Had to take it that literal? Yes, my first choice would be for Fiers to be a great upstanding citizen who has never committed a crime...I wish the entire world was that way. Unfortunately, it's not so if the man is doing weird s*** with kids as numerous posters (ones I find reliable as well which makes it even odder) here have alluded, then yes I would LOVE for him to be exposed and put in jail with all the rest of the scum of the world. Truthfully, if you really think I would love for an innocent kid be abused so that Mike Fiers would be thrown in jail versus him being a good man who has never abused anyone, then I would suggest going out and meeting some actual people because analyzing text on a SPORTS FORUM from people who you have never met and know nothing about will undoubtedly give you a warped view of the people in this world. Since I already wasted time typing the above, might as well waste another couple of minutes. It isn't the fact that he informed the MLB as to what we were allegedly doing that sours me, had he did it back in 2017 while it was happening, I would have still been upset but I can live with a man doing what he truly thought was the right thing to do. Except that isn't what is happening here. The fact he tried spewing that "I don't condone cheating and this isn't how you play the game" BS when he finally informed the MLB TWO YEARS down the road is an absolute joke. And to make matters more comical, there is pretty clear evidence he was using some type of substance during the no hitter with us and then the A's one last year. Oh and my personal favorite story that shows how big of an ******* the guy is: Back in 2014 after he easily could have ended Stanton's career when he hit him square in the face with a FB, the following inning he threw a high-and-tight FB that struck Reed Johnson in the hand and "when the Marlins dugout began yelling at him, he raised his arms in a combative posture, yelled "Come on!" and challenged them to come out of the dugout." Then in 2018, he hits Stanton AGAIN with a high up and in FB on the hands which Stanton wasn't pleased about (rightfully so) and the next AB Stanton sent one to the moon and let's just say he took his time going around the bases...you know what Fiers had to say about Stanton doing that? That he was childish...as if anyone else wouldn't get incredibly emotional after hitting a 450 ft bomb against a man who really had the nerve to come up and in hitting you again after doing it a few years back and nearly ending your career. He's clearly a hypocrite/not a good person and it has nothing to do with him "being a whistleblower"...he's clearly childish and quite frankly comes across more and more as a lunatic as I read more about the guy.
^Since you mentioned Stanton in that post, I had to say this, even if it's likely been repeated: The Marlins and Astros almost completed a trade sending Fiers to MIA in the 2016/17 offseason (Morton's signing apparently deemed him expendable). Stanton told the Marlins to veto the trade due to the HBP incident. And the prospect who would have likely come to us in return? Luis Castillo, who was used to instead get old friend Dan Straily from CIN to fill the hole in MIA's rotation. Double facepalm, most importantly this whole fiasco would have been avoided AND we'd have Castillo (for next to nothing). Hate Fiers more and more. The Carlos Gomez trade keeps getting worse and worse by the day.
Look it up, it's definitely been reported that Stanton ordered the Marlins to veto a trade for Fiers due to their past incident, well-written out there, has been for years. The deal was Straily (by himself) for Castillo + two nobody prospects, so we likely get the same return without giving up anybody else. I recall someone else say that Castillo would have been coming to us had we made the trade (can't confirm). I'm no insider (nor do I know anyone who is), but we definitely had a deal in place. Thanks a lot Fiers for beaning Stanton badly (and then going after another Marlin later in that game). Him being him. He is one totally messed up human being.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019...ploring-francisco-lindor-trade-scenarios.html Reds trying to trade for Lindor now. More evidence there was probably something to the Correa/Castillo rumor.
The article cites CIN, LAD, and SDP as teams tied to Lindor. I think CIN and LAD could be fits for Correa. LAD makes a ton of sense from a market, but not necessarily needs, standpoint. SDP not so much. They already have an expensive SS-turned-3B In Machado, so I don’t see them as all that interested in Correa. I could see CLE agreeing to a Lindor trade centered around Corey Seager and some prospects. Or maybe CIN offers something around Castillo and/or Senzel. CLE will want immediate help in the middle infield, though I suppose they could go after someone on the FA market if they act quick enough. Edit: unrelated, but:
How about this: Dodgers get: SS Carlos Correa Astros get: RHP Kenta Maeda C Austin Barnes 3B Kody Hoese 2B Michael Busch Dodgers add a superstar bat for 2 seasons without losing any core pieces or any of their top 5 prospects. Houston adds a starting catcher with 3 years, a #4 SP with 4 years, one of the 10 best 3B prospects in baseball, and one of the 10 best 2B prospects in baseball.
