Bellinger would certainly fill the biggest need on this team. We really need some of these teams to fall out of contention. The trade market is looking so weak right now with the national league being such a bunched up race as 5 teams are within 3.5 games of a wild card spot, and EVERY team in the NL is within 7 games of a wild card spot.
Bellinger is not the guy. He is too erratic on offense and will most certainly disappear in the clutch. He's had some moments in his career but too many low points for me not to ignore.
With the now expanded Wild Cards, every trade deadline will be seller's market, and the prospect cost of trades will be a new standard of high. Trades are going to be a bigger mortgage than ever before, which is why it is more important in today's game to have a successful offseason with your signings and maintain good drafting and development. It's frustrating that the team needs at the deadline could have been avoided if they had a better offseason. The Abreu signing has been a huge disappointment but that is a hindsight critique. What is NOT a hindsight critique is after JV's departure and knowing full well that Lance is unreliable, they should have signed at least one SP. Rangers signed Eovaldi and Heaney and look how it is paying dividends. To be fair starting pitching is not an Astros weakness right now, even with 3 starters being Bielak, France, and Blanco, but as last year's success should have taught them, you can NEVER have too much SP depth. Also not a hindsight critique is Brantley, he's old and injured, they should have been more aggressive in signing an outfielder. Now in order to improve in these areas it will costs prospects in what is a pretty damn thin minor league system right now. There seems to be no real talent at the AAA level right now, it is all AA and below, and we can't afford to give those guys away or our AAA/major league ready talent will remain barren.
I can't complain about the pitching when the Astros lead the league in team ERA. How many teams could lose 3 starters to injury and still lead the league in team ERA? Plus that is after losing the Cy Young winner to free agency. The offense is the problem and it needs to be fixed internally and externally. Dusty needs to play the better hitters more. Brown needs to go out and add some offense via trade.
I feel like Click handled the last 2 sellers markets very well. The Straw trade, dealing a fringey everyday CF in a market starved for the position, to add a high ceiling prospect and a tweakable RP, is the kind of thing I hope Brown is able to do. Click also focused on the bullpen and backup players, where supply is more plentiful and prices lower. The Astros are in a decent spot since their primary need is simply someone who can hit really well without much defensive requirement, and possibly a tweakable RP and a stability SP, and they don’t really need to shy away from rentals. It’s too bad Chas McCormick can’t play SS because he’d bring back a haul this deadline.
You are right that most of our talent is at AA or below. Placeholders outnumber prospects at AAA by a little more than 4 to 1. It is unlikely to be a place where the atmosphere is a good thing to expose your future Astros to. Rather than bemoan that I maintain that players will be promoted directly from Corpus to the majors until such time as the talent in the lower levels flushes out the system. With a few easily identifiable exceptions currently in Sugar Land I expect that to be the case till after the 25 draft.
It would not surprise me if Brown started pulling true 45 or better grade prospects directly from CC and short term replacements from AAA.
Jose Abreu, Lee, and Maldy for Willson Contreras. Astros and Cardinals swap underperformers. Contreras is hitting the ball better (I'm more confident in his rebounding this season than Abreu), but has more years. Cardinals get to appease their pitchers. Astros might have to kick in another prospect or two. Melton for Jake Rogers. Detroit gets a prospect. Astros get a catcher that currently is a good defender that should allow Contreras and Diaz to play DH and 1B a lot.
In this sellers market he would probably bring back ~$50M in surplus value. So start with Gilbert. Then maybe 1-2 more of the Astros top 10 prospects. Unfortunately the Cardinals have a ton of good young OF already so they probably don’t want Gilbert as a headliner in a Goldschmidt trade. A hypothetical I think they’d consider would be Yainer Diaz, Spencer Arrighetti, Kenni Gomez, and Andrew Taylor. The Cardinals are a smart Org so a trade with them is likely to hurt.
The problem is that its a terrible match. St.Louis has about 15 position players/position prospects better than anyone the Astros could send ( Tucker, Alvarez, and Pena being the exceptions) They also have a huge void in MLB pitching talent, but 4-5 pitching prospects better than any the Astros have. But Framber, Javier, or Brown aren't going anywhere. So unless they get creative with a Goldschmidt and prospects for Tucker deal, I don't see a match. The Astros don't have the high ceiling young MLB starters or prospects that are close to MLB ready the Cards would want.
So you want to have 45 million tied up in a couple 1st baseman 36 or older next season and lock one up into his 40s? I think I will pass on emptying the farm for Goldschmidt.
That trade above was not a "farm emptying" deal. Stros have stupid money to spend. They can DFA the current 1B and eat contract if they needed to. Again, it was a "dreamcasting" post.
Sure... we are just having fun. Diaz was our top hitting prospect coming into the season and is showing some flashes right now in the majors. Arrighetti is our top pitching prospect right now. So that's not exaclty a light package for our system not even mentioning Gomez or Taylor, but okay I guess not quite "emptying" the farm. Also, not sure why you think the Astros have stupid money to spend. They are at 218 million for CBT payroll this year. They only have about 22 million coming off the books after this season with Brantley, Stanek, Maton, and Maldy as free agents. It's possible the arbitration raises to Tucker, Framber, Urquidy, Dubon, Garcia, McCormick, and Abreu eat up almost all of that money. So unless Crane is going to stop talking big about being able to go into the luxury tax and actually do it for a change.... I'm not sure they have stupid money to spend. I also wonder if the Astros would be super hesistant to bring in another aging 1st baseman making a fat salary. Yea, Goldschmidt is still hitting... but so was Abreu last year. If they could trade for Goldy I certainly wouldn't be excited about an extension that would start at age 37. I would probably just ride with him next season and evaluate the situation at that point. I certainly wouldn't mind having that problem this season though. Would be nice to have an owner that will just eat the 60 million and go on business as usual as if it didn't matter.
Jeimer Candelario switch hitter 1b/3b/DH who should only play vs RHP. .838 OPS vs RHP .623 OPS vs LHP Washington is clearly out it and he's a rental. Joe Perez and Shawn Dubin get it done, if not then substitute Leon for Perez. Replace Julks ( maybe they can convince Washington to accept him as a throw in) on the roster and he can play 1b and DH vs RHP.
Bellinger or Solar or Canderlario Bieber or Goilitto or Who? To be Bellinger can play 1B and OF. He I'd very expensive. Solar is a COF or DH. Which would mean u play Diaz at C and 1B call up Lee. Candellario well he is well he is what he is. Bieber well if he can figure out what's up with his velocity and get his strikes hitting back in. Well he would be a steal. Problem is he has lost something. Rather it be temporarily or permanently. Will the Guardians over value him? Maybe Goilitto well will the White Sox deal with us? What about Micheal Kopeach instead? Rather have him
I like everybody expect some moves because so much has gone wrong, but it takes 2. The 6 team playoff field, combined with the fact that both centrals are dog s**t means almost nobody feels like they are out of it, that's a hard market to make moves in. We may have to wait out some unimpressive play for a little while before the market loosens up.
