I agree, and Perez is probably the perfect backup type for a catcher. Really good defensively and holds his own with the bat. I could see Castro/Perez being a quality catcher combo.
Corporan may not warrant much by himself in a deal, but he'd be a great part of a package with someone like Norris. If a Norris/Corporan/Player X deal brought back anything like the Happ/Lyon/Carpenter deal, I'd be very pleased.
Norris is certainly more valuable than Happ, so I do think that is very much a possibility. In fact I think we get a piece more highly thought of than any of the guys we got from Toronto in a deal for Bud
I don't think anything the Astros do right now gives us any indication of what they'll do when things are turned around. Neither Altuve nor Castro were selected by Luhnow, and neither developed in a Luhnow-run system. And neither are good enough to make this space between bad and good tolerable. So if he can fetch what he thinks are two-plus prospects for each of them and keep stocking his minor league system...
Absolutely. The team should be open to trading anyone right now. Open about trading someone and actively shopping them isn't the same thing. Altuve & Castro are under club control for several more years, and will be very inexpensive. If the club moves them now, it wasn't to save money. At the same time, their youth, talent, experience, club control, and cost combination will make them very expensive for any team to trade for, which is why it is unlikely.
Open, yes. But I think even Luhnow is now forced to be conscious of the fan perspective and MLB perspective on this team's losing. If he trades Altuve and Norris, I think they would have a fit. I feel like we've barely gotten off the radar of "what in the flying **** is that team doing with their historic losing?" -- and I don't think they want to get back there when they've gotten rid of the bad contracts, restocked the system, and have guys who are sub-30 and solid (the 3-4 we're mentioning here often)
I will have to respectfully disagree. Regardless of who selected Altuve and Castro, both are proving to be above average major league players and at this point, the best two young guys we have. Altuve just turned 23. No he isn't a super star, not even an all-star if the team did not have to have one, at least not yet. But at 23 to put up the numbers he has put up certainly tells you he is going to be a very high quality long term major leaguer. If they are open to moving him already, I do think it is a sign of how they plan things long term. If you look to the next couple of years, Altuve and Castro and by far the most sure things we have in the lineup. IF Singleton and Springer are ready by 2015, add them to Altve, Castro, a little development from Dominguez and maybe JD/Carter, and you have the makings of an offense that could be ready to produce. Ship off Altuve and Castro, and you will be right where we are now two years from now. And at that point, you would probably be hearing "if we get a legitimate offer for Singleton, you dang right we should consider it" . . . . . I do not know what Jim Crane has planned, none of us do. We all have our opinions, but only time will tell. One thing is certain though, if he wants to just draft and develop talent and then move them before they hit arbitration/free agency, he is going to make a lot of money. If he wants to build a championship quality team, Altuve and Castro, and probably Lyles too, are the last three off of the mlb roster than should be going anywhere
One more thing on Altuve. I have read from several people where he isn't a difference maker type of player. Consider this At Age 22 last year, among all MLB 2B's He was 5th in batting average, 9th in OPS, 5th in hits, 8th in doubles and 1st in SB's At Age 23 this year, among all MLB 2B's He is 5th in batting average and hits, 8th in doubles, 2nd in sb's So at an age where he should be at AA ball, he is a well above average, and easily a top 7 second baseman in the majors. To think he doesn't have room to improve as his body matures is crazy, and even if he doesn't improve if he just stays the same he is well above average already A team needs stars to win championships, no doubt about it. Altuve might be one of those, he might not. But even as he is, guys that are top 5-7 at their position aren't easy to come by
These are weird, conveniently selected stats to make him "easily a top 7 second baseman". What about the fact that, out of 17 total qualifiers, he's #11 in OBP, #13 in SLG, and #14 in OPS? You really can't name 6 2B's in the majors that are better than the current Altuve?
You conveniently left off OPS this year, where Altuve is 14th. Or WAR where he is also 14th. That says he's an average starter, which is pretty much what he is. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not "easily top 7 2nd baseman". He reminds me of Fernando Vina - a pesky guy who's a perfectly good starter, but not a world beater.
Ok, that is all well and good. And yall are right, we can all find stats that make our point, at least most of the time. He is barely 23 years old though. Most players hit age are in AA, right? In any case, I hope he stays around, and I hope that in 2015 we aren't having this same argument about Singleton, Springer, Lyles or whoever else is "only an average" player at his position...I do not want to virtually move to Pittsburgh, or Kansas City, or Montreal (i know they moved :grin: )
Well, I said top 7 so if i'm wrong you need to give me 7. So go ahead, give me 7 that are better than him, i'll gladly participate in a discussion on this.
Altuve is 15/19 out of qualified 2B in wRC+ (95 which means he is currently a below league average hitter) and 15/19 in wOBA (.310 which is considered below average). I don't have anything against Altuve; he has plenty of time to improve since he is so young, but he is vastly overrated by most Astros fans.
It is a little bothersome to me, that a majority of the fan base already seems ok with moving guys like Altuve for prospects. I'm sure Crane doesn't read this board, I sure hope he doesn't
Because we believe in maximizing value? Altuve's a great guy, and everyone likes him, but that doesn't change the fact that he is a replaceable part. This is a lot different than trading a Carlos Beltran. Like I said before, a deal isn't likely for Altuve, since we would need a substantial offer, much higher than a guy of equal production (say, Omar Infante), because Altuve is under club control for a long time. Deals like that don't occur that often.
I like reading your posts and certainly value your opinions on the board But we will just have to agree to disagree here, to me being ok with trading a 23 year old who is at the very least, above average at his position (i know some will not agree with that) for prospects, means being ok with not being competitive for years. Yes it is different from trading a Beltran, but championships aren't build by having teams with a lot of Beltrans. You need a few of those, and a lot of guys who are solid above average major league players, like Altuve. Maybe you do not think Altuve is an average or above average major league 2b, if not then we disagree there. Maybe you think guys like him are easy to acquire? If so then I disagree again. If we do move Altuve and Castro, we will have exactly zero everyday players who have proven they can compete well at the major league level. At some point, those guys need to be here
They do need to be here eventually. We aren't suggesting giving away Altuve. If somebody overvalues him, and makes the right offer, we jump at it. Altuve is an average 2B, with potential to be above average.
