Without Teheran, I wouldn't trade Pence. Hunter's value to the 'Stros goes beyond the numbers imo. He's a good player, the only fan-draw left in town, and has stated he wants to stay in Houston. I'd rather see him stay if that were the case.
I don't understand why teams like Cleveland and Pittsburgh wouldn't go all-in. Don't give me this "we don't want to mortgage the future" b.s. You've both sucked horribly for a long long time. The future is literally NOW. I get that you want the success to be sustainable...but you're good now. In the case of Pittsburgh, you haven't been this good for nearly 20 years. You have to go get what you need and give those that have actually stuck by your craptastic franchise through all of this at least your best shot at meaningful September baseball...and G-d-willing, October baseball.
He's not a fan draw. No one goes to MMP so they can see Hunter Pence. He's just not Clemens, Oswalt, Berkman, etc. What other value does he have beyond the numbers?
Agreed - if there's ever a time for Pittsburgh (Cleveland at least has some history of being good more than once-a-generation), this is it. They should do everything they can to be competitive. And the beauty of mortgaging your future for Hunter Pence is that he's not a half-season rental.
Loving the Buccos right now.... “@JimBowdenESPNxm: "In theory it's a no brainer to add to this club...we have financial backing and prospect depth to trade 1, 2 or 3" Neal Huntington -Pirates” “@JimBowdenESPNxm: Pirates GM Neal Huntington said they want a position player add, a bullpen add and a starting rotation add - mlbnetworkradio” Looking more and more like a match for the Stros, Pirates going for it.
You'd be crazy if you wouldn't take a package from the Braves just because it didn't contain Teheran. The Braves ares stacked with pitching.
“@SI_JonHeyman: RT @DKnobler Reds are still interested in Ubaldo. Also Wandy. But they're also looking at leadoff hitters: Figgins, Crisp”
Mike Minor* As a Braves fan living in ATL, I think a deal for Pence involving Minor would be very nice. Not sure what else the Braves would have to add to make it work though. One of my buddies is a MLB scout in ATL. He says that the Braves are really high on Minor and believe that his ceiling is much higher than Beachy's. Minor could be a nice addition to Houston. This scout also said that there is 0% chance Teheran gets traded unless it is in an unexpected deal for a star caliber player.
Their going very cheap for a lead-off hitter. Crisp is average and Figgins is the worst player in baseball.
No, he's not - but he's far and away the team's most recognizable player, and that does have value. How much, I don't know. But if Joe Fan is taking his son to a game full of no-names, has-beens and never-weres, that's a terrible way to market your franchise to the next generation of fans, who'll have no connection to the team whatsoever.
I agree. My kids love Hunter Pence. He absolutely has some value for being that face of the franchise to the 'stros. I don't know how to tell you in real numbers what that value is, but it's there.
The new owner will likely need to do a complete organizational review, before starting any seas changes with the team. And the new owner is still weeks away from taking over the team.
Imagine the unlikely scenario ... 1. Astros trade every veteran they own (to reduce payroll) 2. The league fails to vote for Crane 3. The Astros have a team Crane built, just without Crane. If Crane was in the drivers seat, George Postolos would have already been hired. This happens before any other sea changes.
