Joaquin Benoit would be my preferred relief trade target. Would be relatively cheap and is very effective. Also has that SD connection so Hinch probably knows him well.
You build teams around guys like Lucroy, not trade them, especially on a premium position. He is to Milwaukee what Mauer is to the Twins, plus, he has a contract up to 2017 (team option). They have other options better for their team: 1. Lind 2. Garza 3. Parra 4. Gomez 5. Francisco Rodriguez 6. Neal Cotts They are not going to trade Lucroy, and ONLY way is if you give them your farm system away.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer...ing-at-kimbrel-might-the-astros-join-the-fray http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...line-drawing-interest-072715?vid=491643971740
Never said they were going to trade him. Although if they wanted to get top value now would be the time to trade him. Like I said above I would give up 3-4 top 20 prospects for a 29 yr old all star level catcher.
i understand what you are saying about Mauer, but, he is STILL the face of the team, plus in the last month he is hitting .338.
I live here. Mauer is no longer the face of the team. As a matter of fact, people point to his contract (not his fault) as a big detriment to the team. Right now, Dozier is the guy who the Twins' fans see as the face of the franchise.
Mauer was a local kid & #1 pick, and now has one of the worst contracts in baseball. You trade guys like Lucroy to maximize your return. From back in May: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-case-for-trading-jonathan-lucroy/ I don't think the Astros should go after Lucroy, but do think the Brewers should look to trade him.
With illegal substance? Is ARod the face of the Yankees??? No, i don't think Braun is or should be the face of the Brewers. Mauer yes, have a very bad contract, especially now that he does not catch, but he is a guy that always has been clean, always does the good things, and if there is a captain for the Twins, he should be. Is like for us, we had Berkman, we had Oswalt, and even in the DECLINING years, the face of the team was BIGGIO AND BAGWELL, no matter if injured, not producing or at least, not producing like they did before.
Nats, Jays & Astros in on Kimbrel. Kimbrel Gregerson Neshek Qualls Sipp Harris Velasquez Championship caliber pen.
Braun is and should be the face of the Brewers. Hard to say on ARod. With Jeter retiring, ARod is the biggest name and is having one of the best years of his career.
A-Rod is the face of the Yankees. Braun is the face of the Brewers, like it or not. I'm sure the Brewers owners wish he wasn't, but they can't do anything about that now.
What would we give up for Kimbrel? The Padres took on Upton, and gave up a Competitive balance pick, a Top 50ish prospect, another top 20ish organizational prospect, and Cameron Maybin (who while a bit of an enigma, does have value). Would you be willing to give up Velasquez?
Well, i would not like to have in my organization the face of players that not only cheated but lied about it. The Yankees had Jeter, eventough he was not hitting or fielding like he used, but he was the face of that team. Right now, I DONT THINK THEY HAVE ONE. You want face of your team guys that are good not only in the field but out. They had guys like Posada, Mariano, Bernie, Jeter, but ARod? Not the face of a team. Braun, well, Brewers need that, they thought they had it with Braun, but, then came the juice problem. They had Yount and Molitor, they wanted Braun, but, he is not. Astros had Biggio and Bagwell, after that, we don't have that face, maybe, just maybe, Altuve, but i believe the face of our team is going to be Correa and Springer, because they are good in and out the field. We are lucky that we have talent and good people in our organization. Why is difficult for the Yankees to have those kind of players? A face of an organization. Because that "face" comes better within your system. Biggio, from minors. Bagwell, he came from the Red Sox, but played in the minors with the Astros. Jeter, Mariano, ect. Now, Mauer, same, Lucroy and even Braun, the same. And again, Braun was perfect, but, came the juice problem. Who could it be with the Yankees??? The c, 1b, 2b, 3b, ss, cf and rf came through trades, only Gardner came from the minors. If there is a face on a team, is him,but he is not good enough for that.
I would not give Velasquez for a rental. I dont think we are good enough to win it all this year, but we can make it to the playoffs. We are 1 year ahead. What i would try to do is re sign Kazmir, i think that should be a priority, and give Singleton a legit chance to see if he can do it or not. If not, move on from him. Also, forget about Carter, i prefer a consistent .280, with some walks, and 20 homers that those inconsistent numbers he gives us. I prefer a guy like Alonso than him. What about Alonso for Singleton? Then need power, we need more OBP guys with good defense
Bagwell played as many minor league games in the Astros organization (not counting ML rehab assignments) as I have.
I wouldn't give up Velasquez in a deal for Kimbrel. I would give him up in a deal for Hamels or Price, but not for a bullpen arm. Getting Kimbrel would be great, but if the cost is anywhere near what SD gave up to get him in the first place, then i'd move along
