Top trade options for the Astros

The trade season moved up to a higher gear with the trades of SS Manny Machado and RP Brad Hand in the last few days. While Machado is more of a concern if there will be an Astros’ World Series rematch with his new team, the Dodgers, Hand was a name that has been linked with the Astros a number of times over the last year. But that does not mean there are not other folks that Jeff Luhnow and the front office may be interested in chasing as the trade deadline approaches.

In the interest of full disclosure – the folks below were gleaned from a listing of the 75 most likely trade candidates by MLB Traderumors.

For this piece we will concentrate on the two positions that the Astros would likely have the most interest – catcher and relief pitching:

Catcher

  1. Wilson Ramos. The Rays catcher looked like a top candidate for a trade….until he suffered a hamstring injury, was put on the DL and will not return until after the non-Waiver (July 31) trade deadline. Even if he is healed by the waiver trade deadline (August 31) he is not likely to make it through waivers unclaimed and the Astros are at the very end of that line.
  2. J.T. Realmuto. A team interested in the 27-year-old Marlins catcher would owe him about $1 million for the rest of 2018 and then would “control” him through fairly pricey arbitration in 2019 and 2020. He has been a good catcher, who has stepped it up this season with a .310 BA/ .365 OBP/ .903 OPS slash 12 home runs and 45 RBIs and he is gunning down an impressive 43% of base stealers. If the Astros want him they may have to let go of a Kyle Tucker or a Forrest Whitley to get him in his prime.
  3. Devin Mesoraco. This Met backstop is a huge drop-off from Realmuto, but would cost a lot less to bring to the Astros. First, he is a rental as he turns into a free agent after the season. Second, he is still owed about $2-3 million by the Mets. Third, he was great for one season (2014) and has been mostly hurt or ineffective since then. This season he has put up a ho-hum slash of .225/.305/.693 with 8 home runs and 22 RBIs. The Astros would only be interested if the Mets sent money along or took a fringe prospect back and of course only if they think Brian McCann is not coming back.
  4. A.J. Ellis. He is a solid 37 y.o. veteran – with a good year hitting the ball (.284 BA /.392 OBP / .750 OPS) and little power – 1 HR in 109 ABs. He is also throwing out a good 31% of runners with the Padres. He would only make about $400 K the rest of the season and would be a rental as he turns back to FA. Would be a decent veteran backup to bring in for a low-end prospect.

