They are literally inquiring about everyone that can be a positional fit for a need. That doesn't mean that nothing will happen, but the cost is likely too high, and the Astros top prospect is a centerfielder. Varsho is someone that the Diamondbacks said they wanted to hold onto, but maybe they have changed their position. In theory Varsho could play catcher and outfielder, which is a positional need for the Astros - but he isn't really a top hitter.
Vazquez isn’t really a black hole in the way that Maldy or Lee is, he’s more like the kind of black hole Yuli was last year. And we let him play 1B and hit 6th, so if that production is coming form catcher in the 9 hole you are fine.
Agreed, they have to add another bat to the line-up and I think that they will. There are still a number of guys out there, but some of them have question marks attached to them like Conforto. Let's see what happens with Contreras, it is possible he turns down more money from the Astros to go to the Cardinals.
For which one? I think it's not enough for either, but I bet the DBacks would be higher on Urquidy than any other team considering how much Strom was a huge fan. Varsho apparently has more value than Reynolds per MLB Trade Simulator (the extra year and ability to play C, probably) Is a deal like Luis Garcia, Pedro Leon, Joe Perez, Phil Maton, and Jake Meyers something the Pirates consider? Then swap Urquidy for Jansen. Altuve 2B Pena SS Alvarez DH Bregman 3B Tucker RF Reynolds LF Abreu 1B Jansen C McCormick CF
That's assuming he bounces back and gives a LOT more going forward than he did when he was here. Maybe that happens, but even if it does, he'll be by far the worst hitter any time he's allowed to play....and he's 33 so it's not like he's a long term option anyway. If Vazquez bounces back you can probably expect him to be something like a high .600 low .700 OPS guy. I think it's possible a full season of Korey Lee gets you somewhere in that ballpark. Still terrible, but it's what you could get essentially for free. Why spend money on Vazquez for that? Why not spend that money elsewhere and just accept the black hole at the 9?
He was rated 15th defensively. Then you add the passed balls, dropped balls and it gets a little worse. Then you add his historically bad OPS, BA, and OBP and it is totally a recipe for replacement
No catcher will sign with us if our opening pitch is “Maldy is our guy behind the dish”. vasquez wants to start.
The ignorant hit pieces are getting tiresome. The mileage these hacks are getting out of poo-pooing on a team from Houston is just astonishing.
That shouldn't be your takeaway, the Astros are still champs, but they do have some holes they need to fill if they want to continue being champs. They already filled one of them at first base, which is awesome and could feasibly be enough to get them back where they want to be....but if they filled the final 2 holes, it would be more of a sure thing.
Looking at the A's roster, Tony Kemp is the only guy past 1st year arbitration. It's nuts. I think I'd bite the bullet on Brown/Garcia for Murphy if it came to that. How much more expensive is Bassitt that Contreras, and use the money that way? You'd still probably want another arm, maybe see if they'd throw in Paul Blackburn for depth since he's into his arbitration years.
Murphy does not make sense as a guy who will only catch 70 games. If Houston trades for him it is to have him catch at least 90 games. He’s too valuable on defense to slot him at DH. Jansen from Toronto would make more sense as an alternative to Contreras, and Varsho makes a ton of sense as a guy who can catch 70 games and play all the OF spots, with the versatility to accommodate whoever prospect (whether a C or an OF) emerges as a core player. Varsho is not as good of a hitter as Contreras or Murphy but he is almost as valuable because he can play CF well. Murphy and Blackburn for Garcia and Brown and another prospect (not Leon) would be fair but costly. Then the Astros could go sign Kluber and possibly another veteran pitcher (Duffy or Minor) who can be a long bullpen guy or a 6th SP. They’d then still have enough money to go after a good lefty OF bat (Conforto, Benintendi, Brantley).
Nice lineup Framber Javier Lance Brown ???? Bielak, Whitley I might not be so quick to tear down the rotation that just won us a ring
Well you can start by looking at the Astros' starters and bullpen ERA which were both #1 in MLB. That should be how a team equates value to the position, how they call a game.
