"I worry about Whitley becoming Josh Hamilton 2.0 (as in he became sober, but then eventually turned back to drugs)." PhiSlammaJamma burner account confirmed
Nope. Ship sailed on Baltimore getting an elite prospect for Britton. They have zero leverage since he’s a rental and coming off an Achilles injury. I sure would love to have him on the Astros if Luhnow is this dedicated on acquiring him as he was landing Cole the second time around. Even if it’s through free agency this winter
This. Even assuming Britton is his old dominant self over the next 4 weeks, Houston’s top 8 prospects should be off the table for Britton. That’s not to say that Baltimore can’t good value; 2 of David Paulino, Derek Fisher, and AJ Reed would be a great return for a rental reliever.
Would you trade Will Harris for Zach Britton? They both had 1.0 WAR in 2017. Britton makes 5x of what Harris makes. Harris has underperformed his career numbers this year but might be primed for a return to the mean. Britton remaining healthy for the rest of the season is a 50/50 proposition. Instead of Harris, I could have picked Sipp for the trade. For this thought experiment, I chose a bullpen pitcher that Britton likely replaces.
Why would Baltimore do that? They want somebody with a semblance of upside. Harris is a fine piece on a contender... but he would be useless to Baltimore.
Trading one 1.0 WAR player for another? Saving $8+ million? I agree Baltimore would likely not make this trade. They will want more. The question is should they.
Britton is basically a lottery ticket with a potentially extreme payout. Somebody will give Baltimore a B prospect for him. Comparing him to low ceiling, but healthy middle relievers isn't apt at all.
You can’t take Britton’s 2017 numbers in a vacuum. Based on all the available data, assuming Britton looks good over the next month, he would be the most talented reliever on the roster. From ‘14-16 he was easily one of the 5 most dominant relievers in the league. That’s not to say he’s worth top prospects or that he’s guaranteed to be better than Sipp or Harris, but I would definitely trade Sipp plus prospects for Britton. FWIW, as the 25 man roster currently stands, Britton would replace Tyler White, not Harris or Sipp. Once Joe Smith is healthy and White gets sent down, then it gets a little more complicated assuming nobody else gets hurt, but my guess would be that it wouldn’t be too hard to rotate guys thru the DL with “arm fatigue” until something naturally opens up.
Can Britton stay healthy? That's question #2. Can Britton return to elite status? That's question #3.
Lol. Whitley is a better talent than Martin.That doesn't devalued, Martin because he's pretty good himself; but Whitley along with Tucker have perennial All Star talent. I still need to see Martin more in the minors.
From 2014-2016, his average sinker velocity ranged from 94.4 to 97.6 mph. His sinker is at 93.9 mph and has speed and shape of his pre-2014 sinker. Most pitchers add velocity through most of the season, but it is unlikely he has enough time to get to peak performance by the deadline. A good outcome for Baltimore is that he's throwing 95mph at the deadline, and some team is willing to bet he'll continue to get better for a couple more months.
So you're sayin' there's questions? I trust Luhnow and Hinch. I shoulda been outside 2 hours ago but it's raining, sure looks pretty from this porch. I'll ask ol' Guy Clark what he thinks the Stros should do.
me neither. I knew he was a name, but his sleight stature with short end height told me he was a 2 inning per game guy. Maybe start building him as a closer once he comes back from injury. I mean, the 2017 mlb draft was no where near as deep as the 2018 was. I would of been ecstatic with Brady Singer who went 18th this year instead of JB
His best years came when he was throwing a 96 mph sinker over 90% of the time. Right now he's averaging less than 94. Harris has his curve he can rely on if his fastball isn't working, Britton doesn't have that luxury. His 2017 numbers might not tell the whole story, but his 2018 numbers are going to be incredibly important to see how he adjusts if this is his new normal.
I have a feeling of were going to gut our farm system... It's going to be for Hand. I think Jeff Luhnow will go for an elite closer. Probably, will add a decent bat if he's not going to bring up Kyle Tucker who is very close as a player to play in the major leagues.
Regarding a lefty that would be dominant in the pen during the playoffs, Snell looked pretty damn good last night considering he faced quite possibly the second worst lineup for him. The worst lineup for him would have been if Altuve played instead of Marisnick. Astros likely have an opening for a lefty in the rotation next year.