Relievers

  1. Jeurys Familia. The RHP was excellent for the Mets between 2014 and 2016 including 51 saves in 2016, but was used a ton (76,76 and 78 games).  He then had an injury-riddled 2017 with poor results. He is back strong in 2018 (2.88 ERA and 17 saves). He would cost a little under $3 million for the rest of 2018 and would be a rental as he goes into free agency. Would probably cost a couple good but not top end prospects.
  2. Zach Britton. The LHP was superb for the Orioles between 2014 and 2016 (120 total saves and ERAs of 1.65, 1.92 and 0.54) He missed a big chunk of 2017 with injury and then blew out his Achilles tendon in the off-season. His results in the 15 games since his return have been so-so. However, he has been scoreless in the last 7 games and seems to be getting back to his norm of being a ground ball machine. He would be a rental and would cost about $4 million between now and the end of the season. The Orioles showed they were a bit more interested in quantity than quality in their trade of Manny Machado for five, not top prospects. Maybe the Astros could package some younger prospects with a AAAA guy or two.
  3. Joakim Soria. The White Sox RH closer has been very good this season with a 2.75 ERA and 14 saves. His 11.3 K/9 IP is his best since 2009 and his 2.3 BB / 9 IP is also very good. He is 34 y.o. and is owed approx.. $3 million for the balance of 2018. He could be picked up on a $10 million option for 2019 or bought out for $1 million. He probably again would cost a couple good but not great prospects and maybe some AAAA talent.
  4. Raisel Iglesias. Since moving from he rotation to the bullpen for the Reds, the RHP has been very good for the last 2-1/2 seasons. This year he has a 2.36 ERA and 19 saves for a team that is rebuilding. He is 28 y.o. and is signed for reasonable dollars. He would cost about $1.4 million for the rest of 2018 and then $5.7 million for both 2019 and 2020. With this controllability, the Astros would probably have to go a bit higher in what prospects they offer, perhaps someone from their Top 5 and a couple of others.
  5. Felipe Vazquez. The Lefty closer for the Pirates is a step down in 2018 from his breakout 2017 season. His ERA is a decent 3.05 with 23 saves. His K’s are up to 12.4 K/ 9 IP, but his walks and hits are up as his WHIP has gone from an excellent 0.889 to a passable 1.282. He is only owed $1 million for the rest of 2018, but he is controlled for the next 3 seasons at $4.5, 5.75 and 7.75 million. Past that the team could pick him up in 2022 and 2023 for $10 million each or buy him out at a low cost. With this much control, even with a little less performance – he is going to be costly in prospects.
  6. Pick a controllable RH reliever –Kirby Yates of the Padres, Nate Jones of the White Sox, Kyle Barraclough of the Marlins, Shane Greene of the Tigers, Mychal Givens of the Orioles,  Keone Kela of the (spit!!) Rangers – They are all controllable through at least 2020 with Kela and Givens through 2021 mostly thru arbitration. They all have drawbacks. Yates is performing way above his career numbers plus he may be the reason the Padres gave up Brad Hand. Jones has a good ERA (2.55), but his walk rate at 5.1 BB/9 IP is scary. Greene has an elevated ERA (4.05) with 19 saves and good K and walk numbers, but his HR rate doubled this season. Givens has the worst ERA of the group (4.28) after a good 2017 with his hits and walks way up this season. Kela is maybe the most attractive of this group at 25 y.o. and arb eligible for 2019 thru 2021, but would the Rangers deal with the Astros. His ERA is decent (3.27) and he has 23 saves. None of these guys should cost the moon – but not all may be available.
  7. Other folks – Tyler Clippard, Seunghwan Oh, John Axford, Jake Petricka – all of the Blue Jays, Sergio Romo of the Rays, Brad Ziegler of the Marlins and Brad Brach of the Orioles, Jake Diekman of the Rangers, Jerry Blevins of the Mets and Luis Avilian of the White Sox. All of them could be a help to a bullpen, but none would seem to be the back-end bullpen help that the Astros likely need.

Of course, there could be some other choice out there or the front office might say their back of the bullpen help for the playoffs is named Charlie Morton or Lance McCullers Jr. or in a real stretch, Forrest Whitley.

So – what are your thoughts?

Should the Astros pursue a catcher? Reliever?

Should they try to fill the reliever spot from within?

142 responses to “Top trade options for the Astros”

  1. I believe Britton is the perfect fit for the Astros. He is left handed, is coming off an injury and is a rental, so his price will be less and the Astros won’t require him to pitch on back to back nights in the regular season. He is a guy they allow to build up his strength for the playoffs. He is a free agent so he goes back into the free agent system and that frees up a roster spot for the offseason.
    The upside is that he won’t require a top 5 prospect, but might allow us to move guys who are in AAA and blocked from the majors by World Series Champion All-Star caliber players on the Astros 25 man roster.

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  2. On catching, wait until September. Then we can see what Stubbs has for no cost. He is currently hitting .324/.390/.850. I am not sold that for the postseason there is a dead cinche reliever on the market. If they can be had as a rental, good. If you have to trade away Tucker or Whitley, Bad.

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    • Hooray! It finally works. Been trying for months!!

      Let’s get Ramos now. He will cost little and he can sit on the 30 day DL for now.

      Can we get a SHUT-THE-DOOR reliever? The Mrs. and I are so tired of seeing the current group come in and give up walks, hits, only to cost our excellent starters their chances at a win.

      A reliever that does not have a gimmick or other, such as when Brocail always had to bend backwards as if to work a kink out of his back, Kimbrel spreading his arms like a bird, or he who I will not mention whom always has to squat before he comes set and shudders like to has to gather himself. Just someone who takes the ball and throws it past every batter and gets our team off the diamond, into the dugout to bat.