That might be fair or even an overpay based on each player's inherent value, but I think if I'm trading an MVP talent level player, I think I want to get someone with star potential somewhere in the deal, and I'm not sure I see that here. I don't think it's a given the Astros won't be able to afford Correa when he's set to hit FA.
The Astros don't think they will be able to retain Correa. I suppose if he continues to miss 50-80 games a year the Astros will have a chance, but at that point do you still want him? Also I will just point out that the Reds finished second in the sweepstakes to sign SS Didi Gregorius..... they have tried to trade for Carlos Correa and now are trying to trade for Lindor. The Astros have been shopping Correa and likely will continue to........ and once the Reds find out the asking price for Lindor..... they may circle back to Correa. No the Astros are not looking to give him away and would be happy with him coming back, but he is available. The White Sox and Mets have spoken to the Astros as well about Correa.
What is the fascination with Austin Barnes? He is a poor hit. He doesn't really throw out runners either.
You'd know better than I would, but the Astros should have a ton of money to spend when he hits FA, depending on what they do between now and then. I don't have any huge aversion to trading Correa, I just think they could fit another $30+ million contract into their budget by then if they so choose, and a Bregman, Altuve, Alvarez, Correa heart of the order is pretty formidable.
good value, but very “meh” or vanilla to me. That seems like a decent deal closer to the end of his contract with HOU, like with a season or so (but not 2) left of eligibility. I also don’t get the infatuation with Barnes. IIRC, he’s a great framer, but MLB seems to be close to robotic strike zones. They’re trying it out in other leagues and likely have it as a top-priority change.
Per articles, it's the fact that he's considered an elite framer, which the Astros love about him. Also he's young and controllable, many other options are now off the table, and LAD has other options at C that deem him expendable. Great deal. Always liked Smoak, had excellent peripherals despite a down year last year (and with next to no protection in the lineup). Wouldn't mind taking a flier on Moreland for a similar price, had good numbers, if he can stay healthy I think he'd be a steal. Depth, plus insurance for Correa's (probably) inevitable injury (he does 1B, Gurriel 3B).
I’m not a huge fan of Barnes but can see why the Astros would want him. Excellent framer, average defender otherwise. His bat is quite good for a catcher (career wRC+ of 94), he carries a high walk rate and acceptable k rate. His main blemish is he doesn’t hit for power. He was a star level player in 2017, is only 30, and comes with 3 more years of control. Plus he is only set to make $1.1M this year.
Correa is an MVP candidate when healthy. Taking quantity over quality when trading players with his talent is a bad idea. The Dodgers would have to give up at least one of Keibert Ruiz, Will Smith, Dustin May or Gavin Lux to get the Astros remotely interested.
Meh. The Dodgers wouldn’t be interested in that case. Calling that package “quantity” is a little misleading imho. Maeda has put up 9.6 fWAR in 4 seasons (39th in the league over that span). He’s a fairly established big league arm with 4 seasons of control remaining. Barnes has a 3 win season on his resume and 3 years of control remaining. Hoese and Busch were both recent 1st round picks and are currently the Dodgers 6th and 7th best prospects. So while it is “quantity” in the sense that there are multiple players involved, none of whom project to be as good as Correa, it’s not quantity in the sense that it’s watered down talent; those players have really good value and the 2 prospects have star ceilings. I’m not saying I’d be super stoked to trade Correa, but I do feel like that would be a fair trade and that (provided Houston then added a corner bat to provide insurance for Toro or whoever ended up in the lineup in place of Correa) Houston would be better in both the short and long term.
