Astros get 30-30 prospect Cabbage in trade with Angels
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The Astros added some organizational position-player depth on Wednesday, acquiring infielder/outfielder Trey Cabbage from the Angels in exchange for pitching prospect Carlos Espinosa.
The move should give Houston more depth in the upper Minors, particularly given that Cabbage has two Minor League options remaining. Beyond big-time power potential, he also could give the club defensive versatility as a corner outfielder and first baseman, something that the Astros don’t possess with Jon Singleton, a first baseman/designated hitter who is out of options.
TRADE DETAILS
Astros get: INF/OF Trey Cabbage (Angels No. 26 prospect)
Angels get: RHP Carlos Espinosa
In order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Cabbage, reliever Declan Cronin was designated for assignment.
The lefty-swinging Cabbage could also prevent young prospects and fellow lefties Jacob Melton (the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline), Joey Loperfido (No. 6) and Will Wagner (No. 15) from being exposed in the Majors should each make their debut in 2024 and need more seasoning.
Cabbage, 26, was DFA’d on Saturday by the Angels, with whom he made his MLB debut on July 14, 2023. Over 22 games with the big league team, he hit .208/.232/.321 (.553 OPS) with one homer, three doubles and seven RBIs in 22 games.
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Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Halos’ No. 26 prospect, Cabbage hit .306/.379/.596 (.975 OPS) with 30 homers, 89 RBIs, 25 doubles and 32 stolen bases in 107 games with Triple-A Salt Lake in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The performance helped him earn MiLB.com Organizational All-Star and PCL Postseason All-Star honors.
Cabbage was a fourth-round Draft pick by the Twins in 2015, then he joined the Angels organization in '21. Over parts of eight Minor League seasons, he’s hit .261/.336/.473 (.809 OPS) with 96 homers, 345 RBIs and 62 stolen bases in 567 games.
Espinosa, 22, appeared with Single-A Fayetteville and the Astros’ Florida Complex League affiliate in 2023, going a combined 4-5 with a 4.29 ERA in 15 games (seven starts). Unranked among Houston’s Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline, Espinosa was originally signed by the Astros as an international free agent from Cuba on Jan. 15, 2022.