Considering the status of McCullers (not mention Keuchel and Morton) I'd much rather the Stros use their prospects to nab another starting pitcher rather than a catcher.
I love the potential of Paxton, but isn't he a left-handed version of McCullers? Uber-talented arm, but injury concerns will almost always follow him? We may need another workhorse to help offset all the uncertainty in our rotation, as opposed to adding another question mark. And I say this as a big Paxton fan.
Have you heard any intel that they are looking at Narvaez? I would LOVE him as an underrated add and I think he’d make a good platoon with Maldonado. I just haven’t seen anything to indicate he’s available.
Greinke.... Paxton...... Carrasco.... Kluber..... Salazar....Stroman.... Let's hope the Red Sox or Yankees don't raid the list of starters that are supposedly available.
Uncertainty doesn't bother me as much as others considering Astros already have Verlander and Cole. It is hard to assemble certain greatness without a limitless budget. Paxton is the type of guy that if the Astros trade for him, other teams will not say things like "that's good for the Astros", "that will make the Astros more competitive", etc. It will be "*@#$!".
I think the new way of things is that teams on the fringe (in the case of this offseason, that means the Mariners, Giants, Diamondbacks, Twins, and Pirates) enter the GM meetings whispering about a total rebuild so they can get a gauge of their players’ values, but in the end they realize their expensive, aging, declining, injury-prone players won’t bring back the kind of prospects they want, and they end up sticking with their mediocrity and hoping for the best. I won’t be shocked if one of those teams enters an extensive rebuild this offseason, but I will be surprised. My money would be on the Diamondbacks. The Mariners can’t rebuild until later in Cano’s contract. The Giants waited too long and now Bum and Posey have so little value they may as well try for a last gasp. The Twins are in a down division so will be easily convinced they can win. And the Pirates have enough good young players that they likely see themselves on the upswing rather than needing a rebuild. Contending: Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Astros, Dodgers, Cubs, Nats, Brewers, Braves, Indians Building: Rays, A’s, Padres, Reds, Phillies, White Sox Rebuilding: Marlins, Tigers, Royals, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers Unknown: Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Pirates, Cardinals, Mets, Mariners, Angels, Twins
The White Sox had him available last year. The issue near the deadline is that he is best viewed as a platoon player and the White Sox wanted value consistent with him being viewed as a starter. The split issues with him are real, I don't think he will ever be solid from the left side as he just doesn't see the ball well. A trade with the Astros is possible in that the White Sox have interest in a number of the Astros prospects that are dying on the vine like Fisher and Martes etc.
Narvaez for Fisher would be a great deal, possibly for both sides. At this point I would hope Houston would hang on to Martes until he is healthy and convert him to relief. Even if they paired Narvaez with Stassi I think that’d be a very effective platoon.
Jean Segura, James Paxton and Dee Gordan would be the ones I would watch. Gordan to CF and Springer to LF until Tucker can replace Reddick. Paxton would be awesome number three. Segura would be a great player to add for the depth role. Have him DH. Or Correra DH.
Good find. The Yankees have the prospects, money and even young players to go out and pull a #1 and #2 starter to add to their team. They could deal for Kluber easily and still sign someone like Corbin.
The good thing for the Astros is that their weaknesses are easier to fill and can make a larger difference.
Would really really hate for CFM to go to Boston or New York. If he doesn’t retire or go back to Houston, I hope he ends up in the NL.
I love Charlie Morton, at times his stuff is Hall of Famer type nasty......... but I just really get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach going forward. He wasn't the same pitcher at the end of the year, his arm action wasn't the same and the results were not.... I really wonder how long he can stay healthy.
@Nook I'm a huge fan of Marcus Stroman as I've always enjoyed watching smallish starting pitchers (like Roy O). He's young enough and his stuff is good enough that I see him exactly as we saw Gerrit Cole last offseason... a perfect candidate to go from tantalizing with mediocre results to Cy Young caliber. And his last name is literally "Stro-Man" for ****'s sake! It was foretold that one day he would wear orange and blue! What would the prospect price be to get him out of Toronto? Have we expressed any real interest in him?
I know the Astros discussed him with Toronto several years ago before adding Verlander and then Cole. Back then the cost was rather high. Stroman obviously had a bad season last year and the Blue Jays would be selling low on him. I haven't heard any names thrown around with Stroman, other than the Jays were likely to make him available. He has two seasons of control left. As for cost, it would all be speculation but I would think it would take several of the prospects in the Astros top 10 and possibly another piece. I agree with you that he is a real possibility as a buy low and rectify candidate for the Astros. If the Jays decide to rebuild, AND the trade market for starting pitching is as strong as it looks like it could be, there is a chance that the Astros are able to nab him and work on his mechanics and pitch selection.
