Diaz has already taken Marwin's utility role, and besides that Kemp is not a utility player. He can only play LF and 2B, both at a subpar level.
Exactly what I am starting to think. At first glance I thought it was a prelude to a Reddick trade...but there is quite a bit of smoke on Realmuto now. And we all know the saying... We will see.
I don't see why that would have any effect on our willingness to trade an unproven prospect. It's not like we were penciling in Tuckers production and Brantley allows us to lose it. I think this is just media trying to cobble something together when the Realmuto/Tucker dynamic hasn't actually changed. Gotta report something.
I disagree with the "gotta report something." There is plenty to report right now. A top 10 FA just signed (Brantley), Machado is meeting with teams this week, the Harper derby. At minimum, this is coming from the Marlins camp. Meaning Tucker is what they covet (obviously, they would be stupid not to take that deal). Tucker now seems a little more expendable as our OF gets crowded (Marisnick, Brantley, Springer, Reddick, Kemp). Our whole roster is crowded for that matter. Which all means the a trade for Realmuto is becoming more and more realistic. I believe that IS news.
Having another LF (Brantley) on the team before you trade a potential LF (Tucker) makes sense to me. Sure, we dont know if recent reports on Realmuto mean things are heating up or not. But again, it seems a bit more likely now than before that we could deal Tucker. Not necessarily for Realmuto however.
(Joe's article) According to a source, the Astros once again have had discussions with the Marlins for Realmuto. The Padres also remain in the mix, as do the Dodgers, Rays and others. The Mets are no longer in the conversation, however, as they signed free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos to a two-year deal on Tuesday. At this point, it's unclear if there is a front-runner to go through with a trade because there are so many teams still involved. Each has agreed to some pieces that would be included, but nothing has advanced to finalizing stages. Houston's top prospect, outfielder Kyle Tucker, remains a target for Miami. Ranked by MLP Pipeline as the No. 5 overall prospect, Tucker is a Tampa, Fla., native and a left-handed-hitting outfielder. Last year at Triple-A Fresno, the 21-year-old belted 24 home runs and notched 93 RBIs. He also appeared in 28 big league games for Houston in 2018. The Marlins are pushing to get resolution on Realmuto, and ideally, they would like something to get done before Christmas. But that isn't a firm deadline. Miami also is willing to stand pat and not force a trade if its asking price is not matched. The Marlins are looking for left-handed power to add to their lineup. Tucker, playing right field, would help fill a need, and that could allow Brian Anderson to move back to third base.
And if he is not? You trade away a guess for a sure thing 9/10 times. His success at AAA means a little but there have been several top notch prospects that just never figured out the majors. You have an opportunity to get an all star at a position of need that is hard to come by for quality hitting anx plus fielding. I think even if tucker is a great player, getting realmuto may have a bigger impact on our team
This. The only concern with Peacock is the command of the slider. If you look at the runs he gave up, almost all of them were a result of his slider not moving. If you cut 80% of that out; you are looking at a guy with an era well below 1.00 ..... I want to say it was told to me his era was something like .30 ....
Tucker was 21 last season. No need to exaggerate to make your point. Maybe he will be a superstar and maybe he won't. There is the rub. I don't have a strong opinion either way but I wouldn't hate to hear we acquired JT Realmuto for this window with Verlander/Cole and the young hitters.
This 100% comes down to the Astros scouting. What do the advanced numbers say? What do the advanced scouts say? What did the big league managers see? Personally I think Tucker will be a good MLB player, a slightly better version of Josh Reddick. The problem is that I don't think it is all going to click for him in 2019 and he may only be average in 2020. It takes him awhile to learn things and adjust. I know it seemed absurd to deal Tucker, but as I said, I know for a fact there are big names in the organization that really do not like how Tucker presents himself or his personality and question how good he will. I know the Astros have dangled Tucker for elite pitchers, but not Realmuto. Personally I wouldn't give up Tucker for Realmuto. I don't view Realmuto as super elite.
The Astros will extend the window as long as possible, but it is going to close and it will close faster than most think. In 2020 or 2021 there is a good chance you will be at the tail end of this groups run and you will see the team regroup or begin a hard rebuild. Luhnow and Crane both have made comments that the worst thing is baseball is to be mediocre or not good enough. The Astros will not take that path. In 2020 or 2021 there is a real chance that the Astros are moving some of their arbitration players.
Tucker as the headliner for Kluber. Does Tucker and JBB for Kluber get it done? If so, we essentially would have traded Tucker and JBB for Kluber and Brantley. Yes we get older and more expensive, but we also get more elite. That trade would make our roster flat out ridiculous, I'd like our chances against anybody.
I think the Indians have accomplished what they needed regarding their payroll and no longer really need to trade Kluber or Bauer. Unfortunately I think Greinke is the only true ToR SP available. There are likely some 2nd tier guys (Ray, Stroman, Sanchez, Fulmer, Bundy, Cobb, Duffy, Leake) available and for now I think that is the type of player Houston is going to have to settle for. Hopefully they will have the resources (and the right player will be available) to address any rotation defenciencies at the deadline.
Tucker as a little better version of Reddick would be pretty disappointing. Tucker is much farther along than Reddick was at the same age. Tucker crushed AAA pitching at 21 and I don't think Reddick started hitting that level of pitching until he was around 24.
Right now the rotation projects as: Verlander Cole McHugh James Valdez They certainly need to add at least a MOR starter.
