Astros are 4-2 against the Mariners and have outscored them 29-18. Astros finished 4-3 against Cleveland and outscored them 46-28. Yankees handled the Astros well (5-2, outscored Astros 27-20). Red Sox remain to be seen. That being said, none of that means they couldn't use an extra bat and/or arm as things stand now.
The case for the Astros bullpen being just fine: For all the gripes on Ken Giles, the guy is 11 for 11 in save opportunities. Astros just struggle to find him SVO’s (22.2 innings) and for whatever reason his mindset just isn’t the same without a lead Hector Rondon can make a stake as the 2018 Devo (1.50 era 29K/5BB: 24 innings). I also trust him as a closer, a far better signing than I imagined. Chris Devenski is still at the same pace as his 2017 All-Star season (1.75 era 31K/7BB : 25.2 IP’s). Another guy I trust closing a game Brad Peacock (2.67 era 36K/7BB : 27 IP’s) and Collin McHugh (1.20 era 39K/7BB : 30 IP’s) can both fill a variety of roles (late inning setup man, multiple innings, finishing out a game ala Morton in GM7). Dallas Keuchel would be the likely candidate at this point to join the bullpen in this capacity. Tony Sipp kinda flys under the radar but he has been what you want out of a situational left hander who comes in too face a LH bat or two (2.45 era 14K/6BB 14.2 IP) Will Harris and Joe Smith have both been lousy thus far but historically I trust them to turn it around at some point (Harris has never had an era above 3.00 as an Astro & Smith has never had an era above 4.00 throughout his career. Hopefully the DL fixes his issue)
Britton made his first appearance yesterday. It was not pretty. He walked 3 batters in one inning and his velocity has dropped from 97-98 down to 93-95. The ball still moves a lot but he was having trouble throwing strikes. He would not be at the top of my list if we do go after a reliever at this point. Hopefully he improves with more innings.
Zach Britton tore his Right Achilles, Surgery repaired it. He is trying to fully trust his right foot when he lands on his delivery. It might take awhile. To fully recover, strengthen, mentally trust his foot.
I think unless there is a significant injury, they should only make a trade for an impact player that solves a multi-year problem. They could trade for Realmuto and/or Abreu, which would replace McCann or Gattis next season (Marisnick and/or Kemp could be optioned to make room this season). Hand makes sense as a replacement for Sipp (they could use DL stints to make room in the bullpen this season). 2019 roster?!: CF Springer 3B Bregman 2B Altuve SS Correa 1B Abreu C Realmuto RF Reddick DH Gurriel LF Tucker Bench: Kemp, Stassi, Marisnick Rotation: Verlander, Cole, McCullers, Whitley, Morton (resigned) Bullpen: McHugh, Peacock, Devenski, Harris, Smith, Rondon, Hand, Giles
Luhnow is smart enough to not option Kemp out right now, lol. He has played a decent OF and been the perfect 9 hole hitter for this team Also doubt we give up major prospects right now for Realmuto, the pitchers seem to love working with McCann and Stassi has been one of the better backups in baseball. Abreu is great, but would they use him to replace Yuli? Cause Gattis has an OPS north of .900 sine the beginning of May and I doubt Luhnow would give up major prospects to replace that. Heck even with the horrible start Gattis is 4 back of George for the team lead in RBI I realize this thread is fantasy, but come on man
No to trading for Abreu. The White Sox are notorious for asking for the moon in trades, and we should have plenty of options in-house. Maybe a Reed/Gurriel platoon for 2019 (Yuli also playing other IF positions and DH on occasion), and Beer in 2020. Would love to see Reed get playing time as we can use a lefty power bat in the lineup. Brad Hand is definitely the number one priority this deadline. Astros get: LHP Brad Hand Padres get: LF Yordan Alvarez RHP David Paulino 1B/3B Tyler White Trade for Realmuto in the offseason to replace McCann. Let Morton walk, yes, I know he is very popular among the fans, but he is getting up there in age, has a history of injuries, and has showed signs of slowing down in his last two starts. Call up Cionel Perez, who has been performing excellent, so that we have a lefty in the rotation and are not stuck with an all-righty rotation. And definitely get rid of Jake. We don't need his atrocious batting numbers atrocious, and his defensive replacement alone isn't enough to warrant a spot IMO. Our OF should be more than fine without him.
Sign me up for getting Abreu, Realmuto, Hand. To get all 3 this season, Yordan, Cionel, J.B., Corbin and several other younger prospects, plus a couple of the Reed/White guys, plus Stassi most likely, are gone, but I think it’s well worth it.
If Morton's per year and total numbers are reasonable (e.g. <$15m per year) then they're resigning him. Morton + a 1-2mo DL stint is still better than relying on a rookie like Cionel. And shows signs of slowing down after 2 starts? LOL. Uncle Charlie isn't a durable workhorse; he just needs him time off and he'll be fine. I'd rather let Stassi have the starters job and know that the ceiling is a 2-3 WAR player (i.e. solid starter). He's on pace for that this year in just limited action anyway.
Brad Hand is something really special. He has been one of the game's elite relievers for over a year, and comes with a very nice deal. No way do you get a player of his caliber for very cheap. Like it or not, our bullpen definitely needs a helping Hand. Don't let the good numbers fool you, we have failed to seal the deal many times against teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Indians (who we will see again in October, and they will all get better, too). Hand will provide an elite arm we can rely on, and one that will stay for a few more years. And our OF should still be fine, we have Tucker coming, and Springer and Reddick for two more years. I'm fine with a Stassi/Stubbs R/L platoon, not quite sure yet if Stassi really is full-time C material, and Realmuto is a proven elite catcher. I prefer not having an all-righty rotation, we need to have different styles in the rotation, and force the opponent to change things up a bit with their lineup.
“One of the games best relievers for over a year” Could have said that about so many relievers through the years
I'm going to get flamed for this, But I would rather trade Tucker than Alverez. Lets try this trade Martes/James/Straw for Herrera
Trying to make it work: Realmuto for Stassi, James, Alcala, Solis, and Arauz Miami has targeted hard throwers so far in their rebuild, and Arauz gives them a promising young SS. Hand for Alvarez and Cionel Perez They've got several young OF that need playing time, and Hosmer is locked in at first for a while, so Alvarez might not have THAT much appeal, but they seem like the least likely team to settle for a depth package. They tried to sign Perez after the Astros voided his deal Abreu for Reed, Fisher, and one non-Whitley pitcher Chicago has targeted well regarded prospects over sleepers, and while Fisher and Reed have lost a lot of luster, they were highly rated previously. I'm not sure which arm they'd prefer of Martes, Buk, or Martin.
Id rather just leave the team alone and let the farm develop more. Maybe a minor trade to unclog AAA some.
