I don't see anything happening at LF considering 2 or 3 more OFs should be ready next year... and there is already a position glut there especially if Alvarez will play the field on Yainer's off days from catching. Upgrading 1B is nice but I would use all the ammo asset-wise for as much pitching as possible. I'm okay with a Singleton/Dubon platoon.
The Astros need a starting pitcher and I think they get someone - Flaherty, Kikuchi, Fedde, Snell , someone. They also need at least 1 bigger bat to hit somewhere 5th-6th and move Meyers and Pena down where they belong. If they don't get the pitcher they may not make the playoffs. If they don't get the hitter the have very little chance of winning in the playoffs.
I want my wife to bring home her hot friend and spend the entire night double teaming me. Whenever I bring this up she says how about tomorrow if we have sex in the morning and I just lay there. Then, we negotiate and settle on something much closer to #2. Never have we done number 1 yet. Them asking and that being even considered reasonable is bizarre. Paredes and Yandy and someone and them kicking in money might sort of begin to make sense I guess/ but nah man- that’s crazy town. makes it even more irritating that we weren’t in on arrozarena or winker when those guys would have been really helpful at filling our other glaring hole.
The Rays probably believe they are going to contend again next year. They have been in the playoffs the last 5 years combined. Maybe they didn’t want to make the Astros or Yanks better as they believe us to be competition for them.
I’m usually of the opinion that you trade for the best package/ but that goes somewhat out the window if you are trading away a guy with 3.5 years of club control left that you just don’t want to deal with that long a time.
Still a lot of players to be moved. SP: Fedde, Snell, Crochet, Taillon, Quantrill, Flaherty, Kikuchi, Rogers, maybe Gausman, maybe Littell bats: Rooker, Diaz, Ward, Pham, Conforto, maybe Guerrero, maybe Robert, maybe Lamont Wade, maybe Jeimer Candelario, maybe Jonathan India I don’t want Houston to trade Dezenzo or Matthews. I think the Astros could trade all 8 of the following relatively valuable trade chips without having a meaningful impact on their long term outlook: Melton, Loperfido, Baez, Bloss, Arrighetti, Blubaugh, Leon, Ullola
Agreed completely. How many of those would we need to trade if the return was Rooker, Snell and Lamont Wade do you think?
Rooker for Bloss and Ullola. Snell and Wade for Melton, Blubaugh, and Baez, with SF eating some money. Just a guess of course. But Houston would not trade for both Rooker and Wade.
Rooker is the big one. The A's are apparently playing coy and trying to drive the price up. That doesn't really mean much as prices are sky high anyway. Whatever we think is fair, probably add 1 legitimate prospect and 1 lottery ticket. Snell would be cheap because of his salary and opt out. It would just be a total gamble with all the payroll risk. It's all about Crane signing off on that risk. I would use Snell as a way to get rid of Montero's contract. Taking that risk and salary relief away from SF has tons of value in itself. I'm not sold on Wade. He is much more of a table setter than run producer. Only 13 extra base hits including 3 HR w/ 19 RBI in 238 PAs? His overall numbers are still an upgrade over Singleton, but doesn't fill the need as perfectly as a thumper. He would be better as a 2nd leadoff hitter in the 9th spot than in the 5th or 6th spot where needed. He also only has 26 PAs vs LHP so is strictly a platoon bat on the same side as Jon. Still leaves a hole vs LHSP. Also, Wade has a 84 wRC+ since Abreu was released, Jon has 100.
You and I are of the same opinion on Snell- the deal is Montero plus a decent prospect and a lotto ticket for him. I don’t love Wade. I’d take him I think if he’s the second bat and we get a bigger one too.
What I like about Snell: 1) Legitimate TOR playoff caliber starter who is proven in the post season. 2) Contract will reduce the teams considering him and the cost. 3) Opportunity to jettison Montero. What I don't like: 1) if he does not opt out. There is zero chance of getting under the CBT next year even if Bregman and Verlander gone. It drastically reduces payroll for a 1b and/or 3b next year.
There is almost zero change he opts out. To me a Snell trade would be similar to the Verlander deal last year where Houston ups the prospects to get SF to eat money including eating money if the option is picked up.