      Ach…

      Also, the Mrs. and I will attempt to get our WS ring next month. We went to the first game for them and waited in a five block line to never get ours as others waved their two, three, sometimes four rings to others.

      Go ASTROS!!

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  3. I do not share the opinion that the Astros HAVE to trade for another reliever, although I do think it would be nice to have another reliable arm. Britton’s walk rate concerns me, but Dan is right to point out that he is rounding into shape with his last 7 appearances being excellent. I agree with OP1 that the trade makes sense if all it costs is one of our AAAA prospects and maybe a low level prospect. Duquette is a wildcard and dealing with him brings no certainty – so proceed with caution. I kind of like Familia, but beyond that I’m not so sure. Iglesias is only interesting due to controllability but I’m not sure he’s the difference maker this season and the price tag would probably be high.

    We definitely don’t need another arm to make the playoffs so we are strictly looking at playoff help. I like CFM throwing 97-99 with his wipeout curve in the closer role (for free) in the playoffs better than I like anything else on the current market.

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  4. If I were GM of the Astros I would focus on only one trade. I would do whatever it took to get JT Realmuto. (the down side is that with Ramos’ recent trip to the DL his price just went up)

    Why I make this trade:

    1) Realmuto is the best offensive catcher in baseball and under control thru 2020. He is at $2.9M this year and will probably be around $4.5M in ‘19 and $7M in ‘20 (arb years). He is a candidate to buy out his two remaining arb years. McCann walks (or hobbles) after this season. JT not only helps this year but at least 2 more seasons and possibly more if he will extend.

    2) JT in the catching mix adds 70+ points of BA and 200+ points of OPS to the lineup. He would immediately be 1 of our 3 best hitters. Imagine getting .310 BA/ .905 OPS/ 152 OPS+ and 5-6 WAR out of catcher position! It would be like adding another Bregman to the lineup.

    3) With McCann’s age and health, Stassi’s inexperience and Fedora’s record of sucking, I’m more worried about C than any other position on this team. I can’t see McCann taking starter load again this year (or ever) and we probably don’t win it without an experienced catcher handling our veteran staff. Staff ERA is already up with McCann’s innings down and there has been a little frustration shown (JV in particular) as pitchers/ catchers try to get on the same page.

    4) Stassi is returning to career norms after riding a high BABIP early. He has hit .255 in about 1500 MiLB AB with >32%K and .775 OPS. His projections for the rest of 2018 are: .212/.286/.371/.657 with 33% K. He may exceed projections but probably won’t provide much offense against playoff caliber pitching. And just think, if he were to get hurt we would be in “double double” trouble; being forced to sign a 4th tier FA or put Gattis back in the gear. I really like Stubbs but I’m not entrusting the handling of this rotation in the playoffs to someone with zero MLB experience.

    5) We have plenty of assets to make the trade. We have a lot of blocked prospects that are getting older with declining value. They can be packaged with a ‘headliner’ or two to sweeten the deal. Realmuto is one thing that no prospects is; a bona fide MLB all-star, and at a premium position. Prospects are fickle and risky, just ask previous untouchables Wallace, Singleton, Martes and Reed (among many, many others).

    I would propose the following package:

    • Stassi or Stubbs (I would expect they would opt for Stubbs due to upside)
    • A choice of 1 of the following: Davis, Reed, Fisher or White
    • Any 1 of our prospects between 11 and 30.
    • Any 1 of our top 10 prospects not named Tucker or Whitley.

    I’m not sure the Marlins would bite but it’s worth a shot. They would be getting a MLB ready catcher and some pretty nice young, near MLB ready talent. I would even consider sweetening the deal to include Tucker (albeit with far fewer additional top prospects) if that was what it took to make it happen. Realmuto is just that good. Too good to pass up if you have the chance to get him.

