Julks needs to stay . DIAZ needs to stay. The problem is there are certain player who need to go but the team won't. Maldy. I understand he does well with the Pitchers but dang he needs to hit alot better. Stanek should have been traded. Montero needs to get a grip. McCormick while is value is some what high ish! McCullers ugh Urquidy if healthy. Those guys alone could open some serious spots for additions.
I was expecting Diaz to be a liability behind the plate. I don't think he's great defensively, but his bat to ball skills are so great.
You are probably right and I don’t have a strong argument against valuing Diaz similar to an MLB Top 50 prospect, I am just hesitant to go all in over a few weeks of success on a player who hasn’t been mentioned in that tier anytime before now. You could actually say the same thing about Meyers; he is currently playing like a star CF worth $40M+ per prime season, but I think we have to give it another 4-5 months before we can be sure he’s really that level of player (when healthy). I do think the Astros will walk away from this deadline with a quality multiyear bat they can deploy in at least 2 lineup spots (out of DH, 1B, C, LF). It also would not surprise me if they added an underrated BoR SP or Maton-esque RP. But I think they can get those guys without giving up Gilbert or any of the players currently on their big league roster.
What is your fascination with Julks? He is a negative. How can you possibly not see that? 2023 MLB Percentile Rankings (50 is league average) Avg Exit Velocity: 28 Max Exit Velocity: 55 HardHit: 28 xwOBA: 2 xBA: 21 xSLG: 16 Barrel %: 18 K%: 18 BB%: 1 Whiff%: 28 Chase Rate: 28 Sprint Speed: 78 Arm Strength: 63 His OPS+ is 86 He is BAD !!! especially at a position that has no excuse to be below average at run production. His max Exit Velocity is on the high end of average but his average Exit Velocity is 28th Percentile so he doesn't even get their benefit of that very often. He can run a little, and throw (despite my eyes telling me different) everything else about his game is POOR and dragging the Astros down.
His sample size is small and his playing time too sporadic to draw any permanent conclusions about Julks. I do think it’s a stretch to write him off as worthless or a net negative. For now he still profiles similarly to what he was at the end of last season: a corner OF with power and speed potential who is limited by a low walk rate, moderately high k rate, and moderate defensive limitations. His likely outcome is still that of an up-and-down 4th OF, but his ceiling is still that of a fringe everyday LF.
I had always been told he was capable but desire was the concern. His arm was strong in the lower minor leagues until his mechanics were shot. It looks like the mechanics are better after coaching - he has been at least average blocking and positioning behind the plate. I have no idea how the game calling has been - but he is certainly a very talented player.
My current 1-shot hypothetical: Astros get: OF Eloy Jimenez SP Lucas Giolito RP Kendall Graveman White Sox get: OF Colin Barber RHP Spencer Arrighetti OF/1B Ryan Clifford OF Corey Julks RHP Enoli Paredes
Yes, I would agree that 160 PA is still too small of a sample size to definitively say he is what he has shown. It is close though, since he is about where his tools and talent level projected him. It's not like Kyle Tucker who was expected to be a star but had a terrible start to his MLB career. I would even say his 14% below MLB average production is hitting over his head and better than the Astros could have expected of him. However, I would completely disagree that he has had sporadic playing time. He has played in 43 of 60 games, starting 39 of them and has only missed consecutive games twice. He missed the 8th and 9th games, and 40th and 41st. Other than that he has not missed back to back games at all. That's way more than an 86 OPS+ LF should be playing with the other OF at 112, 114, and 124 and all of them better defensively.
I'm just not big on Eloy Jimenez. Can't stay healthy and he's not hitting well enough this year to put up with his bad defense.
I don't mind the deal but I would prefer Hendriks over Graveman. I also don't think this is nearly enough considering Graveman and Eloy have years of control left. The Astros already had Kendall and chose not to offer him a contract to return because not happy with his work vs LHH. His numbers look good on the surface, but his FIP is the highest its been since 2018 so that's a warning against buying high. He also is under contract for another year, so the Astros would be stuck with him when they didn't want him before. Liam has a team option so there is ability to move on. I know you can't get something for nothing, but I would hesitate to give up Barber or Clifford aa I view them as starters for this team in 2-3 years. The White Sox need pitching, especially starting pitching and position players who are not defensive liabilities. I would love to include Julks but I don't see them wanting him. Pedro Leon Justin Dirden Jayden Murray Misael Tamarez Joe Perez Shawn Dubin
You can't "move on" from Hendriks. His player option becomes guaranteed if traded. He also has a no trade clause where he can pick 5 teams not to be traded to this season.
