The tone of the trade target thread seems to be that we had a huge war chest of prospects and other trade assets to make splashy moves.... and we chose not to. I think the farm is as low on tradable assets as any time in the last decade. Not only is it weak, but only a handful of clubs value some of our prospects the way the Astros' FO does, making trades even more unlikely. I think Click did a fine job. He upgraded 3 slots on the active roster without decimating whatever was left.
It goes both ways. If an organization is really reticent to trade prospects or spend a lot of money, the only remedy is a strong farm system. Ultimately there is a lot of pressure on farm systems regardless. I am always dubious of organizations that take their foot off farm development when they have a strong major league team. That should always be an area of high importance.
So... how does a baseball team play down to their competition? Clearly the pitching staff did not play down to the competition the past two games. They didn't make any errors, so the fielding did not play down to their competition. That leaves hitting, this series. Are you saying that most of the hitters are not properly preparing? Are they just going to the batters box thinking "this team isn't good so I'll easily get a hit"?
How do you trade for MLB players that are great without a good or great farm? Teams that have been good recently either spent a ton of money, developed and kept prospects, developed and traded prospects, some combination of those, or be the Giants. Sure there are some bad trades out there, but a team can't be built off of winning trade after trade. To build a team through trades, the team has to have something to trade. A farm, whether used for trades or for players, is the lifeblood of most teams. Money only works for some teams and even then, they don't neglect the farm. Look at the Mariners right now. Is the pressure on the player development lesser or greater since they traded for Castillo? I'd say it is a lot greater as they have their work cut out for them to put together a team in 2024 through the rest of Rodriguez's club control. Sure, their owner will buy some players, but doubtful he spends more than Crane.
I don't know how to track this easily, but I feel Luhnow was more active in making trades, not just for obtaining major league players to play today, but flipping current major league-ready assets for younger high risk/high reward prospects like the Yordan trade. From what I remember Luhnow was constantly making little trades like that which generally flew under the radar unless it panned out. I don't know, memory is a horrible basis for comparison.
I am too lazy to go track the details but I think you’re right, but only because of the different phase of the competitive window Click is in. The roster the last few years has been much more stable, and for good reason; they’re really, really good. Luhnow made a boatload of trades during the tear down and rebuild because that’s what you do in those phases, then he made more trades during the opening of the window trying find the right complementary pieces to maximize value of blocked prospects and augment the core. Those tasks are mostly done and Click inherited a much more stable/deep/better MLB roster on top of a much shallower farm and lost draft picks, so he had much less to trade with and less reason to make those trades. Houston just does not face much of a roster crunch at all right now.
I would agree with this. Luhnow built a very deep team that ended up with way too many prospects and way too many post prospects to keep on the 40-man. Click has done this a little with Straw and Siri. Overall the Astros, while having a lot of depth regarding great players currently, are a very thin team after that. When players are rested, it is much more noticeable now than when Hinch would play Marwin, Marisnick, JD Davis, Moran, Stassi, White (before he sucked), and Kemp. I don't know what Click will be like in the long run. I think he realizes that the farm barely has enough for the Astros and is trying to figure out ways to extend the Astros window as a contender. Oddly, he may be the AL West GM most concerned with long term success. I'm expecting the other AL West teams to be very active this offseason and there to be much gnashing of teeth on this board.
I think Click sucks ass compared to Luhnow... But I see what he is trying to do, I didn't like the moves he made initially. Ultimately thou I think they were nearly perfect for this team. Yeah you want the Bell's and Soto's.. You want the big numbers and the big names. I don't think The Astros were built this way. That's primarily why they have stayed so great for so long, they built through the system. They did not buy their way into the playoffs, they keep a tight knit team and system. The Bell and Soto's may be fun for us the fans but possibly disruptive for the team on the field. Mainly because you know they are walking for the biggest contracts in free agency. The Yankees and Dodgers will eventually end up with multiple of today's biggest stars in the future. Both Mancini and Vazquez seem like guys that could easily fit in long term, no drama.... Loyal players that could get better in this tight close system, players they can keep and continue to have success with for years to come. The Astros big names were made here with the exception of JV.... The Astros move together as one well oiled machine, or don't move at all... One struggles and they all do the same game, one breaks out and all the other guys seem to follow. Come playoff time, other teams fans will still be pissed at how The Astros are still winning even after not making big splashes in trade deadline.
if anything the Astros are blessed to be in a division where the only other known “good” FO is crippled by horrible ownership.
I'm guessing Click passes Beane in postseason victories this season for the lead among GMs/POBOs in the AL West.
I think the worst trade he made was Odorizzi. He should have been able to get more than that. Would have much preferred the return that the Reds got for Mahle. Odorizzi is a good back end starter and should have gotten prospects in return somewhere between what Montas brought and what Mahle brought. With those prospects or by also trading Urquidy you could have then had the prospects needed to go and trade for a better hitter. Someone like Happ let's say. The #6 and 7 starters are a lot less important than a starting center fielder.
I do not understand the complex of CF…most of y’all hated Odo but also are mad at Click for such a low return? Is he bad or is he good? You can’t be bad and net a good return. My 2 cents it’s that Odo was somewhere in the middle…he was a serviceable pitcher/innings eater, he was not the best pitcher on the planet (nor was he paid to be), and he clearly was not a fit in the clubhouse so we got rid of him. He was a luxury for us that we had to cut bait on given whatever rift existed between him and the team. But to see everyone moan and groan about the lackluster trade return while also complaining about how bad he was…just makes NO sense.
I'm thinking Whitt Merrifield would look pretty good in CF and hitting in the 2 hole. The prospects cost in that deal, Click could've easily made a deal. That was a reasonable deal that Click needed to make to give them their best chance at winning another championship. I know some feel different, but where the Stros are right now, Click need to be be giving them the best chance possible to win as many championships as possible over the next 5-7 yrs. IMHO
You don't think the defense has been spotty? On hitting not sure their preparation because I'm not there but I think all the random days off doesn't help.
Odo is no where near Montas or Mahle in value. Odo is a solid, inning eatings BOR starter who shouldn't start in the playoffs. (as evidence, he didn't start in the playoffs last year). He's also effectively a FA this year. Montas is a solid #2 on a playoff team/#1 on a crappy team. Mahle is a solid 2/3 on a playoff team. Both of them have another year of control left. This thing your upset about... it isn't real. There wasn't a better deal for Odo and the Happ price was probably far higher than you're giving it credit for. The Cubs completely flubbed their market for Contreras and Happ.
I'm sure people would have loved the upgrade to Whit Merrifield and his 0.240 BA, sub-0.300 OBP, and sub-0.650 OPS. Nothing like putting a terrible hitter who doesn't get on base or hit for power in the 2-hole.
Two months of Whit Merrifield as the difference between the Astros as currently constructed and the best possible chance to win as many championships as possible over the next 5-7 years is really high praise for Click.
