Holy sh*t! Francis for McGrady, Dotel for Beltran! I don't even know which is better. Couldn't they have waited a week or so? My head is spinning following this other trade.
its in intriguing trade. I don't want to give up Buck, Burke or Tavares for a half season rental however. If they can find a way to make that trade, i'm all for it
Maybe Buck but there is no way they will give up Tavares, he the future centerfielder when Beltran asks for a trillion dollars in FA. Isn't Beltrans agent Scott Boras?
This article has Biggio moving to second, Kent moving to third, and Ensberg/Lamb in limbo. Man, this could be huge.
Here's another article from Foxsports. I don't like that he mentions Buck, Ensberg, and Tavares ... http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=2512002 As the Astros continue to underachieve in the NL Central, club officials are considering a dynamic addition who could transform their aging, stagnant club into a legitimate World Series contender. Imagine Carlos Beltran playing center field at Minute Maid Park. The Astros are reluctant to enter a bidding war with the Red Sox, Yankees and other clubs for a player they likely would not retain as a free agent. But after saving approximately $3 million by trading right fielder Richard Hidalgo to the Mets, the team is in position to make a major move. And with pitcher Roger Clemens and second baseman Jeff Kent unsigned beyond this season, Houston remains in a win-now mode. Royals general manager Allard Baird has targeted four teams that could offer the affordable third-baseman/catcher combination that he wants for Beltran. While the Astros are not one of those four teams, they could part with Class AAA catcher John Buck, who was a favorite of Royals manager Tony Pena when Pena was managing in the Astros' organization. Third baseman Morgan Ensberg, Class AAA second baseman Chris Burke and Class AA center fielder Willy Tavares also could interest the Royals. Trading one or more of those players for a short-term rental might create problems for the Astros long-term, but one way around that would be to involve a third club that could help satisfy the Royals. The A's and Marlins have shown a desire to broker deals in such fashion. Both those teams, however, are seeking bullpen help, and the Astros and Royals have little to spare. Acquiring Beltran also would be politically delicate for the Astros, who would need to shift franchise cornerstone Craig Biggio from center field to left, or perhaps make him a super-utility man who could play both the outfield and spell Kent at second. Biggio, 38, entered Tuesday's play batting .307 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs, but one executive says his play in center is "killing" the Astros, a team with little defensive range. The Astros have long sought an athletic center fielder, and Beltran would be an ideal fit. Though Biggio had not made an error in 129 total chances entering Tuesday's play, he ranked 13th in both range factor (putouts plus assists divided by innings) and zone rating (the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive zone, as measured by STATS, Inc.). The acquisition of Beltran also would force the Astros to move Lance Berkman from left to right, where he is less comfortable, and return Jason Lane to a fourth outfielder's role. Shifting so many pieces could be disruptive, but the Astros would be getting a player who could transform them offensively and defensively. There might be no other way for them to catch the Cardinals and Cubs.
Didn't Houston teams learn their lesson with the loyalty they showed Olajuwon several years back when we could have traded him to Toronto for T Mac (before he went to Orlando)? I really hope we don't forgo a deal like thi because we feel too much loyalty to the vets. Hell, if its his bat we are concerned with losing, put him back behind the plate every now and then.
From the article: Biggio has been taking ground balls at second base during pregame drills this week. When questioned about it, the seven-time All-Star laughed and indicated he was "just playing around." Biggio also said he had no knowledge of any trade in the works or his possibly moving back to second base.
I don't think that is the issue here ... The biggest concern is do you want to mortgage our future for a half season rental as we surely would not be able to keep Beltran next season. Normally I'm all for making bold moves, but I hope the Astros approach this with caution. There are a few nice players in Seattle that could be helping us out right now if we hadn't done this once already. I'm all for doing the Dotel trade, but when we start talking about Tavares and Burke that's where I have to say no.
A lot of people thought we mortgaged the future when we got RJ too. Turns out we didn't win the big one...but we didn't get hurt too bad either. Hunsicker is one of the best...I have faith in any decision he is making
Agreed. Same for Buck. Those are the guys who are supposed to help us reload instead of rebuild when Kent, Biggio, Bagwell, Ausmus depart. Of course, NJRocket makes a good point. I'd still do the Big Unit trade any day of the week, and I said that before Garcia started having problems.
I'm worried about being able to re-sign all our guys if we get Beltran. We've got Oswalt, Miller, and Kent already...will we have enough for Beltran? I understand Kent is getting older, but it would be nice to sign him for a couple more seasons anyway. If it's just for Dotel, I'm all for this. Relievers are a lot easier to come by than a star OF.
I agree that I would have done that deal again, but I think renting a stud pitcher for half a season is a lot different than renting an outfielder for half a season especially when you consider the switch of leagues. For pitchers its an advantage to switch leagues as the hitters have never seen you before whereas when a hitter switches leagues they are seeing new pitchers every day. I just don't want to give up our future while breaking this guy into the NL for some team next year.
excellent point. Not just for hitting- if he wants to use his speed to steal a base, he'll need familiarity with pitchers as well.
So this would pretty much be a rental?? Or would this be contingent about the Stros signing him to a long term deal??
