If I was the Astros, I would continue to prioritize pitching. We might need a CF. Jury still out on that.
Bullpen is TBD in my opinion. It really depends on when the injured guys return and how they pitch. If you get Framber, Odorizzi, and Urquidy back and pitching how we expect the bullpen will look better with less required work. Also, if Javier gets moved to the pen plus Baez and Taylor come back the bullpen could be a strength. Pressly Paredes Stanek Javier Baez Taylor Raley Scrubb/Abreu/Garcia/Bielak/Emanuel/Smith
This belongs here instead of where I posted it. I'm always ready for a BRYANT on the Astros. It hits close to home. ps Another potential Killer ABCs. Player Pos OPS+ Altuve 2B 128 *Brantley LF 125 Bregman 3B 140 *Alvarez DH 169 Bryant RF 181 Chops Gurriel 1B 165 Correa SS 110 *Bomber Tucker CF 111 Castro C 139
Doubtful the Astros will want to add that big a salary at the deadline. Also, Cubs are only 2.5 games out in the Wild Card. Too early to say they will be sellers. I would have loved trying to land Contreras had the Astros not extended Maldonado.
Kinda funny how Correa has outperformed Buxton in spades after draft day (in the majors at least), but now Buxton is looking like an ideal fit in HOU. With MIN on the fritz, I wonder what it would take to land him. He costs 5m this year and is ARB eligible for one more year...if Marte looks bad then the market next offseason for CF is...oof.
Why are you just giving away a guy like Abreu who could be a dynamic TOR starter or a dynamic middle reliever for a average guy who is not a full time CF? I don't know about Barlow is he a great prospect?
I don’t know about “giving away”, but Abreu is a grade 45 prospect. “Dynamic TOR starter” is an extremely unlikely outcome for him. Most likely he is an inconsistent middle reliever, but does have upside of being an effective late inning guy if he takes a step forward with his control. Barlow is an established late inning reliever with 3 years of control remaining. If Houston thought Abreu would be a ToR SP, he wouldn’t be wasting service time in their bullpen right now.
Before they go looking for a CF, I want to see Siri with the big club. Anyone know how his defense is? Then have Straw as a 4th OF or pinch runner. If Siri sucks, any idea if Nick Castellanos can play CF? Would love to get him. But I'm guessing the cost to acquire him would be high with many teams interested. Also a free agent and no idea if he would be available. Also any interest in Gallo? I'm kind of interested to see if he could have a better avg and strikeout less on another team. Also would prefer to add another starter. Then move Javier to the bullpen. Could use Javier as a tandem. Pitcher A goes 5 innings, then ride Javier as long as possible. Or have someone like Odorizzi go 3 innings, then bring Javier. It'll never happen but I would love Max Scherzer. Would have the Verlander acquisition like feeling. But like I said, it won't happen.
While prospect rating differ between individuals, I have seen Abreau rated with an 80 grade curveball, a 70 grade slider and a 60 grade fastball. Three plus pitches. If his control was not a 30/40, he absolutely would be a "Dynamic TOR starter", and much higher than a 45 grade prospect. However, the fact is his control is that poor, so you are right that, at present, he is an inconsistent middle reliever, and most likely will remain there. But, oh, the possibility.
I'm beginning to think a guy like Benintendi might be a good pickup in CF. He's avg defensively, which would be an upgrade over Straw and is hitting very well. He would complete the lineup. What would it take to get him and how much money does he make?
What the heck does grade 45 prospect have to do with anything? What prospect grade did Framber or Uqidy have? Did anybody think those guys could be TOR guys and even if he is just an average starter isn't that more valuable than a average outfielder? I am talking about his actual tools and after looking at Barlow he seems be an established mediocre reliever about the same as Abreu without the upside. And then you throw in Ivey. I don't see the value in the guys you are getting considering the upside of these 2 pitchers and the mediocre guys you are getting. How is Barlow upgrading the bullpen? Abreu seems to be turning the corner I have no idea why you would trade him in a package for those guys.
Its totally reasonable to not want to include Abreu if you are a believer. But objectively he’s the exact type of prospect a team like the Royals would reasonably expect for an established effective reliever like Barlow. Barlow has 137 big league innings with 11.5 k/9 and 3.8 bb/9 and 3.72 xFIP which are quite a bit better than Abreu’s numbers, and Barlow has been even better so far this season. That there are anecdotes of guys like Urquidy or Valdez exceeding their prospect projections doesn’t change the fact that Abreu simply isn’t that valuable at this time and shouldn’t be expected to become a core player. For every Valdez/Urquidy, there are 5 (or more) guys who were graded 45 and never panned out.
The Red Sox got Franchy Cordero (a 45 grade prospect), a fringey pitching prospect (ranked as Boston's #30 prospect now), and 2 PTBNL for Benintendi. He has less control but has somewhat quelled concerns about his floor, so I think the Royals would ask for a similar package. Something like RHP Bryan Abreu (grade 45 MLB ready arm with upside) and RHP Manny Ramirez (lower level lotto arm) I think would be fair.
Siri is a good defensive CF but he still strikes out too much to be expected to be a viable MLB everyday player, even if his early power surge is real. Until/unless he shows he can tame the k's he should not be considered a realistic option to replace Straw. As a general note, almost the entire AAA lineup is posting slash lines that make them look like future stars, but most of them are striking out a bunch, padding their OPS with power and high BABIP. I think that is an indication that they have faced crummy pitchers and had good luck rather than any of them fundamentally changing their projections. I do have my eye on Ronnie Dawson and Jake Meyers. Another 100+ PA of low k rate with high power for Dawson and I would want to give him an extended big league trial.
How is Barlow more effective than Abreu? I am not up on many advanced baseball stats but he is pushing a 4 ERA over his career and Abreu has not nearly pitched the same amount of innings. Abreu this year has been an "effective reliever" and has more control and a higher upside. How is Abreu not valuable at this time? The last couple of games I saw he has been very valuable. This is not about what he is graded to be and as another poster said those grades are very subjective and his pitches grade much higher. My point is none of the guys you are trading for moves the needle so much to not see what Abreu has going forward throughout the year, especially since we have so many relievers coming back from injury.
Castellanos is a below average to terrible defender at every position he's played in the majors. His defensive stats this year are surprisingly good, but I don't think there's any reason to think he all of a sudden became a capable defender so its probably just noise. Either way, there's no chance in hell anyone is trading for him to play CF.
Yeah.... I’m pretty sure playing Castellanos in CF is basically the equivalent of throwing Brantley out there. Actually Brantley would probably be more adequate than Castellanos.... he’s never been known for his Defense. He moved to the outfield from 3B I believe. Last night Straw had another blunder in the outfield on a ball hit to the warning track. He clearly has trouble with those balls nearing the CF wall and it will end up costing us games. I can live with a soft hitting CF- if and only if that players defense is a game changer... like Kevin Kiermeier or Marisnick. Something’s gotta shake. I see that Straw has put together more productive at bats in the last week or so.... but it isn’t anything that makes me believe that he will eventually boost his BA over the .250 mark. Combine that and his less than average CF defense then it becomes clear that a change is needed. I’m not in panic mode or anything but Straw can not be getting the bulk of playing time in CF in a month from now and I don’t believe he will be.
