I would love to add Kwan. I read LAD is going after him and Clase. What would trade for Kwan look like? Surely a haul. My initial reaction is we don’t have enough. My second reaction is Crane says F it and puts all our chips in while we have formidable Jose-Yordan years.
I also said Caratini. He’s pretty damn good. the half season is basically wrong- teams haven’t gotten less at the deadline than off season- some actually prefer it bc you have to pay less actual money and you are still doing it for the playoffs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Caratini be worth a very bottom of the top 100 prospect to the right team, a d Framber can definitely be worth 3 dudes.
Just noticed... glad I'm not the only one who gets confused when spelling Hummel and Trammell's names
6. Houston Astros (57-42) The Astros have made it clear to opposing general managers that they want a left-handed bat, preferably someone who can play second base. Brandon Lowe of the Rays would be a perfect trade fit for them, and he comes with a 2026 team option. They also are focused on starting pitching, but in all likelihood they’ll trade for either a left-handed bat or a starting pitcher, not both. The Astros are looking for impact. If they land a starter via trade, the plan would be to move one of their other starters to the bullpen to bolster its depth. In my opinion, Astros GM Dana Brown is the front-runner for executive of the year, and if he can swing one more big deal, he might have the award all but wrapped up come August. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6505920/2025/07/21/mlb-trade-deadline-needs-targets-rumors/ Ideas based on this article: Bryan King and Bennett Sousa for Gavin Lux Jacob Melton, Shay Whitcomb, and Jose Fleury for Brandon Lowe Spencer Arrighetti, Jacob Melton, and AJ Blubaugh for Steven Kwan Shay Whitcomb and Colton Gordon for Willi Castro Maikel Garcia for Jacob Melton and Brice Matthews Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, and Seranthony Dominguez and money for Spencer Arrighetti, Ethan Pecko, Shay Whitcomb, and Miguel Ullola Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, and Pierce Johnson and money for Jacob Melton, Michael Knorr, and Bryan Mayer Mike Soroka and Josh Bell for Shay Whitcomb and Colton Gordon Luis Robert Jr. for Chas McCormick, Shay Whitcomb, and Miguel Ullola Ryan McMahon for Zach Dezenzo and Jose Fleury
That Lux trade would be terrible. Would absolutely kill our bullpen, especially with Dubin being up in the air. King and Sousa also are cheap and under control for awhile. If the Twins will take that for Castro, let’s do it. Castro should be their #1 target IMO assuming we aren’t going to make any major moves
Trading Sousa and King would only make sense if Houston felt good about their SP health and/or planned to make a trade for another RP. If everybody is healthy I’m all good with this playoff pitching staff: SP Framber, Brown, Walter, Arrighetti RP Hader, Abreu, Okert, Javier, McCullers, Garcia, Gusto, Gordon, Neris
They control King for five more yrs and Sousa for four yrs. So no way I'm gutting my pen for that trade. Plus look at the guys you are now plugging into the pen if they trade King + Sousa (Javier/McCullers/Garcia). No idea how these guys would be coming out of the pen--having to warm up at a moments notice and more then likely not being able to go back to back days. Plus Neris hasn't looked good.
It’s fine for the playoffs but has a negative impact the rest of season and future years to our bullpen. I also clearly don’t like Gavin Lux as much as some of you do. He has 0.0 bWAR right now and has been coming back down to earth offensively for awhile now. His OPS since his hot April, where he had a .440 BABIP, is well below .700
I do not like Lux, per se. However, he fits ( LH, can play both 2B and LF, and is a good contact hitter) and has excellent tools to work with, as a former top prospect (#2 overall in 2020). When it comes to position players, this team does not need an All star. It needs MLB caliber players who fit the needs for the bottom of the lineup. He would be cheap (ish) and the Astros don't have much to spend. He is better than Rodgers, Gullorme, and the 2025 versions of Whitcomb or Matthews, or playing Dubon everyday at a single position.
It’s fair criticism. There’s a lot of variance in how valuable Sousa and King are. Both guys could be viewed as controllable quality 7th inning RP, or both could be viewed as sell-high guys Houston consistently finds on the waiver wire. Think about how valuable Tayler Scott seemed last year at this time. Similarly there’s a lot of variance in how Lux could be valued. Is he a controllable above average bat (career wRC+ 109 vs RHP) who can hit 6th and handle both 2B and LF adequately, or is he a no-power poor-defender best suited as a bench player?
Outside of the 10-15% best RP, they all vary greatly and are inconsistent year to year. So, just like starting pitching, load up on all you can. If you feel you have surplus value that you want to profit from, trade in the offseason. Once the season is underway do not trade away pitching unless you are not contending or you have no choice to improve a bigger priority.
Sousa has way better stuff than Scott. He’s a lefty throwing 95 mph with a plus slider and he’s been especially effective getting lefties out. His FIP is 2.05 right now. Scott was above 4 last season. I wouldn’t be surprised if King fell off so I understand where you are coming from though.
I would do the B Lowe deal, and I think Tampa would also...IF...the incoming ownership change hasn't changed the way they will do business. I know it won't be official until later in the year, it's possible the new ownership has already said we don't need to make any deals to avoid paying a bit of salary. But if TB is business as usual, this one is a typical trade for them and I like Lowe a lot Would love Kwan but I don't think that gets it done. They would likely want a huge haul led by some young hitting prospects and obviously that's not a good match for us My favorite deal here is the one for Soroka. I'm not crazy about Bell just because I don't think he is good enough to make him worth a bench spot. But either way, I think our pitching guys taking on Soroka could make him a big difference maker down the stretch L Robert has shown some life lately, but I don't think he is the guy that Crane would go over the CBT for Hard pass on the McMahon deal, he has been sub .600 OPS outside of coors, and while I know he likely isn't coming back this year, I like Dezenzo long term. If I was going to move him it would have to be for someone who would very likely be a difference maker this year Let's do the Lowe and Soroka deals and get everyone healthy and go get another ring
Kwan's a pipe dream but would be perfect. B.Lowe would be an awesome get. Willi Castro is also very interesting. L.Robert would fit right in with the Stros' IL crew. Haven't paid any attention to Soroka recently, but I'm all for adding an arm or 2.
Soroka, Lowe, and Mullins would be a fantasy haul and make for potentially one of the top 5 playoff rosters Houston has ever had: SS Pena 3B Paredes DH Alvarez LF Altuve 2B Lowe 1B Walker RF Smith C Diaz CF Mullins Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Trammell, Hummel SP: Valdez, Brown, Soroka, Walter RP: Hader, Abreu, King, Sousa, Okert, Javier, McCullers, Arrighetti, Gusto
