No-hitter tops Astros’ trade for Verlander
It’s kind of hard to upstage a trade for the reigning Cy Young winner at the trade deadline, but Framber Valdez did it Tuesday night.
When Cleveland’s Cam Gallagher lined out to short, the Astros lefthander had completed his no-hitter, blanking the visiting Guardians, 2-0.
Valdez, 29, struck out seven and walked one, needing just 93 pitches for his second shutout of the season.
Valdez (9-7) has been the ace of Houston’s staff this season after Justin Verlander signed with the Mets following the Astros’ championship season. But Verlander was sent back to the Astros in a blockbuster trade-deadline deal Tuesday, giving Houston a powerful 1-2 punch.
Valdez retired the first 12 batters, with six strikeouts, before Oscar Gonzalez walked to open the fifth. But Valdez still faced the minimum in that inning thanks to a double play.
The Astros lead, 2-0, after a two-run single by Kyle Tucker in the third.
The strong start comes after he allowed eight hits and six runs — both season highs — in 3„ innings of a 13-5 loss to Texas in his last outing.
Over the last few days, the Mets dismantled the most expensive roster in major league history by shipping off Verlander, oufielder Mark Canha (Brewers), outfielder Tommy Pham (Diamondbacks), reliever Dominic Leone (Angels), and starter Max Scherzer (Rangers). The retooling Mets acquired top outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford from Houston.
Verlander, 40, agreed to an $86.7 million, twoyear contract with New York in December. He was expected to team with Scherzer for a strong 1-2 punch, but each of the ace righthanders had injury issues and the high-priced Mets underperformed, leading to Sunday’s trade with Texas.
Astros owner Jim Crane said the Mets are sending roughly $54 million to Houston to help pay off Verlander's contract, which includes a vesting option for 2025 at $35 million.
One race leads to many moves
Milwaukee and Arizona swapped relievers as they continue their playoff pushes, with the Brewers acquiring lefthander Andrew Chafin in exchange for righthander Peter Strzelecki.
Arizona stayed busy right up the deadline, adding Pham in exchange for 17-year-old minor league shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez.
The Brewers and Diamondbacks were tied with the Marlins for the NL’s third and final wildcard position as the trade deadline arrived. Milwaukee trailed the first-place Reds by 1½ games in the NL Central and Arizona was 3½ back of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Meanwhile, the Marlins acquired infielder
Jake Burger from the White Sox and first baseman Josh Bell from the Guardians as the team bolstered its lineup. Miami needed to add power to its lineup, which ranked third to last in home runs and bottom five in runs scored.
Miami sent pitching prospect Jake Eder to Chicago and dealt infielder Jean Segura and infield prospect Kahlil Watson to Cleveland. Segura will be released by the Guardians.
Burger, 27, is tied for eighth in the majors with 25 home runs this season. He’s hitting a home run per every 11.76 at bats, the second-best mark in the AL behind Shohei Ohtani (10.10).
The Marlins gave up Eder, who was their No. 4 ranked pitching prospect, according to MLB.com.
Blue Jays get shortstop insurance
The Blue Jays acquired shortstop Paul DeJong and cash from the Cardinals while they continue to evaluate injured shortstop Bo Bichette.
The Blue Jays sent 24-year-old pitching prospect Matt Svanson to St. Louis, which will pay Toronto $1,475,806, covering half the $2,951,613 remaining in DeJong’s $9 million salary this year.
The trade came one day after Bichette, a twotime All-Star, left a game against the Orioles when he injured his right knee while running the bases.
DeJong, 29, was an All-Star in 2019 but hasn’t quite replicated that form since. He is hitting .233 with 13 home runs, 32 RBIs, and a .710 OPS in 81 games this season.
The Cardinals stayed busy at the deadline, sending righthander Jack Flaherty to the Orioles, whose staff is facing fatigue concerns heading into the stretch run. The Cardinals got back three minor leaguers in return. The 27-year-old Flaherty, who can become a free agent after this season, was 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA this year for St. Louis.
Braves pick up Hand for bullpen
The Braves added veteran lefthander to their bullpen by acquiring Brad Hand from the Rockies. The Braves are Hand's ninth team and completes his tour of every NL East team . . . The defending NL champion Phillies acquired All-Star righthander Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers for minor league infielder Hao-Yu Lee, the team’s No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The franchise signed Lee out of Taiwan in 2021 . . . The Padres, desperate to turn around their disappointing season, obtained 43-year-old lefthander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pirates for three players. The Pirates also shipped off catcher Austin Hedges, sending him to the Rangers for international bonus pool money . . . Tigers ace Eduardo Rodriguez, 30, used his notrade clause to veto a deal to the Dodgers. “We reached an agreement that he was not comfortable with,” general manager Scott Harris said. Rodriguez can opt out of his $77 million, five-year contract after the season and become a free agent.