You should always try to win. But you shouldn't be trading away guys like Tucker/Bregs/Pena for short term gain. There are no Bregs/Tuckers/Pena's currently in the system. My list of untouchables are Ullola/Brito/Pecko/Alvarez and probably Baez. Everybody else would be on the table in trade. That includes Blubaugh (Who I really like a lot) Matthews/Melton etc...
3 Off the radar potential 2B targets with hypothetical return Yoan Moncada: a rental but is cheap and performing well; somebody like P Michael Knorr should be enough Brice Turang: would be a major trade but he’d be a good long term piece; it would probably take both Matthews and Melton plus 1 decent pitching prospect. Gavin Lux: the Reds can afford to get rid of him; something like OF Luis Baez and P Jackson Nezuh should be in range.
The pickings for Houston to upgrade 2B are looking extremely slim. They’re likely going to have to overpay if they address it via trade. It sure would be awesome if Brice Matthews came back from his concussion and went on a tear.
So are we convinced that Matthews is going to be better than Dezenzo? If not then moving Altuve back to second makes more sense. We have to play Altuve, right? He is blocking one of Dezenzo, Smith, or Matthews if he continues to play LF.
Matthews would need to show some consistent production in AAA before he’d project to be better than Dezenzo. For now I would probably lean toward just moving Altuve back to 2B to make room for Dezenzo in LF.
Depends on who is pitching. If Framber is on the mound I dont want Altuve playing 2B. As of right now, I'm not convinced Matthews will be better than Dezenzo. Matthews strikeout rate should be very concerning to everybody.
I simply don't see any scenario where Altuve ever plays more than 30ish% of his games at 2b ever again. He is an outfielder. Playing there less is never going to make him better. He has just aged to the point where he is a liability there. As fans, we simply need to understand and accept that. I realize he may he a liability in LF also, but LF get less than 1/2 the chances that a 2b gets, especially when Framber and Brown are your #1 and #2 SP. He is going to play, and since Yordan is also under contract, them sharing LF/DH is the best and most likely scenario. That means this team has a hole at 2b which means Matthews development is crucial. However, this team also NEEDS another LH bat. It's obvious by watching the games. Sometimes a .750 OPS LH hitter can benefit a lineup better than a .800 OPS RH in the same position and lineup spot. Variety impacts opponents pitching and management decisions. Right or wrong, smart or dumb, its true. This team has Altuve, Diaz, Walker, Pena, Paredes, and Cam Smith who are all projected to be every day starters for the next 3 years. They all hit RH. That leaves 2b and CF as the only 2 spots that a LH bat can be added. At the moment ( only the moment) Meyers is playing well enough that he can not be replaced, but he is RH too. Dezenzo, Dubon, and McCormick are the bench players, who are not the backup catcher - all RH. Matthews is RH. This team desperately needs a LH bat and Matthews developing into the starting 2b would make that issue even worse. Find a LH bat who can at least platoon at 2b or CF and if you must trade Matthews or Dezenzo to get him, its a reasonable loss.
I think Matthews is going to be a higher strikeout hitter but he is only 23 and in his 2nd pro season, so he might improve significantly from where he’s at. There’s a huge difference between a power/speed/defense guy with a 35%+ k rate (basically Jose Siri at 2B) vs a 27% k rate (which makes him closer to like Brandon Lowe).
Id like to see how Melton does over the next 4-6 weeks in AAA if he stays healthy. Hes not going to displace Meyers for now, but he’s a LHH with power who could serve to balance the lineup (and become the strong side of a CF platoon if/when Meyers comes back to earth). That would go a long way to mitigating the lineup balance problem. I also would like to see Dubon replaced with a lefthanded option this offseason. There just doesn’t seem to be an obvious answer to both fill 2B and balance the lineup. The Cardinals are competing so Donovan is not likely to be available. Brandon Lowe is having a down season and not hitting any better than Rodgers. The Astros may have missed their opportunity when they whiffed on Polanco.
I actually think all Melton needs to do is stay healthy. If he does, and the Astros don't get another LH bat, I think he gets promoted around the trade deadline regardless of how he plays. They are desperate for a LH bat and his tools are obvious so they will roll the dice (they did with Smith) He ends up cutting into Meyers playing time, though I still expect Jake to start 60-75% of the time unless he completely falls off the cliff like last year. Melton also plays quite a bit in RF, keeping Smith a 60-75% starter. That gives Melton 50-80% starts. Dezenzo can play LF when Altuve is at 2b 30-25% of the time, and back up Walker and maybe Paredes. Chas is the odd man out.
I am ready to accept that the Astros are not going to be able to trade for a 2B. They need someone who can hit RHP. Here is the list of 2B who have a wRC+ >110 against RHP since 2022 (min 150 pa): Horwitz: hurt, poor defender Arraez: on a contender, not a 2B Altuve Donovan: on a contender Chisolm: on a contender Polanco: on a division rival contender Gelof: long term piece on a division rival Lux Marte: on a contender Julien: on a contender Lowe: not playing well McNeil: on a contender Cronenworth: on a contender, not a 2B Westburg: long term piece
I think the Orioles say no. I think they’re going to trade Mullins and O’Hearn and get a couple of good big league ready SP prospects. They don’t want to risk stepping back by dealing a cornerstone long term potential star position player. If I’m Dana Brown the guy I target is Lux, while keeping tabs on Donovan and Lowe. But really I think the Astros will have to pivot and target a SP if they want to make an impact at the deadline.
SP? Maybe. But I want to see if Arrighetti comes back fine and is the dude I think he is and how blanco pitches. This bullpen is awesome. You can only start 4 guys in the playoffs (maybe only 3). The bullpen is awesome and doesn’t seem like smoke and mirrors such that you can just bullpen game 4 of a series if you need to and be stronger on the mound than whoever you are going against. To actually meaningfully upgrade the Astros arms in the playoffs would cost waaaaay more than I want to pay in future wins with our long term position player prospects being so bleak.
23 of his 28 starts have come as a DH because of injury If he were here, he wouldn't have even played until Yordan went out
