I like this but I guess this really depends on what you think of Gore and Abrams. I dont know how good Abrams is and I've cooled on Gore a bit, but I could see him as a SP2 in a playoff series. Janek is the guy I really dont want to give up in a deal like this. But if Abrams is that good I would do the deal.
I like the thinking out of the box. This is doable and will keep the window open for a lot longer I'MHO. From what I've read Abrams would be a significant downgrade defensively.
A flurry of hypothetical trades as we get into the meat of the winter meetings: Astros get: SP Payton Tolle IF Mikey Romero IF Henry Godbout Red Sox get: IF Isaac Paredes Astros get a top 100 ace-ceiling pitching prospect who can help this season plus two good upper level infield prospects. Red Sox get a controllable premium bat fit for their park. Astros get: SP Shane Baz Rays get: P Anderson Brito P Spencer Arrighetti Astros get a controllable MoR SP with ace upside. Rays get high ceiling cheap young pitching. Astros get: SP Kris Bubic Royals get: CF Jake Meyers OF Jesus Sanchez Astros get a rental MoR SP. Royals upgrade their OF. Hypothetical roster: SS Pena 2B Altuve DH Alvarez 3B Correa LF Polanco ($52M/3yrs) 1B Walker RF Yastrzemski ($13M/2yr) C Diaz CF Cole Bench: Matthews, Cerda (Rule 5), Allen, Melton SP: Brown, Baz, Bubic, Javier, Weiss, McCullers RP: Hader, Abreu, King, Pearson, Sousa, Okert, Ort Optioned: Tolle, Ullola, Blubaugh, Gordon, Alexander, France, Murray, Salazar, Whitcomb, Dezenzo, Smith IL: Blanco, Wesneski, Walter
Without knowing much about the Red Sox prospects I would do deals 1 and 3. Deal 2 is too much to give up for Baz IMHO.
Jeremy Pena and Jake Meyers for Alex Freeland, Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, Justin Wrobleski, and Ryan Ward? Freeland is a switch hitting, 24yr old MLB ready shortstop MLB #45 overall prospect Hope is a 21 yr lefty hitting OF who got moved up to AA in September. Huge power and arm with solid bat, field, and run. Can play all 3 OF positions. MLB #20 overall prospect. Ryan is a 27 yr old righty starter. Missed all of 2025 w/ TJS but expected ready for spring training. 4 good or better pitches including a plus plus fastball. 5 yrs of control remaining. Dodgers #9 prospect. Wrobleski: 25 year old Lefty spent most of the season in Dodgers bullpen, getting 1.5 fWAR in 66 innings but profiles as a starter and currently projects to start season in AAA due to roster crunch. Still has 6 seasons of control. Doesn't have a plus pitch but is good all around, including command/control. Dodgers #16 prospect in 2024. Ward: 28 yr old Lefty LF/1B is a non-prospect but had a great year in AAA last year with 36 HR/113RBI and 136 wRC+ with only 18.7% K rate. Fits a need for the Astros and is ready for his first MLB audition but has no place to play in LA. Dodgers do this deal because they collect stars and names and can move Betts back to RF and Pages to LF. They have reportedly asked about Meyers yesterday at the meetings. Sorry posted this originally in the wrong thread.
I think you’re overvaluing Mayer, as to me it looks like both those deals would only make sense for the other team if they viewed Mayer as a firm top 100 type prospect. Swap him for Matthews or maybe Brito and it looks more reasonable to me.
I think Houston flipping Paredes and Meyers for Tolle and Bubic would make for a really interesting high upside vey deep rotation (Brown, Bubic, Javier, Tolle, Arrighetti, Weiss), although it would carry significant risk. They’d also then have plenty of money to go get an OF bat, although the options are kind of limited in free agency since we know they won’t pony up for Tucker or Bellinger. Maybe O’Hearn to play RF/LF and Arraez as an oft-used bench player who plays across 1B, 2B, and DH?
Astros get: David Peterson, Jeff McNeil Mets get: Josh Hader, Christian Walker Why the Astros do it: Saves them about 17-18 million on their cap number, brings in a solid mid rotation SP who can give some innings, McNeil can replace Dubon as a guy who can play multiple positions and McNeil can be a serviceable bat vs RHP. This would put the Brown can find relief pitchers theory to the test, but it also gives us flexibility to go out and get bullpen arms at the deadline, as currently its unlikely we would be able to bring in guys at the deadline even if we are contending Why the Mets do it: Puts Hader and Williams back together to lock down the end of games, Walker to replace Alonso at 1B since they apparently aren't going to go any more than 3 years on Alonso Astros get: Kris Bubic Royals get: Jake Meyers Astros Sign Ryan O'Hearn Pena SS Paredes 1B Yordan DH O'Hearn LF Correa 3B Altuve 2B Yainer C Cam Smith RF Z Cole / Melton / Matthews CF Hunter Javier Bubic Peterson Arrighetti/Blubaugh/LMJ/Pearson/Weiss Building the pen would obviously be the big issue, but that's a contending team with cap space to add at the deadline
When your done trading Jeremy Pena to the Dodgers. Why dont u trade Altuve to the Yankees and Hunter Brown to the Rangers.
IF he is going to be traded I don't care where as long as its in the NL and they get the best return possible including an MLB ready SS. Dodgers, Mets, Pirates. . . Why does it matter?
"Why does it matter?" ....F the Dodgers. I don't think the opposing team should matter much in a trade that will help a team. That said, I doubt the Astros get enough from the Dodgers to help the Astros more than the spite.
A hypothetical to help the Mets grab some headlines: Astros get: IF/OF Jeff McNeil SP Kodai Senga SP Brandon Sproat Mets get: RP Bryan Abreu CF Jake Meyers 1B Christian Walker Roster: SS Pena 1B Paredes DH Alvarez 3B Correa 2B Altuve LF McNeil C Diaz RF Smith CF Cole Bench: Matthews, Salazar, Allen, Melton SP: Brown, Senga, Javier, Sproat, Arrighetti, Weiss RP: Hader, King, Pearson, Munoz, Sousa, Okert, McCullers Astros would still have ~$25M in payroll flexibility to go add another really good OF bat, SP, or RP. But even just as-is this roster is very deep, just more reliant on young players than the last few years. Mets replace Nimmo, Diaz, and Alonso and would have plenty of money to go get the best FA SP available.