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Random Astros thoughts:
    Catcher- I think Fedora, Stassi and Stubbs will catch for the Astros from now into September, until McCann is worked back into shape in September. Would not be surprised if McCann is rehabbing in Corpus Christi in their playoffs.
    I think the Astros will have Lorenzo Quintana in Round Rock next spring, rather than signing the usual veteran catcher to a minor league deal. Just my opinion.
    -I believe there is a story in Carlos Correa’s injury.
    -Predicting future Astros is definitely like throwing stuff at the ceiling to see if it sticks. But one guy I would like to see the Astros sign as a free agent down the road, if the Astros can’t sign one of their own, is Paul Goldschmidt in 2020. Great defensive first baseman, proven hitting track record, fellow Texan, and a guy who will lock down the 1B/DH position for years. Will cost a lot of money, but so will our own core players.
    -I think Fresno misses Kyle Tucker and his RBIs.
    -Astros vs Angels. Should be fun but I don’t think I can stay up. It is currently 112 degrees here and has been 110 every day this week. It just drains everybody, even staying inside. The trees are already turning color like it is autumn. Feeding all the farm animals is a real chore. It was still 100 degrees at 8:30 last night. It’s crazy, but I’m fixing to go and spray them down with a hose.

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  6. Britten is the guy I want at this point. Yes, with the recent injury history, he’s more of a risk, but if we get him and he breaks down, we have options. We can still win without him. But if we get him and he rounds into shape and gives us what he has shown in the past, then we’ve made a great move for the post season.

    I think Brian McCann is at the spa right now, getting another Swedish massage. He probably had physical therapy first thing this morning. Yes, he’s had arthroscopic surgery, but with that, it’s likely his knee feels better then it has in years. And he’s the catcher the guys on the mound want to pitch to.

    If we trade for Realmuto, it means McCann is done. I don’t think that’s the case. We also likely lose an untouchable. And I don’t think Verlander and the others want to pitch to a new catcher at this point.

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    • I would trade for Realmuto even if I knew that McCann was coming back at full strength this year. McCann is gone after this season. There is no way the Astros pick up his option for 2019. Its strictly a team option since he won’t meet the triggers for it to vest. I have no problem sticking JT at DH and or backup catcher. His bat would help us in the playoffs and he would be a proven option once McCann is gone.

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  7. They’re sure taking their sweet time with this roster move. As long as it is not Jake or Reed coming back up…

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  8. To me – Realmuto is a difference maker at a position that is not known for offense. If you could bring him in for a solid package of prospects, but not the top ones like they did with Verlander – you suddenly have good to great offense out of Catcher, 2B and SS – where that is one of the more difficult things to find.

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  9. 20 comments so far and the name Collin McHugh has not been mentioned. I grant that Hinch has not used him in the highest leverage situations but the numbers can’t be ignored. Is there a trade candidate out there with a .71 WHIP and a .145 average against? And his 11.6 K/9 ain’t bad either. Getting him into some high leverage situations or perhaps converting him to the Andrew Miller mode seems like a no-brainer.

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    • Why mess with success? McHugh has been great filling the roll he has been given. That will be a roll the Astros will need all season long. If you change that roll, he might not be the same and you are also having to put somebody into McHugh’s role and that might not work either. If something is great, leave it alone.

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      • I couldn’t agree more 1OP. I like McHugh right where he is at. I would rather address problems and not compromise strengths. I like having the option to use McHugh for multiple innings as well. Take his numbers out of the mix and this top 3 in the league bullpen is far closer to average.

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      • The same could have been said about Peacock last year but he was moved into the rotation and held the fort until we got healthy. The bullpen situation is not as dire as last year’s rotation crisis but we have a great in house asset not being fully utilized.

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      • Dan, what do you think about Whitley being added down the stretch. Could he be a difference maker and could you rely on a very young rookie to take the ball in higher leverage situations? I’m not sure but I am sure seeing a lot more chatter that he may be a September call up if he’s healthy.

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      • VE – I am jusr not sure if he will be ready for that. If he had not missed so much time to suspension and injury he might be closer. Just not feeling it myself

        Liked by 1 person

  10. I saw this on Astros twitter feed but Davis is definitely not listed on the 25 man roster.

    There are currently only 3 infielders plus Marwin active, so I assume that whoever is called up will be an infielder.

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  11. Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to resume throwing. The Angels plan for him to be back in the rotation soon.

