MLB Rumors: Astros deadline surprise, don't count Cubs out, Cardinals bold prediction

The MLB trade deadline continues to draw near, and rumors are running rampant around MLB. We haven't seen any big deals in recent weeks, but almost certainly will in the coming weeks as the stove gets burning hot.

With so many teams hovering right around the .500 mark, we only know of a few confirmed trade deadline buyers and sellers. That's what'll make the next couple of weeks so fascinating. Here are the latest MLB rumors.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals bold trade deadline prediction

The St. Louis Cardinals have played well over the last month and a half to recover from their slow start and enter Tuesday's action three games over .500. They're currently in second place in the NL Central. They might be 6.0 games behind the first-place Brewers, but they hold sole possession of the third Wild Card spot in the NL.

Barring an epic collapse in July, the Cardinals will be buyers at this year's trade deadline. They might target a bat, and will almost certainly be targeting some starting rotation help. Another thing that Katie Woo of The Athletic is predicting that they end up doing is trading away Dylan Carlson.

"Carrying five outfielders isn’t feasible, especially with two super-utility players also rostered, writes Woo. "I’d imagine the Cardinals look to trade Carlson, who is just 25 years old and has multiple years of control remaining. Carlson will be eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2025 and won’t be a free agent until 2027. He’s a good defender and his offensive production would likely be much higher with consistent playing time."

Carlson entered the season expected to be the fourth outfielder for this Cardinals team, but injuries to Tommy Edman and Lars Nootbaar had him thrust into their Opening Day lineup plans. Unfortunately, Carlson suffered an injury of his own as spring training was wrapping up, causing him to miss the first month of the season.

The Cardinals didn't get much offensive production from his replacements, Victor Scott II and Michael Siani, but once Carlson returned he too gave them virtually nothing. So far this season he's slashing .198/.275/.240. He is already on the short side of a platoon, and once Edman and Nootbaar return from the IL, it's hard to see where Carlson will get any playing time.

With that in mind, Woo believes that the Cardinals will look to trade Carlson while he might still have some value thanks to his team control. As she notes, he is a great defender and can play all three outfield positions, but his inability to produce much offensively, particularly as a left-handed batter, since his rookie year is what has led St. Louis to this point.

It's a bold prediction because Carlson was at one point a hyped-up prospect, but with it being hard to see where Carlson gets playing time, it'd be more surprising to see him on the team at this point past the trade deadline than it would to see him in another uniform.

MLB Rumors: Don't count Cubs out

It's been a brutal season for the Chicago Cubs. There's no sugarcoating that. They had a strong April but have been the worst team in the National League ever since the calendar turned to May. Their offense has underperformed, and their bullpen is an absolute mess.

The Cubs enter Tuesday's series opener against the Phillies with a 39-46 record. They're in last place in the NL Central and have the third-worst record in the NL as a whole. Despite all that has gone wrong, FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray strongly encourages fans to not count the Cubs out. Don't peg them as sellers quite yet.

"My current thought is that a trade deadline selloff is unlikely – for now," writes Murray. "There is still a month left before the trade deadline, so the Cubs have ample time to go on a run and position themselves to buy. After all, the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and New York Mets – all teams that struggled in the first couple months of the regular season – have bounced back and put themselves back in playoff position."

Murray is absolutely right. The Cubs can go on a run like the Cardinals, Astros, and Mets did, but what have they shown since May 1 that suggests that they're capable of doing that?

The last thing that this Cubs team wants to do in the first year of the Craig Counsell era is sell at the deadline. Holding off on July 2 is more than understandable. With that being said, though, FanGraphs gives them an 8.9 percent chance of making it to the postseason this season. Those are some slim odds. The fifth-worst in the National League, if we want to be exact. Even with the three Wild Card spots, the odds are very much stacked against them.

If the season continues to trend downhill or even stays how it is right now, hopefully Jed Hoyer and Co. will be open to the idea of selling. Barring a really strong start to July, that should really be what they prioritize.

MLB Rumors: Astros 'will not hold back' at trade deadline

The Houston Astros got off to a miserable start to the point where fans questioned whether they'd actually consider selling at this year's deadline. Ever since those talks started, the Astros heated up. They now enter Tuesday's action with a 43-41 record, only 3.0 games behind the first-place Mariners in the AL West. They're also 3.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

Talks of Houston being sellers have diminished now. For them to even consider it, they'd have to really collapse in July. They've said all along that they're going to buy, and there's every reason to believe them. Just listen to what The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal had to say on the Foul Territory podcast.

"They will not hold back at the deadline, they will try, because they've done that repeatedly under Jim Crane in the past."

These are words that no other American League team wants to hear. Not only do the Astros believe they have a shot, but they won't hold back. They'll do whatever they can to field as good of a team as they possibly can down the stretch. We've seen them do this in the past, most recently when they traded for Justin Verlander at last season's trade deadline, and it wouldn't be shocking to see another big move.

It was assumed that even if Houston clawed their way back to relevancy for this season, they might be just soft buyers. However, since they've gotten over the .500 mark and are just 3.0 games back of the division lead and the third Wild Card spot, they're comfortable to do anything within reason.

This could mean that more of their top prospects are on the table as the Astros try and fill holes. Houston needs another starting pitcher, they could use more bullpen help, and would benefit from another bat as well. They have several needs, and will not be shy when it comes to addressing them.