Only issue with that is that in order to get Bieber you very likely have to give up Pena, which would mean opening up with Diaz as your opening day SS (and adding an extremely cheap option like Simmons or Galvis). That would mean a lot of pressure on Meyers to perform with the bat. But that pitching staff would be sick.
I thought of that, but maybe Diaz to start for a while and see if Leon could be ready about mid-year. Long shot I know.
I’m more interested in going after Verlander for two years(if Astros feel comfortable with his health) then trying to get Correa for 10 years. we need pitching. Verlander, McCullers as your 1/2 is strong. Verlander will be 39 next year and that’s concerning unless he has a Nolan Ryan type arm. Ryan at age 40 pitches 211 innings with a 2.76 era. At age 44 he had a 2.9 era with 177 inning pitched. Incredible.
I *really* wanted Kris Bryant at the deadline. The extended playoffs are a war of attrition - to survive, you need to be deep and talented: the trade deadline can no longer be treated as a luxury but a necessity, no matter your record. Bryant, with his versatile, would've been a formidable weapon to defend against injuries, slumps, etc... You can survive the regular season with Aledmys Diaz but not the postseason.
Of course Bryant’s priorities and market are the big unknown, but the more I think about it the more Bryant makes sense for Houston. Adding him gives them insurance against both CF (he can play there) and SS (he can play 3B and have Bregman move over; not ideal at all but the odds of Pena totally busting such that he can’t viably hit 8th are really low). Bryants bat is on par with Correa’s, he doesn’t cost a draft pick, and he will probably cost 2/3 of what Correa will. He also knows how to win.
There's a place for Bryant to play literally everyday. He's insurance in case age finally catches up to Gurriel. And he makes Meyers or McCormick a valuable trade chip (which they might already be with Leon) - between Meyers/McCormick, Tucker and Bryant, they would have CF locked (and, again - that is before Leon hopefully makes noise out there). And, yeah - he's a possible answer to replacing Correa - although Bregman's health and Bryant's declining D make me less thrilled about the idea. + the Astros connection to Bryant, via the 2013 draft, is a cool story.
Add the A’s SP to list of potential matches for Houston. I like Manaea and Bassitt, especially if Houston retains Verlander but still wants a further upgrade over Urquidy/Odorizzi at the back end. A rotation of Verlander, McCullers, Valdez, Bassitt, and Garcia would be really really good. Major outside the box idea: trade for Matt Chapman and play him at SS. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021...roll-olson-chapman-manaea-bassitt-montas.html
I feel like the Astros have too good a team to be in the position to trade for guys and play them out of position.
If you're going to play someone out of position, never go up in difficulty. SS > 2B or 3B > 1B. CF > RF > LF. And up the middle defense is critical.
Verlander takes the QO. Trade Pena and others for Bieber. Stroman, Bieber, Verlander, McCullers, Valdez. Wow! We can sign a mid-level shortstop or hope Leon develops Diaz would be ok until he gets hurt. Lineup is still amazing and we just saw what pitching can do in the playoffs. Altuve Brantley Bregman Alvarez Gurriel Tucker Myers Diaz (or other ok hitting shortstop) Machete until Corey Lee arrives.
That's where I come out, and that's without Bregman shifting to shortstop. You can play him in center and trade Meyers and/or McCormick for another piece. It also gives you two bites at prospects "working out" at short with Leon and Pena. He can play 3rd, first, and left and spell Bregman, Gurriel, or Brantley, all of whom have injury or age issues. He also provides a natural replacement for Brantley in left in 2023, especially if Pena and Leon are both playing well (or Chas/Meyers break out). I see a bunch of different good outcomes that Bryant can create, as long as his bat is not in a continued downward trajectory.
With the amount of control Bieber has, I can't imagine the deal it would take to make them sign off on it Likely would need Pena AND Leon, plus.....maybe no, who knows...but even with an owner who is willing to go to the edge of the luxury tax on a yearly basis, we need guys like Pena and Leon to hit to make us sustainable long term Putting the Bieb at the top of a rotation with Garcia, Framber, Lance, Jose, Christian....put a great pen behind that and it might be dusty proof
We can't compete with prospects... we'd have to compensate with major league talent... If Cleveland thinks they are 3 plus years away; Garcia, Javier, and Leon could make some sense for them... They develop great pitching there... i would think they are looking for 2 blue chip prospects similar to what the Marlins got for Cabrera.
I would think Pena, Brown, Whitley, and 1 of Urquidy/Garcia/Javier would get close to being enough for Bieber.
Literally a poverty franchise. It must be so frustrating to be an Oakland A’s fan. They do a great job drafting, developing, and finding gems thru trades and free agency. But they never keep their homegrown guys. I’d love any of Bassitt, Montas, Manaea, or Olson but I have to wonder how much trading with the Astros would factor into any deal. I don’t think they’d be opposed to trading with other teams in the AL West…. But specifically the Astros. We’ve crushed their dreams several times in the past few years. Would anyone be interested in Laureano here? Or would he not be viewed as much of an upgrade over Meyers/Chaz?
