Astros sign former Tigers trade acquisition from Cameron Maybin-Cubs deal

Former Tigers outfielder Cameron Maybin experienced a lot of notable oddities and happenstances throughout his 15-year career, but one of the most for his time as a Tiger is that all three of his stints in Detroit ended in him being traded from the team.

First, it was to the Marlins in 2007 (as part of the massive haul in exchange for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrell Willis). The second time was to the Angels in 2016. And lastly, he was dealt to the Cubs in 2020. By the time he retired in 2022, he'd been a member of 12 different major league organizations.

The Maybin trade from the Tigers to the Cubs sent Zack Short to Detroit. He was Chicago's No. 19 prospect at the time and debuted in Detroit's pipeline at No. 26. He got his major league debut with the Tigers that year and spent most of his time at shortstop in the summer while Niko Goodrum was on the IL. He batted .141 with a .521 OPS over 61 games and dropped out of the Tigers' top 30 prospects list in 2022.

He was claimed off of waivers by the Mets in November 2023 and, like Maybin, has made a bit of a journeyman reputation for himself since. On Tuesday, the Astros became his latest destination; Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported he'd signed a minor-league deal with Houston that includes an invitation to spring training.

Former Tigers top prospect Zack Short signs minor-league deal with Astros

Short's time with the Mets was brief; although he made the Opening Day roster in 2024, he got just 10 plate appearances before he was DFA'd to make room for JD Martinez, who was coming off of the IL. Instead of being taken off of waivers, the Mets traded him to the Red Sox for cash, and he got just seven at-bats in Boston (when he failed to get on-base at all) before they DFA'd him too and he was again traded for cash.

His next stop in the 2023 season was the Braves, where he got a little more major league playing time (54 at-bats) but hit .148 with a .517 OPS before he was, once again, DFA'ed. That time, he cleared waivers and was sent back to Triple-A.

He became a free agent at the end of the 2024 season and will make a new home in Houston for the time being. Hopefully, he doesn't get quite as thrown around the league this year as he did in 2024.