2022 Trade Targets

With the new format, 2/3 of the league will think they have a chance at the postseason, and in baseball if you can even get to the playoffs you have a chance to make a run if you get hot at the right time. Everything of any value will command a lot of attention.

Will be interesting to see just how big of a sellers market it will be. My concern is that the desperate teams, which we really aren't, are gonna overpay for virtually everything in the desperate hope of even getting to October. I think Click will have to fight against his natural conservative instincts if he's gonna make a move.

If the sellers market is too strong, it might have the opposite effect and sway some of the fringe teams into selling just to get in on the action. I predict it will be a pretty crazy deadline one way or the other.

 

I completely agree our system has way outperformed its ranking

The question is how other organizations view our system though. From what knowledge I have, most of the more well thought of publications get their info from team scouts and info from team front offices? If that is correct, then just because we continue to outperform our rankings doesn't mean that a majority of other teams front offices view our guys as highly as we do

I'll go back to my comment on missing two first round picks. Not even saying we would have hit on those picks, but just having two more guys who were high picks/likely highly ranked would help us tremendously when it comes to trade packages we could put together for a guy like Reynolds

 

If this is true (and it might be) it could be interesting to see what the Astros could get trading some of their surplus starting pitching. A guy like Odorizi right now might be a lot more valuable to Toronto than us as they just lost their best starting pitcher for the year and they are right in the middle of a 5 team (counting white Sox) for 3 spots race right now. A league average starter to plug in for them could be the difference between playoffs or not. We’ve got 2 or 3 spare league average starters we don’t even need if LMJ is healthy. Would like to see what kind of future prospect value that would bring. Not saying we should, but if it becomes a booming sellers market we ought to check it out.

 

I am not counting on seeing McCullers this year. It could happen but even if it does there is no way to know what kind of shape he will be in. Better to not count your pitchers prematurely.

 

Right now we have ZERO surplus starting pitchers

There is no guarantee Lance comes back and is reliable. The guy you are talking about trading is not healthy himself. Urquidy has struggled.

If something were to happen that brought Brown up and he showed he could have immediate success at the big league level AND Odorizzi came back and looked like the pitcher he was in his 4-5 game stretch (not the guy he was since we signed him, before that) AND Lance was back and looked good, at that point if Odorizzi could bring back something that could help us this year then i'd be in....that's a lot of if's though

 

Also, Toronto did not lose their best starting pitcher lol

If healthy Ryu might be their #4

 

****. I’m an idiot and didn’t read that right.
The general point is that if you believe the stros are a mortal lock for the playoffs at the deadline, and I believe they will be, then if you could get something useful for a guy that won’t be used in the playoffs by us but that could be the difference maker for someone else between playoffs and not that’s a decision you might have to consider. Not saying they will, just that if it becomes the extreme sellers market that some are predicting I’m fine with rolling with a guy like Bielak and winning 97 instead of 100, under the right circumstances and if the return is good enough for the future. agreed not likely to happen. Just sort of interesting if the market gets insane.

 

I feel like there’s already a lot of clarity in the playoff race, at least in terms of buyers and sellers.

Certain buyers (15): Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Twins, Guardians, Astros, Mets, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Padres, Giants

Certain sellers (8): Orioles, Royals, Tigers, A’s, Nationals, Cubs, Pirates, Reds

Likely buyers (1): Phillies

TBD (6): Angels, Mariners, Rangers, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Rockies

Most of those TBDs “should” sell, but aside from maybe the Mariners and Marlins they are pretty poorly run teams who will do the wrong thing.

 

I have an interesting trade proposal

Washington Nationals
Victor Robles CF and Minor Leaguer Zach Bryzyky RHP AA

for
Jose Urquidy SP Straight up.

 

Why should the Astros trade a rotation starter for a mediocre, below average center fielder and a minor league relief pitcher?

 

Chas McCormick for Jason Adams RHP Rays and Prospect Colby White RHP

 

Why should the Astros trade for a relief pitcher?

 

Well its easy. Robles is an Easy SB 20hr guy in the he is a Pull hitter so that short porch would be great for him.
he has ++++ speed and thats a big plus.

he may just need a change of scenery and a new club house environment.

Its a gamble but I think it would be worth it

 

I think we need at least one more Relief pitcher to make sure all bases are covered. would prefer a LH but those guys will go for a premium.

Makes since for the Rays because they have a depleted OF with these recent injurys and there pitching stay on the Starter side is hurt aswell

 

He's on pace for 3 home runs this year.

 

so he still has upside.

 

The Astros can't make a trade unless it's a clear upgrade.

Trading MLB players for prospects and/or "upside" players who could be better with a change of scenery are not for in season deals for teams trying to win

They are for noncontenders and off season.

 

You don't give up a starting pitcher for upside. We are trying to win a World Series, and someone like Victor Robles does not move that needle.

 

lol

 

At this point I don’t view Urquidy as a realistic trade candidate. He has been inconsistent this season, he has never really been consistent, consistently pitched deep into games, or had much in the way of flashes of dominance. His lack of upside makes him unlikely to be someone rebuilding teams ask about, and his lack of an innings-eating track record doesn’t make him someone contending teams will ask about. Sure, he’s a decent pitcher, so a lot of teams would take him. And there may be teams interested in him as a low cost option to fortify the back of their rotation for a few years. But he is not someone a team is likely to be willing to give up real value for, and as a pitcher who has been with the Astros awhile and knows their ways, and one who has minor league options remaining, he has a lot of value to Houston as a surplus option they can stash in the minors if they wind up with too many SP. One caveat to all that is that the Brewers, Orioles, and Diamondbacks all have coaches or front office personnel who spent time with the Astros and they might have a special affinity for Urquidy.

Similarly, I think we can probably scratch Luis Garcia from the list of guys Houston is likely to discuss this deadline. Garcia has been very good and at this point is pretty firmly established in Houston’s rotation. He also still has pretty high upside, as he’s only 25.

If Houston is going to trade from their major league roster this year, Cristian Javier and Bryan Abreu are by far the 2 most likely pitchers teams will ask about. Both currently have a lot of value to Houston, but there’s a reasonable thought that another team might see the type of upside in them to seek them out and value them highly enough to make Houston consider offering them. Otherwise, the trio of young CF are the only major league players likely to draw much discussion, and like Javier/Abreu, opinions vary greatly on their value, although I personally would place the value of Javier and Abreu very high, possibly even higher than Hunter Brown.