a bigger swing. On his own, Roslovic likely doesn’t move the Canucks into contender status.
Shortly after Miami Dolphins players reported for training camp on Tuesday, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill suggested he wants to be "better as a leader" after he controversially subbed himself out of Miami's regular-season finale this past January and then told reporters he was "out." While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa addressed the Hill-sized elephant in the room. "I think there’s a lot more vulnerability with Tyreek," Tagovailoa explained, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "He’s conversating a lot more with the guys, not just about football, but about things off the field, being vulnerable about some of the things people know about his personal life and things of that nature. I think that’s the first step toward him building true relationships and a real connection with a lot of the guys in there." Following Hill's "out" comment, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier revealed that the 31-year-old speedster never requested a trade. While publicly apologizing to his teammates during a Super Bowl week interview, Hill directly said that Tagovailoa is his "guy." Hill also insisted at the time that he loves Tagovailoa. "Everybody makes mistakes," Tagovailoa added about Hill. "It’s just, some people, they’re in the spotlight, and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So you’ve just got to cut him some grace. That’s our teammate. We love him, but as a person, I think if you get to know him, you’ll love him too." Hill and Tagovailoa likely will need to be on the same page if they want to prevent the Dolphins from going through a franchise reset next offseason. At least head coach Mike McDaniel is reportedly on the hot seat this summer, while Tagovailoa's status beyond the upcoming campaign is up in the air after he suffered a third reported concussion since the fall of 2022 last season. "You guys aren’t the only people that heard that," Tagovailoa said about Hill's "out" statement. "...So when you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, 'Hey, my bad.' You’ve got to work that relationship up. You’ve got to build everything up again. It’s still a work in progress, not just for me but for everybody. But like I said, he’s working on himself, he’s working on the things he says he wants to get better with and do better on. So that’s the first step to me, so I commend him for doing that." As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 2024 Dolphins at -275 betting odds to miss the playoffs. Those who believe the relationship between Tagovailoa and Hill is on shaky ground following Wednesday's developments may want to take a flier on such a wager before the odds change later this year.
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