That would be very, very nice, even if it's for second tier prospects. I don't expect much for Berkman, but it would be very nice if Drayton chipped in some $$$ too in order to facilitate a deal and perhaps an upgraded prospect. The only player I know if Chicago's system is Daniel Hudson who they will never trade for someone like Berkman.
Significant amount of Berkman’s remaining contract for the year and part of his buyout to get some type of impact prospect. I think you can get two mid level guys for him. I don’t see a trade happening though because Berkman’s no trade clause. I don’t think he wants to leave here and the teams that may be interested in him like the White Sox, Tigers, and Yankees are looking for a DH. I don’t if that is something Puma would want to do.
you tell him that we are buying him out and he's done in houston and i don't see how he possibly could refuse to leave. playing pennant-race ball and a good shot at playoffs for 2 months...why would he refuse that?
I don't think it will take any convincing. After seeing Oswalt go to Phlly, I think Berkman is more eager than ever to move on, both for himself and the betterment of the Astros.
Well The Astros will host its Faith and Family Night on Saturday which will include a testimony by Berkman.
Would the White Sox consider trading Dayan Viciedo for Puma straight up??? The guy seems like a 3rd baseman but with Beckham there I'd imagine he'd be blocked, the Stros would have picked up their 1st, 3rd and possibliy SS of the future all in one day or atleast in a 3 day period.
I think they may. Beckham is a 2nd baseman. The White Sox have two top prospects at 3rd base in Brent Morel and Dayan Viciedo so they may move one of them.
Oops on Beckham thought he was a 3rd baseman but I'd be cool with Viciedo. I noticed Morel's numbers were kind of down but hey either one would be an option unless they think CJ is the real deal?
This organization needs as many good players possible regardless of position. I don't think CJ is as good as he hit this year and his defense at 3rd is just terrible. He needs to walk a lot more and sooner or later, the league will catch up with him because of his lack of patience.
I agree with Rob Neyer's take on the trade. By Rob Neyer Well, that was quick: Immediately after getting Anthony Goss in the Roy Oswalt deal, the Astros flipped Goss to the Blue Jays for young first baseman Brett Wallace. From the Toronto Star: Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos knows giving up Wallace was a steep price, especially since he had been penciled in as the club’s first baseman of the future, but says top-flight centre fielders are next to impossible to trade for at the big-league level. To acquire one, he says, you need to gamble. In this case it means betting that Gose, who was hitting .263 with four home runs at Class-A Clearwater, will give the Jays more in the long run than Wallace, who hit .301 with 18 home runs and Triple-A Las Vegas. --snip-- The GM says Gose has Gold Glove potential and that the Jays originally tried to acquire him last December in the Roy Halladay trade. When that didn’t work out they tried again earlier this season. While Wallace’s departure means the Jays have no full-time first basemen under contract beyond this season, Anthopoulos isn’t ready to panic. He acknowledges that Adam Lind is an option, but points out the club has until next spring to develop a first baseman or acquire one. Gose has tools, no question. As Baseball America noted last winter, "Gose earns 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale for three tools: his arm, his center-field defense and his speed." They also said, "He led the minor leagues with 76 steals in 96 attempts, and he'll be even more dangerous as he gets on base more often and refines his base stealing instincts." Really? More dangerous than 76 steals in 96 attempts, in 131 games? In the event, Gose has stolen only 36 bases in 103 games this season ... and been caught 26 times. My guess is that he's grown out of his base stealing body, and the Jays should forget about getting a guy who steals bases like Carl Crawford and plays center field like Michael Bourn. My guess is that while Gose will still be fast, two or three years from now, he'll have to hit to justify an everyday job in the majors. You know, because the most important tool -- or if you prefer, skill -- is hitting. And whether he'll hit is a wide-open question. Again, Baseball America: "He gives away too many at-bats and lacks a two-strike approach ... he may need 2,000 minor league at-bats." Here's John Sickels (also last winter): "Like many of the raw tools players collected by the Phillies in recent years, Gose has trouble with the hitting. His plate discipline is poor, and for a guy who hit just two homers last year, he takes big cuts at the plate and is prone to strikeouts." Has Gose made any progress this season? His power's up a notch, but so are his strikeouts. He's only 19 and maybe he'll figure it out. But at this point, he's little more than a gleam in the scout's eye. Wallace is different. He's almost 24 and has played nearly a season's worth of Triple-A games, with a .299/.357./484 line. Also, he was the 13th pick in the June draft just two years ago. So the pedigree is there, and the performance isn't bad. Presumably he'll take over at first base next spring, upon the departure of (free-agent-this-November) Lance Berkman. We shouldn't expect the next Jeff Bagwell (or Berkman), though. Wallace doesn't draw many walks and his power is just decent for a first baseman; his Triple-A numbers aren't brilliant, considering his home ballparks and his league. But this does make the Oswalt trade look a little better, as it now seems the Astros got a guy with a decent shot at becoming a solid major league hitter.
