Then I will feel completely differently about the trade. I mean- you could make the argument we could have signed him in FA anyway, but that’s not super likely without him coming here and enjoying his time in the org, getting comfortable and getting better.
Wish we didn't have to give up Wagner. I thought he shoulda been up after the all star break to play some left and first. He will be an 8-10 year major leaguer.
Wagner and Loperfido would have been helping the big league team, though getting Gamel and Heyward offset Loperfido current value. I never minded giving up Bloss
Exactly.... and JV might not even survive a season with a 6-man. It seems likely the only way he pitches a full season again is if he misses the entire previous season. That's how I believe his all-world '22 mostly happened -- because he missed the 2 previous years. Since then, he started the next 2 seasons injured and can barely go 2 consecutive months without "discomfort".
And yet Bloss is the one commodity... if he pans out... that would project to have the highest WAR and the hardest to re-acquire on the open market.
Wagner is a surprise. He never hit this well in the minors so I assume he is going to come down to earth. Considering he's only had 2 walks so far means he's just seeing the ball really well and pitchers are challenging him with hittable stuff. I've been told that he's pretty mid defensively so if he doesn't continue getting on base at an above average rate, he won't be very useful. Joey is a dime a dozen type guy. Plus defender with a slightly below average bat. A poor man's Meyers, Straw, Siri, Chas, etc. We can find those guys anywhere. The jury is out on Bloss. He has major league stuff and is young. It will depend on how he develops. He doesn't have elite stuff but he could do some good things. Unfortunately, the Twins aren't known for developing pitchers so he probably won't do much in Canada. He could have been good here.
Not sure how Loperfido/Wagner/Bloss would have been helping the W/L column more than Kikuchi has been.
Exactly. Nobody was beating the drum for him or any other 26+ year old at AAA. Some guys do eventually produce once promoted. He could have a Chas-like career. Could have a Tommy Pham-like career.
They got what they wanted and we got probably more than we could expect especially if we resign him at a reasonable price. It's a win win. Now if Wagner ends up being the second coming of Jose Altuve and Bloss contends of a Cy Young, I will be upset in 3-4 years, but I'm pretty happy right now.
Yeah this trade has so far been a huge win in 2024 for the Astros. Bloss, Wagner, and Loperfido couldn’t possibly have contributed as much to Houston’s record as Kikuchi has. That doesnt mean Houston won this trade. We definitely won’t know that before October and probably won’t know it for 3-4 more years.
It was an overpay, but one that made sense for the Astros given their needs and state of the team. Wagner is already 26 and will probably be a useful MLB player, but he’s ceiling is basically Dubon with maybe a little more pop and less defensive versatility. The Astros already have a Dubon and have generally not had trouble finding a versatile utility guy.
If Yusei wins a game in the WS or helps us get to he WS, we win this trade regardless of how good they turn out. I know we are spoiled but remember what we would have given up to get to the WS before our string of success. Getting there shouldn't be taken for granted. The Angels would have gladly traded 10 years of Trout for a WS appearance.
I believe in the power of rings, so I would agree that if Houston wins the World Series then there’s no way they can “lose” the trade. But outside of that, if Wagner becomes Luis Arraez or Loperfido becomes George Springer or Bloss becomes Roy Oswalt, then I would say Houston lost the trade. Kikuchi has been good enough that my opinion of the trade has softened massively since it happened. But I still believe it was an “overpay”; sometimes overpays work out and that looks like the case here.
But does anyone honestly believe those 3 will fulfill those projections? Literally NO ONE was pining for Wagner to play on this team before the trade. And many had written Loperfido off after his short stint. I think Bloss had the most long term potential but I firmly believe Dana saw something no one else did
