Would be a terrible move. Kazmir has fallen off HARD and has injury issues and will be a free agent soon. Even if he got good again for the Astros he'd be gone as a free agent before the team itself was good. The Astros need to trade for young prospects.
The only team I do NOT want Roy going to is the Rangers. Hell, I'd rather him go to the Cardinals over the Rangers.
Roy makes the Rangers better, gives them a chance to win in the playoffs, and I don't want the Rangers having any sort of success to make them Texas' favorite baseball team. The Astros are actually more popular state-wide than the Rangers... the only pro sports team in Houston that can claim that (Spurs are most popular in basketball, Cowboys in football). I also don't want Nolan Ryan part II. Also, if the Cards trade us good prospects, it makes them weaker in the long-run. They are about to have some serious payroll issues if they re-sign Pujols for what he's really worth. I know the Rangers have better prospects, but call me selfish and a houston homer... I don't want Roy in the DFW area.
If the reports are true that the Astros "don't want to trade within the division", I would be REALLY, REALLY pissed. WTF!? Why the Hell not? If anything, I'd LOVE to trade with St. Louis if they have a comparable offer. If the Astros started competing again in 2-3 years, we could've potentially weakened our future competitor by getting their talent on our roster. Anyway, I'm sure Wade is asking too much right now. But the price will come down to a market value by the trade deadline. That's always how it works anyway.
The Astros should trade him for the best package possible, whether that be the Rangers, the Cardinals, or anyone else that Roy is willing to go to. They don't have the luxury of of taking less to spite some other team. That's a good way to end up with a sucky organization.
This was my thinking as well. I've never understood the reluctance of teams trading with teams in their own divisions.
Yea especially in our situation where the Astros won't even be relevant for the next couple of years. Roy, Berkman, and Lee our 3 most popular trade assets have only a few years left at the chance of playing at a high level of baseball and we'll be cellar dwellars during those years anyways
In all likelihood, by the time the Astros are ready to compete again, Roy will be at the tail end of his career (or retired) and won't be elite anymore. Trading within the division shouldn't be a huge concern.
Or the other teams will increase their offer. The Knicks thought Morey wanted too much for taking on JJ. Halladay was too expensive for teams the first go around. Eventually, they come around. Or at least that's what I'm hoping!
Let's hope it won't be another Santana in where the Twins were trying to fleece certain teams but got stuck with the Mets package. And I'll echo what someone said here that this trade deadline should define Ed Wade and what direction the Astros are headed.
I think the direction is clear: down. We suck. We need to rebuild. It's just a matter of how good Ed Wade can manage that. And how long until Drayton's patience wears off and he fires him.
Yeah, there's basically zero chance any of these players can "hurt us" if and when we start to become relevant again. Unless Oswalt start juicing and have a Clemens-esque resurgence. But even then, he'd be a FA in two years. So it's not like his performance after that matters in regards to the trade. It matters if you're still competing. For example, if the Cardinals had wanted Hampton or Wagner when the Astros traded those two, I would've personally said no. That said, if the Pirates/Reds/Brewers had wanted those two for whatever absurd reason, then I'd simply ask for a little more due to unbalanced scheduling.
Wade is in a tough spot at the moment. It all depends on if Uncle Drayton will eat up a good bit of Roy's salary. If not, then don't expect some top level prospects back. I can see it now, "Ed, go trade one of our best pitchers in franchise history. I don't want to pay any of his salary, but I want their top prospects for it. Make it happened or you're fired!"
The Angels might be looking for a 1s baseman after Morales injured himself. Could Berkman be a potential acquisition for them? Maybe they can trade for Lee and play Jim at 1st.
Someone mentioned that the Angels would be willing to take on Berkman if we took back Kazmir. I would just give them Lee for nothing if they were crazy enough to take on his contract.
If Kazmir wasn't from here, nobody here would be mentioning his name... has anybody actually watched him pitch the last 2 years?
Yup, he's become real comfortable grazing the left field pasture at MMP. I snapped a pic over the weekend: Spoiler
Does it matter? It's not like Kazmir is the missing link to us winning the pennant. Right now, if Drayton would actually spend the savings on Berkman's contract on our farm, I'd rather give Berkman away than keep him. We can be the worst offense in the MLB with him. We can still do the same without him.
