I live up in DFW ... all sports talk radio up here talked all day about a deal for Pudge.... 1 station said the Astros said NO.... first... but are rethinking the deal.... any news of anything down that way ?
they were trashing the Astros today...saying we were jealous that the Rangers were smart enough to hire Nolan Ryan away from us so we wouldn't make the trade
The more I think about it, the more I'd give Pudge away for just about anything. What is he doing to help this team at this point? Nothing. His average is slipping to Brad Ausmus levels. His power has dropped to near-Ausmus levels. His OBP is worse than Ausmus. His defense has gotten markedly worse. .184 avg with RISP. He actually hits nearly 70 points worse than his average merely because there is a runner on 2nd and/or 3rd. Trade Pudge for a bag of balls and let Towles finish out the season. It couldn't be worse than the production they're getting now and at least Towles would cost slightly less.
I'd agree. You might as well take your chance with Towles. This team doesn't need Pudge with the Cardinals so far ahead now. Maybe Towles will show his a ML quality catcher, and either be our starting catcher next year or gain trade value. There are a lot of people thinking Castro may be ready for opening day 2010.
I think Castro will take a path that will closely resemble the one Pence did. Be with the club in ST until the last possible second. Start the season at AAA for some seasoning and get the call by early May. I had heard a rumor of the team considering a switch for Towles. They apparently want to see if he can play 3rd. With Chris Johnson failing miserably at AAA, no other prospects anywhere near close, and the Blum/Keppinger duo not being a viable long term option, it would make perfect sense. Of course, he has to be able to do it.
You maybe right. I can't imagine the team not sending him to AAA first, and with Towles there right now it causes a problem. They certainly have to figure that one out.
Considering Towles is injured and hasn't played since July 25, any speculation regarding his promotion to the Astros is moot.
I thought the problem with Towles was that he's struggled with his hitting in the majors (at least in what little time they've given him), not his defense? What good does switching him to a premium offensive position do? If he lived up to potential, he could be an above-average hitting catcher, but would be an average/below-average 3B.
He hasn't hit in the majors, but the knock on his offense is a lack of power. He has been a good hitter in the minors, and can get on base. I'd compare him to Jason Kendall.
A team with Geoff Blum, Aaron Boone, & Jeff Keppinger. How about a move to 2B? I heard somewhere that worked out for the Astros back in the 90's.
IMO, his sample size is still pretty small in the majors. He was rushed last season and hasn't had more than a cup of coffee this season. I think we really don't know what he projects to be at this point. At the least, when healthy, he deserves another shot.
Towles is good for an occassional HR, and that's about it. His batting average was horrendous during his brief stint with the club. I'd much rather see Castro called up.
I totally agree with this - I think he should have gotten a full season last year, and should have been given more of a chance this year. But given that the Astros weren't willing to give him the opportunity at a place where we had crap options (Ausmus, Quintero, etc), they apparently don't think much of him. So why move him to a position where you need to be even better to justify your place on a club? If they don't think he's good enough offensively to start over Ausmus/Q, what makes them think he'd have a shot starting at 3B? It seems to me the logical reason to move someone from C to 3B is if their defense is lacking but you want to get their bat in the lineup, or you want to extend their career because they are a great hitter. Towles seems to be the opposite.
