https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022...ve-discussed-willson-contreras-with-cubs.html Maybe not a pipe dream.
Luis Garcia, Jose Siri, and Jordan Brewer for Luis Castillo. Astros get a big rotation upgrade through 2023. Reds get high ceiling young SP w/ proven #3 starter floor controllable for 4 years, the best defensive CF among fastest players in baseball but below average hitter, a very talented 20-20 potential CF-RF who started baseball late so is a late bloomer and 1+ years away. Corey Julks, Emmanuel Valdez, and Peter Solomon for Josh Bell. Astros get a rental bat to deepen lineup/bench and insurance in case Yuli does not turn it around. Nats get 2 high floor but also not high ceiling talented hitters who are both having great years and are MLB ready and a SP lottery ticket who is having a down year but pitched well in MLB and impressed the Astros last season.
If Contreras can play 1b I’d be excited to add him if the cost is not outrageous. OF needs to be addressed in my opinion. Happ is probably a pipe dream, but adding Contreras and Happ would give us incredible flexibility and an incredible line-up 1-8 on days Maldi is catching and pretty amazing 1-9 when Contreras is behind the plate.
The Tigers and Marlins are making everyone available (except Alcantara). I'd make a strong offer to land Tarik Skubal and I'd also look to buy low on Jesus Sanchez (as much power as anyone in MLB). Gregory Soto would also be a nice addition to the back of the bullpen.
Tarik Skubal Gregory Soto and Andrew Chaffin are All Lefties. Problem I see is Tariks Cost? And would he take a shot in the PEN? Chaffin and Soto wouldnt be bad adds
Joey Wendle wouldnt be a bad add from the Marlins as a Bench guy. Pablo Lopez would be a decent add aswell. Other then that I would pass Wendle to me is a guy who can be a hot bat off the Bench alot better then Some of the ones we currently have
We aren't trading for Contreras only to put him at first base. And while I love Contreras, he only has 4 more HRs and 7 more RBIs than Maldy. That's not worth what we would lose from Maldy calling the game. Sorry, Contreras will not be an Astro.
Josh Bell has to be the biggest priority. Catcher would be the second. Wilson Contreras... but at what cost? I won't try and guess. Centerfield can be handled ultimately in house. I feel Emmanuel Valdez may get a shot to man Right Field by the end of the year moving Tucker to center potentially. Big what if right here. Astros can rival that 2019 lineup pretty quick if they want. WRC+ = 125 Altuve- 152 Brantley- 128 Yordan- 198 Bregman- 120 Tucker- 131 Yuli- 91 Bell-144 JD Martinez-135 Abreu-144 Pena-119 Valdez/McCormick-115 Maldy-66 W. Contreras- 139 WRC+ leave average = 100 This lineup's average is 130-133 WRC+ which is 10-13 points higher than the current leading team(NYY) and effectively 4-6 points higher than the greatest offensive lineup in baseball history. Two moves that I would make right now. Josh bell or Wilson Contreras If James Click is feeling nasty, give me both guys but that isn't the Astros way
(7:00) I do expect Juan Soto will get traded. (11:23) Teams most in on Soto? San Diego is a team to be reckoned with. … There’s a desire there. Cardinals have been getting a lot of attention. … My question with them is they need 2 SP. If you need 2 SP and go get Juan Soto, what kind of team do you have? … They are short on SP. Usual suspects Yankees, Dodgers, those kinds of teams with great prospects and a lot of money. Group of others: Toronto, Seattle (13:54) Luis Castillo is going to go. (14:20) Willson Contreras, every indication is that he is going to get moved as well (15:02) What are the Yankees going to do? They definitely need bullpen help. In the mix for Castillo. And one more bat. Someone in the OF, probably to replace Gallo and someone with a contact oriented approach. (16:02) Do you see Gallo getting less playing time or are they looking to move Gallo? I don’t know exactly where they stand. I suspect they’d like to move him because it’s simply not working and hasn’t worked and you simply move on. (16:55) Red Sox buyers or sellers? I think they want to wait a little bit. We’re a week away. A lot can happen in a week. They’ll know in a week where Devers and Story and some of the others stand. They have series against the Guardians and Brewers. If they don’t play well after getting swept by the Blue Jays, then it’s pretty clear they won’t be a playoff team but right now, they’re still capable of being a playoff team. They’re right there. Could they buy and sell? Yes. Could they outright sell? I expect they could do that too if the next 5 games don’t go well. … Yes, they could sell. I don’t believe they’ll sell Boegarts. He has a full NTC. It’s just not something that can feasibly be done. He’ll want something to waive the NTC, Scott Boras will get involved, it gets complicated and I’m not sure they want to move Boegarts when they have a chance to sign him. (19:58) What are the Astros looking to do? They are definitely in on Josh Bell. They could use an upgrade at 1B. It’s certainly something they’re looking at. They are a pretty complete team as you said. I don’t know that they need to do much. Bell would help. Could always use another bullpen arm. Their bullpen has been outstanding. Other than trading Verlander, I don’t know that they need to do much at all. One more point, catching. I don’t believe Contreras is a great fit for them because they rely so heavily on Maldonado call games, help with their pitching staff, all of that. At the same time, Jason Castro has been out. They could use another C because they need someone else. I would not be surprised to add a C. I would be a little surprised if it’s Contreras. (21:16) What other catchers are on the market? I’m not sure. What if Vazquez becomes available from the Red Sox? That’s a pretty good fit right there. I don’t know that he will be. There’s always guys floating around. Probably won’t be a star catcher. There are guys that they can get.
From the above “Other than trading Verlander, I don’t know that they need to do much at all.” Let me put your mind at ease Ken - whatever number is less than zero, that’s the chance of that happening.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...ntial-targets-top-trade-chips-ahead-of-aug-2/ Trade Targets: Sean Murphy, Trey Mancini and Josh Bell Potential trade chips We'll break down the Astros system into tiers. The top of the Astros system includes the likes of right-hander Hunter Brown, utility player Pedro Leon, and catchers Yainer Diaz and the aforementioned Lee. If they go fishing for big names, those are the kinds of players you'd likely see moved. Otherwise, the Astros could attempt to trade prospects who will be eligible for this winter's Rule 5 draft as a way of adding veteran talent and removing potential logjams. Think infielders David Hensley and Grae Kessinger and outfielder Jordan Brewer.
Totally depends on how they have looked leading up to game 7. If Bell is hitting 300/400/500 and Gurriel is hitting 230/290/380 ......... then Bell is playing first with Brantley in LF (if healthy) and Alvarez DHing. Gurriel can pinch hit and come in late for defense.
There is a real chance Leon ends up in the infield. They have worked him out at 3rd a lot..... none of it matters until he fixes that hole in his swing at the top of the strike zone.
The Astros could have JD Martinez DH, have Alvarez in LF and have Bell play 1st. I don't think the Astros will go that route, it puts a lot of pressure on Alvarez to play the field. However the line up would be really nasty. Altuve Bregman Martinez Alvarez Tucker Bell Pena McCormick Maldonado
Yeah, i didnt realize JD was so bad in the field. Mistake on my part. Id love to add his bat and field a lineup like this but i dont like the lack of flexibility. I thought he could split time at dh/lf.