Phillies big winners, and not just in '10 by Rob Neyer The deal is finally done, and before I had time to jot down my first thoughts I happened across Calcaterra's. His big finish: This deal is a coup for the Phillies. They got a starter who would slot in as a number one on a great many teams and they got him for very little, both in terms of money and in terms of talent. Happ is a decent pitcher, but he's certainly not a special talent. He's a fly ball-prone lefty who, in Houston, will give up an awful lot of home runs into the Crawford Boxes. Gose and Villar are not special talents. The Phillies have dug themselves a bit of a hole in the NL East, but they've been climbing out of it slowly but surely over the past week. Getting Roy Oswalt just gave them a big boost. If they make the postseason, the 1-2-3 of Roy Halladay, Oswalt and Cole Hamels will be the toughest in the National League. That line about climbing out of their hole "slowly but surely" is something of an understatement -- the Phillies have won seven straight games and finally called up Domonic Brown and added Roy Oswalt to their rotation? I don't know if any team could do more in one week to bolster their chances. It's been a great week for the Phillies, and a lousy week for the Braves and the Reds and the Padres and every other team vying for a postseason berth. And of course what's really amazing is how little the Phillies had to give up. For J.A. Happ and a couple of marginal prospects, the Phillies get Roy Oswalt for (at least) two months this season and all of next season, and it'll cost them only $12 million (if they don't exercise their 2012 option for $16 million) ... because in addition to Oswalt, the Astros are also sending along $11 million. It's hard to believe the Astros couldn't have done better than this ... But then again, if they could have done appreciably better, wouldn't they have? It's not like the Mariners absolutely cleaned up when they traded Cliff Lee (though they did better than the Astros, for sure). It looks like teams are just terrified of veteran pitchers with big salaries, even when those salaries are perfectly commensurate with performance. And there's nothing wrong with Oswalt's performance. He's a reasonable Hall of Fame candidate who's hardly living off past glories; his numbers this season are right in line with his whole illustrious career. He's still one of the better pitchers in the National League, and that doesn't figure to change anytime soon. Finally, another word about the Astros. No, this doesn't look good now. But let's give it a year or two before passing final judgment, shall we? No, James Anthony Happ isn't likely to become the next Jamie Moyer (and even if he does, it'll be three or four teams from now). And no, neither Jonathan Villar nor Anthony Gose qualify as top prospects. But both those guys are just 19 and they are prospects. My initial impression is that this is a great deal for the Phillies and a blah deal for the Astros, but the presence of two teenagers means every opinion is provisional. And finally (I mean it this time), another word about the Phillies. Remember when everyone was saying how foolish they were for trading Cliff Lee last winter? Well, they traded Cliff Lee because they thought they could stock their farm system without seriously damaging their chances for another National League pennant. Be honest ... Did you think they were wrong at the time? I didn't. I had the Phillies winning their division this year, and so did almost everybody else. It didn't quite work out that way. So they've adjusted, and instead of having a great chance of winning with Cliff Lee in 2010, they've got a great chance of winning with Roy Oswalt in 2010 ... and in 2011. Is there a smarter, more effective front office in the National League right now?
@injuryexpert: RT @Evan_P_Grant: Sounds like Ian Kinsler is out of lineup longer than 15 days. GM said "mid- to late-August" as best-guess time-frame. I would call the Rangers and offer them Keppinger for an A level prospect.
Any more news on other trade possibilities? I really hope they move at least one of Myers or Berkman. I can understand the need to fill out a rotation even in lost seasons but it seems like Myers, in particular, is in prime sell high mode.
i think berkman goes to the white sox. sad that his stros career is going to end with us taking pretty much whatever we can get for him, but that's the nature of the beast. another poster brought it up earlier, but if we don't exercise the myers mutual option, can we offer him arbitration?
I think Berkman holds a little more value than people realize but we shall see. I still believe he has another couple of .900+ OPS seasons in him and I suspect that some GMs/scouts around the league feel that way, too. If we were still in contention, I would have faith in him rebounding and wouldn't look for alternatives. Obviously, that is not the case which is why I think we should move him, not because I think he's washed up. As far as Myers, I forgot about that. Yea, I think somebody mentioned something about us being able to offer arb and potentially get picks. The risk there is that he falls apart for some reason down the stretch and/or gets injured. I still think he is in prime sell high mode but who knows, maybe he finishes strong? I guess there is no reason to believe otherwise with the way he's pitched this season. Well, other than him breaking all kinds of personal records at 30-years-old and the likelihood of there being some kind of adjustment toward his career norm.
