No, they would have to release him at this point. In the old CBA post trade-deadline (waiver) trades were allowed but that ended like 5 years ago.
You would have to trade for him, and he would be eligible for the postseason if he's acquired (and on the 40-man) before August 31st. Veterans who’ve been playing the entire season on a minor league contract and haven’t at any point been added to the 40-man roster or been on the Major League injured list are still fair game to be traded https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/how-to-acquire-players-after-mlb-trade-deadline-2.html Ken Giles also fits this description, if you want a full-blown reunion.
Chas McCormick has a career wRC+ of 113. Michael Brantley’s career wRC+ was 117. Houston needs McCormick hitting like he has shown he can. Yuli Gurriel was a career 108 wRC+ hitter. That needs to be the lowest bar for 1B production for the Astros. It may just be reality that Jose Abreu’s downfall was something that Houston just couldn’t recover from.
What's his career wRC+ against lefties (vs this year)? I'd settle for shades of breaking out with that context. Also, lost in this year's discussion is the memory that Abreu was actually carrying this offense for the stretch run and in the post-season. Altuve-Bregman-Yordan-Tucker have all disappeared before (sucks when its all at the same time). Diaz can certainly play the Abreu role this season, but with Tucker out, they can't withstand Altuve-Yordan slumps and still have an average offense. Hence why Chas' abilities and performance are just that important for maintaining an above average lineup (even moreso when they go against lefties).
Committed future money: Altuve $123M/5yrs; ~$60M in surplus value Alvarez $97M/4yrs; ~$60M in surplus value Hader $76M/4yrs; ~$15M under water Javier $53M/3yrs; ~$10M under water McCullers $35M/2yrs; ~$20M under water Abreu $20M/1yr; $20M under water Montero $12M/1yr; ~$4M under water Pressly $14M/1yr; about even Caratini $6M/1yr; ~$2M in surplus value
Where did you get these numbers from? Example: what would it take for Hader to be above water? I get that Abreu, Montero and LMJ are sunk cost.
They were just unscientific conversation starter estimates I came up with based on what I think those players could get on the open market if they were pending free agents and demanded the same # of years Houston owes them. Performance over the next 2-3 months could have a big effect. You’re a dick.
