Dontrelle Willis - What would it take for him to be an Astro?

Ensberg is going on his 5th year of service time... meaning he'll be a FA in 2 years. No way the Marlins want him.

They may take Lane as filler... but they're looking for superstar prospects, not decent role-players.

 

For this year only, why wouldn't you do this...You'll have to give away talent, but that's the trade off...

 

It's like Florida decided to take over the old Montreal Expo's role of developing excellent young players that they can't afford to keep.

Nick, just to clarify, you're not calling Ensberg a "role player filler," correct?

 

Would you also trade them knowing that the team that you got so excited about winning the WS for your city ends up getting sold off? Or worse, that team moves?

What if the Rockets sold off Hakeem, Mario, Horry and Cassell after the first championship... and by some stroke of luck, landed Yao Ming in 10 years... won another championship, and sold him right after that. Sure, you have two rings... and you're still the laughing stock of the entire league (like the Marlins have been, and always will be).

Everybody says "team-first"... but you love the team more when you're attached to the players. If you can't get attached to the players, I don't believe you have a real love for the team... which is why the Texans have struggled to develop real die-hards that really care when they win/lose.

 

I was referring to Lane (who's only a role player now... that could get better, but not that much better).

 

I don't think that by including mutiple prospects you're mortgaging your future. If we have a chance to have a rotation of Oswalt, Clemens, Pettitte, Willis, Jeff Bagwell, I think we have to do it! Yes Jeff Bagwell! Bc we'll only need 4 pitchers in the playoffs and Bagwell can move to outfield!

But yeah, go for Dontrelle.

 

Let's say this is the pool of talent available:

Pitchers:
Hirsh
Patton
Buchholz
Nieve
Wandy
Backe
Bartheimer

Hitters:
Pence
Burke
Lane

I would give up 1 of Hirsh, Patton, and Buchholz, plus 2 more players. Just based on what Buchholz has shown this season early, something about him just screams BAMF.

 

Its easy to say that now... but had the Astros traded Oswalt, Ensberg and Lidge 6 years ago (which was a distinct possibility) for a guy like Kevin Brown or Kevin Millwood (both decent pitchers who could have been acquired in the 90's)... it would look terrible.

Of course, hindsight is too good... its perfect... and we'd never know if this trade worked or not unless those prospects eventually failed (which we won't know for sure until another 2-4 years).

 

If I was talking to the Marlins, it would be about Miguel Cabrera not Dontrelle Willis.

 

I would LOVE to get Willis -- as long as it's not completely insane, I say do what it takes to get him here, if it's a possiblity. The guy is a proven Pro commodity, he's almost as good as Oswalt, and he's 24. Imagine having both Oswalt and Willis in the rotation for the next six years . . .

 

wouldnt that be a reason why they would do it? get him along with other before he cashes in his new payday.

 

They want to keep guys and build a team strictly around really young players... they would keep Ensberg for at most one year before having to trade him again because of that impending pay-day.

That's why they want prospects... once they make it to the big leagues, they have that much less time before they become free agents.

 

They already have that in Willis. They want guys they'll be able to keep 5+ years without having to pay much.

 

I would give them Hirsh, Burke, and Neive. The only player I would be opposed to giving up is Troy Patton.

Get'er done Purpura.

Of course this is only neccessary if Roger doesn't come back.

 

What about the wild card banners?

 

one of the best reasons, at least to me, to get DW . . . is to prevent someone else from getting him. The last thing i want to see is for him to end up in stl or chicubs with us not even a player. If he's on the market, he makes you better . . . however you slice the pie. Just make for damn sure that if you can't get him, no other NL power gets him.

 

The Marlins would probably ask for Patton, Nieve and Pence as a starting point, you're not going to acquire Dontrelle Willis for average minor leaguers, they want the prospects that are at the top of the organization's farm system.

I think the price tag for Willis is going to be very high in terms of the prospects that you'll have to give up to acquire him. Just think about it, if someone asked you what it would take to acquire Oswalt from the Astros what would you demand? Willis is the Marlins' top pitcher and the price to get him will be a king's ransom.

 

this thread makes me think about if we had protected Johan Santana...and didn't lose him in the Rule 5 draft.... *sigh*

 

I don't want Dontrelle Willis on the Astros.

I would rather the Astros develop their own young pitching talent.

 

Amen. Patton should be UNTOUCHABLE! He is Willis with a better arm! Yep, a cannon for an arm!!!!