I wonder if Garcia and McCormick would be enough to get Varsho. He's got to be the first player in history that plays elite centerfield defense and backup catcher in the same season. Resign Verlander, Diaz and Brantley and have Meyers and Leon fight for fifth outfielder roll.
Super unlikely. Arizona knows what they have with Varsho. He's one of their centerpieces for the future. He's put up 4.6 fWAR in his 2nd full season and has 4 seasons of control left. They have no reason to trade him (in general). That's beyond the whole "fans want to trade two dimes for a quarter" idea. Even combining their fWAR, Garcia and Mccormick weren't as valuable as Varsho this year. McCormick is the hitting equivalent of Urquidy. Solid players, you're glad they're on your team...but neither good nor bad teams want to trade for them and give up something of substance in return.
I agree that neither good nor bad teams typically trade for someone like Chas and give up something of substance in return. Rays and Guardians typically get the Straws (though Diaz may end up a great return) and the Siris cheap because there just isn't a bigger market for those type of guys.
That's clearly not enough but Garcia could be a solid start. If the Astros really wanted Varsho ( and they should) then CF is covered for the next 4 seasons. There is no need for Leon who adds to the deal but is still not enough. Add a couple of top 20 pitchers who still have upside and were in the system with Strom. Garcia, Leon, Alex Santos, and Misael Tamarez would probably be tempting for the D'Backs and not hurt the Astros. I would even throw in a guy like Joe Perez or Justin Dirden if it would push it the Astros way. I would make this deal no matter what, but would hope JV returns. If not then the top 5 in the rotation are still playoff calibur but Jayden Murray or Forrest Whitley would need to step up if an injury/need for a 6th arose. OF is: LF- Yordan, McCormick/Meyers CF- Varsho RF- Tucker Still in system for future: Barber, Gilbert, Melton, Clifford, Cerny, L.Baez, K.Gomez.
So have the Astros this season proven that OBP and limiting strikeouts (2017-2019, 2021) is the way to go offensively vs this stupidity of launch angle and swinging for the fences? I'd rather see Altuve bat .330 and an OBP of nearly .400 with 6 fewer HRs.
Lol, no that would not be tempting for the d'backs. Cost-controlled, all-star level positional talent (much less a strong defensive CF) is among the most valuable resources in the game. Why the heck would they want to trade for a MOR (upside) pitcher, unproven and high risk OF prospect, and a bunch of lottery tickets? A package for Varsho HURTS. That package starts with another high upside, cost controlled talent like Pena or Hunter Brown.... or else whats the point for Arizona?
It still amazes me how much fans underestimate young controllable starting pitching. Just 2 months ago Fangraphs rated Garcia the 44th most valuable potentially traded player. Varsho made the honorable mention. Now I'm not saying Garcia has more value like they did. But I do think that he + 3 prospects for Varsho should be reasonable. Especially considering the current MLB ready outfielders Arizona has to replace him.
In terms of value, both Varsho and Garcia have seen big swings even since that list came out in July. Varsho made the leap to all-star level talent (2.3 fWAR last year to 4.6 this year) while Garcia had a slightly unexpected letdown season (3.1 fWAR to 1.9 fWAR). Varsho is clearly the more valuable player now. I'm not even dogging on Luis Garcia. He is a valuable player and would get a fair amount back, just not Varsho at this point. You offered up 3 prospects. Leon isn't even clearly a top 100 guy and the other two are pure upside, filler. There's nothing inherently wrong with any of them, they're just not an impressive trade package when you're talking about trading away your all-star level CF. Guys like Santos and Tamarez, every system has some intriguing guys who could some day do something.
That's for the reasonable and well thought out response. Everything you explained makes sense. I considered Varsho's jump in value which is why I added prospects to the Arizona return, not Astros. I also feel that Leon, while not a top 100 guy now, will quickly get there after the K rate improvements he made this summer. He already has 1 top of the scale tool ( arm) with 3 other plus tools. If scouts believe in his improved K rate effecting his hit tool then he is hugely valuable. And yes, I was hoping Strom's familiarity with Santos and Tamaras would help their perceived value to Arizona. What I did not consider was Garcia's diminished value from last season or mid season when that list was made. Thanks again.
from The Chronicle: "The coaching staff’s assertion that Dubón is its best defensive center fielder does not align with any publicly available defensive metrics. According to Baseball Savant, Dubón is worth negative-one outs above average. FanGraphs measures him worth zero defensive runs saved. McCormick, meanwhile, is worth six outs above average and two defensive runs saved."
People gotta complain about something I guess. Dusty oversees two of the most dominant Astros seasons I can remember and half the board hates the guy.
