I'm hoping for a solid bat like Winker. Baez may be ready by next year and I would also like to see Leon get a chance if he isn't traded.
I think Baez may not be ready until 2026 But I like Winker and his potential price. And I would love to see what Leon can do but I fear a current OF, probably 2 will need to be taken off the roster due to trade or injury before he gets a shot in 2024.
Here’s the list of players I think Houston is most likely to trade away in the next 2 weeks: AJ Blubaugh, Miguel Ullola, Colton Gordon, Joey Loperfido, Shay Whitcomb, Will Wagner, Jacob Melton, Pedro Leon, Luis Baez, Alimber Santa
Jake Meyers, A.J. Blubaugh, Pedro Leon, and Colton Gordon For Luis Robert Shay Whitcomb and Alimber Santa For Jack Flaherty Colin Barber and Ryan Gusto For Jesse Winker. Altuve Tucker Alvarez Robert Bregman Winker/ McCormick Diaz Singleton/Dubon Pena Rotation: Framber Flaherty Brown Blanco JV Arrighetti/Bloss
The White Sox are doubtful to have much interest in Meyers, who reaches free agency the same year as Robert. I think a reasonable trade for Robert would be Loperfido, Bloss, Melton, and Baez. Flaherty is the top rental SP on the market, he will get at least one major prospect. Houston probably isnt getting him without one of Melton, Bloss, Loperfido, or Matthews. That last trade looks roughly fair although I don’t have much interest in Winker for Houston.
Good points. I was thinking ChW might want an established CF to replace Robert but if they trade him, they are not looking to compete in 2025 or 2026 and will want someone younger with more control. As for Flaherty you are probably right. I was just thinking about him being a rental. Detroit will be looking to compete in 2025 though and don't have a CF. If the Astros get Robert then Meyers becomes expendable so maybe Meyers and a prospect for Flaherty?
Interesting. Maybe Meyers for Flaherty and Chafin? Resulting playoff roster: 2B Altuve 3B Bregman DH Alvarez RF Tucker CF Robert Jr. C Diaz 1B Singleton SS Pena LF McCormick Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Salazar, Cabbage Rotation: Valdez, Flaherty, Blanco, Brown/Verlander/Garcia Bullpen: Hader, Pressly, Abreu, Chafin, Scott, Martinez, McCullers (Dubin/Montero/Arrighetti/King/Ort/etc.)
I could go for this. I'm not giving up Baez and Bloss for Robert . I'm not sure Robert is large upgrade over Meyers, given his injury history and lack of production this year. You're basically betting on Robert's talent and I wouldn't bet on his talent in the middle of a playoff race if it meant trading Bloss, Baez. I would give up Loperfido and Gordon for Flaherty though.
The trade market is barren. Teams are likely to overpay for any star players. The only way to win as a buyer this deadline is by either identifying underrated non-star players or doing buy/sell combo trades. Houston seems like they’d be in position to do both given their history reviving/developing pitchers and their MLB OF depth. We all want Robert and Flaherty but we will probably end up with a SP like Trevor Rogers and a RP no one has mentioned.
If they ended up with league avg guys like Winker who would be a major upgrade from what they currently have, a slightly above league avg reliever like Erceg and a major upgrade as a starter like Flaherty I would be consider this trade deadline to be a success.
Yes I would consider Winker and Flaherty a success. Flaherty would instantly become a top 3 starter on this staff, arguably the best. Winker is far from league average. Winker has a 130 wRC+ which is, by definition, 30% above average. That would be 4th on the team, just behind Altuve's 132. Vs RHP he is 145 wRC+ which is 19th out of 156 left handed hitters. Yordan is 21st. People remember his bad 2022 and 2023 (108 and 65 respectively) but he had multiple injuries/surgeries including his neck. Before that he was over 125 in 4 of 5 seasons including 142 in 2020 and 148 in 2021. Now he is healthy again and can help the Astros RH have started 97 of 98 games for Seattle and they only have 1 LH in the bullpen (2 when Speier returns from injury)
Right now, the only way I trade any pitching prospect remotely close to the majors is for Robert, Vlad, Goldie, Trout, or C. Walker (all glorious pipe dreams). I'm not interested in trading pitching prospects for pitchers right now. Ours aren't good enough to get top of the line guys and I just don't think trading Spaghetti or Bloss is worth the risk for mediocrity. I'm probably wrong there, but I'd much rather unload some outfield. Keep in mind Aledmys will be on the roster before most of our position players that haven't broken through . . . .
I think all of us woukd rather OF prospects be moved instead of pitchers. After all there are possibly as many as 8-10 guys who could end up in MLB outfields over the next 3-4 years. And now the organization is saying Whitcomb's future is in the OF too. The problem is that pitching is in demand and teams don't want OF. This year and next, this team has enough talent to legitimately compete for another W S. After that, who knows. I don't want the team to hold on to Blubaugh, Santa, Ullola, or even Arrighetti or Bloss on the chance they may become MLB #3 starters 3 or 4 years from now at the cost of NOW.
I see Bloss and Matthews listed in several of these posts on trades Both of those guys are Brown picks, I think it’s highly unlikely he trades either of them Dan’s will be as aggressive as Cranes wallet lets him be, but those two are his picks from just a year ago, Bloss is already pitching for the big club and Mathews is looking like a hit It would be very odd for a second year GM to trade away the best picks from his first draft in year 1 I think Chas and most other prospects are likely to be moved if we can strike a deal I also think our “need” in pitching is just league average innings. Sure everyone would love to add an ace, but we need innings bad I think befote he moved Bloss or Matthews he would lower his return and bring in a league average starter or two
I have a hairbrained theory that Bloss was chosen to call up over Blubaugh, Gusto, and Gordon because Brown wanted to take Bloss off the table in deadline talks by having him on the 40 man and in the rotation. That’s why I think Blubaugh is very likely to be traded. I also agree with you that it is very unlikely Matthews is traded.
Exactly I'm good with trading a couple of pitching prospects, a couple of Wagner type if prospects and a couple of OF prospects to fill holes. I don't want to trade Matthews, but I would to get Flaherty because he's got playoff experience.
Intra-division blockbuster: Astros get: OF Brent Rooker RP Lucas Erceg SP JP Sears A’s get: OF Jacob Melton OF Joey Loperfido P Colton Gordon P Forrest Whitley Astros get a middle of the order bat, a setup man, and a bor guy to eat innings to save guys from burning up before the playoffs, all with several years of cheap control left. A’s get 2 near-MLB ready OF with big upside plus a big league ready SP prospect and an upside RP. Astros playoff roster: 2B Altuve 3B Bregman DH Alvarez RF Tucker LF Rooker C Diaz 1B Singleton CF Meyers SS Pena Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Cabbage, Salazar SP: Framber, Brown, Blanco, Verlander, Garcia, Sears/Arrighetti/Bloss RP: Hader, Pressly, Abreu, Erceg, Scott, Martinez, McCullers/Dubin/Montero/etc.