Thanks. Good info Maybe that is a deal breaker for including RP in the deal. Just Eloy and Giolito for 5 prospects in the #6-15 range. Then look for a RP elsewhere
Julks needs to stay . DIAZ needs to stay. The problem is there are certain player who need to go but the team won't. Maldy. I understand he does well with the Pitchers but dang he needs to hit alot better. Stanek should have been traded. Montero needs to get a grip. McCormick while is value is some what high ish! McCullers ugh Urquidy if healthy. Those guys alone could open some serious spots for additions. You can base all this on so small of a sample season for him? Give him the rest of the year let him get some ABs. Then evaluate him in the offseason.
Look moving McCormick for a Pitcher I'll do along as we r getting a Verdugo in a separate trade. Those would be my factors. I dont think Brantley will be back anytime soon. And if he does at what cost on yhe field or batting? He hasn't done much of anything yet. Since the injury. Julks as a Swing COFer is fine. If you can get Verdugo he can cover all three spots. But you would have to get Verdugo. Chas McCormick has a high value for def. The bat is just ok. He is more valued by our fans. But he does have value. You use him to get the pitcher and prospects to get Verdugo. Use Julks at the Corners and DH. Dubon stays infielder for life. See what the young guy comming up does.
That is valid. It would be more valid if this isn't exactly what his expectations were, but it is a valid approach. But for the love of all that's holy - stop giving him regular playing time over players that are better, are playing better, and actually improve the chances of the team winning.
Not sure if this is an actual rumor because I'm not sure if that Michael Schwab guy is reporting it(or does he have sources?)or if this is what he saw and he's tweeting it out. But he tweeted that Astros interested in Bieber and Soler.
https://theathletic.com/4587934/2023/06/07/mlb-trade-deadline-phillies-astros-guardians/ Guardians’ Bieber: How hot a commodity? The Athletic’s Zack Meisel makes a compelling case for why the Guardians should trade Shane Bieber, but rival executives are not convinced the 2020 American League Cy Young winner will fetch a significant return. Since ‘20, Bieber’s average fastball velocity has dropped from 94.1 to 91.2 mph, and his strikeout rate has fallen from 41.1 percent to 16.3. Per Statcast, the hard-hit rate against him this season ranks among the highest in the league. “I can’t say with 100 percent certainty he’s a playoff difference-maker,” said an executive who was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly. “He may help you get there, but I don’t know that he’s the answer in the playoffs.” Bieber, who turned 28 on May 31, has a 3.57 ERA in 80 2/3 innings. He is earning $10.01 million this season, and has one more year of arbitration remaining before becoming eligible for free agency after next season. Royals seeking double play As I wrote Tuesday in The Windup, The Athletic’s free daily newsletter, the Royals currently are giving teams interested in Aroldis Chapman two options, according to sources briefed on their discussions who were granted anonymity so they could speak candidly: • Part with a better prospect package to gain control of Chapman for nearly four months of the regular season, rather than the two months a team would get by acquiring him at the trade Aug. 1 deadline. • Accept Chapman as part of a package with another Royals player, enabling Kansas City to shed payroll while ensuring a better return in a trade. One club that spoke with the Royals interpreted the team’s desire to attach Chapman to another player as an indication it wanted to move its highest-priced asset, catcher Salvador Pérez. But a more realistic package would be Chapman and fellow reliever Scott Barlow, a source said. Chapman, 35 is earning $3.75 million this season on a one-year contract. Barlow, 30, is earning $5.3 million and comes with an additional year of control for any team that would be willing to offer him salary arbitration. A team that acquired both could instantly transform its bullpen. Chapman, a lefty, is holding opponents to a .556 OPS; Barlow, a righty, is holding them to a .613. Trading Pérez, 33, would be trickier. Pérez, the last remaining member of the Royals’ 2015 World Series championship team, possesses full no-trade protection as a player with 10 years of service, five consecutive with the same club. Batting .278 with 12 homers and an .816 OPS, he also is the team’s most likely All-Star and valuable to a young club. Too valuable to part with in a pure salary dump. Interested teams, however, probably will not want to trade significant young talent for Pérez if they are taking on the remainder of his contract — the balance of his $20 million salary this season, a combined $42 million in 2024-25 and a $2 million buyout on a $13.5 million club option in 2026. Many teams also are reluctant to acquire catchers at the deadline and ask them to learn a new pitching staff in the middle of a season. A Chapman-Barlow combination, then, almost certainly would be more feasible for the Royals to move, but with the deadline still nearly two months away, even that type of deal remains a longshot. The two relievers probably would bring a greater overall return if the Royals separated them at the deadline. Only one thing seems certain: Chapman will be on the move. The only questions are when, and how. Around the horn • Teams in need of bullpen help already are eyeing the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey and Carl Edwards Jr., and Tigers’ Alex Lange, Will Vest and Jason Foley. Not the biggest of names obviously, but potential buyers harbor a growing fear that few quality players of any kind will be available. As one executive from a contender put it, “Imagine a bunch of people waiting outside a store for the doors to open, and you walk in and there’s no inventory, there isn’t anything there.” I’ll believe it when I see it, but “there isn’t anything there” could be the catchphrase of the 2023 trade deadline.