    My question is: If you are 14 back in division, 9 games back in WC, your ace Richards has just been shut down for the season and pitchers J.C. Ramirez, Nick Tropeano, Matt Shoemaker, John Lamb and Alex Meyer are all currently on the disabled list, why in the world would you risk further injury by bringing him back to pitch this season? Trust me, this will not go well. Just seems stupid to me.

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    • I think the intent is to get Ohtani reinjured late enough in the season so that TJ surgery will keep him out for all of 2019 and part of 2020….
      Seriously I’m with you. On top of that – it seems like every time a player goes for alternate treatment they end up needing surgery any way.

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  12. Okay, Davis takes White’s place. Again, very small samples for both, but White clearly showed more at the plate. That said, Davis at least looks more like a first baseman. So is he going to get regular work there so that Yuli can play third and Bregman can play short because I don’t like Marwin at short and Correa is going to be out longer than anyone wants to talk about?

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    • If Correa’s out long term I think you have to put Bregman at short. Davis can play third and left field as well as first so I see him giving us more flexibility. I keep wondering if they’re not trying these AAA guys to see if we can catch lightning in a bottle. So far Kemp has been the only one to preform. As good as Bregman has been, would he be even better playing his natural position?

      Liked by 1 person

      • drbill, another way to phrase it is “how good would Bregman be right now if he didn’t spend so much time the last couple years to learning a new position?” Scary though!!

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      • Davis can’t really play left. He’s best hidden at first. With all the shifting the Astros do, Davis would get eaten up at third. That’s one reason why Bregman is the right guy to have at third long term with all our defensive mechanisms.

        And McTaggart just tweeted That Carlos is back in Houston, working out, but not doing any baseball drills. That’s certainly ominous.

        And Luhnow in now looking for an infield bat! I added that.

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    • If the intent is indeed to play Yuli at 3B and Bregs at SS then I would much rather have White (natural 1B with most of his minor league starts there) than Davis (natural 3B with most of his minor league starts there). I think the plan is probably to play JD at 3B, shift Bregs to SS and keep Yuli at 1B.

      I feel bad for White. Bat starts to work, carry a .375 OBP and hit HRs in consecutive games only to get rewarded with a demotion. He hit pretty well for us late last year with a .275 BA and .853 OPS. He’s a little more proven than JD in my opinion, but maybe they think JD has more upside or maybe thy are auditioning him for a trade.

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  13. I can not find Correa ANYWHERE. I hate bing lied to……really I do😠
    I doubt we see a trade for Britton, their owner is a jerk and he slapped Luhnow in the face last year we we tried to get him.

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  14. So actually, Luhnow could deal for a first baseman that we know will hit. If what McTaggart says is accurate and Carlos is hanging in Houston and not doing any baseball work, he’s gone for a long time.

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  15. So the premise of this post potentially becomes far more relevant. Correa has no time table. With the rotation Luhnow has put together, do you think he’ll want to wait and see if Correa gets better? The cool thing is that we’ve already got one of the best shortstops in the game to replace him. And Abreu is an ideal rental. He’s on a one year deal for 13. So he costs us 5 million in salary and acouple of good but not great prospects. Davis would be one of those options potentially. Marwin becomes a utility man again, especially if Tucker wakes up. And when Carlos gets back, we’ll figure something out.

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  16. The expiration of Abreu’s contract leaves one year of arbitration. If he pans out you could always go to arbitration with him for 2019. Otherwise you can walk away. Not a bad hedge against losing Gattis. I’m starting to see the logic.

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  17. McTaggert tweets at 5:21 PM tweet saying CC is in Houston doing no baseball drills and won’t return anytime soon.

    He tweets an update at 6:23 PM saying CC is in Houston undergoing treatment, working out and is out “at least another week”.

    Seems to make the whole situation very clear, right?

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  18. The last one was to help Luhnow keep the cost down. If he’s doing no baseball stuff, isn’t he a Spring Traning away?

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    • That was a terrible play by Marwin. Get the second out at first. And not to pile on, but the first hit really should have called an error. Marwin could have stood flat footed with his glove hand up and made that play.

      When things are not going well for our super utility man, he tends to get kind of moody/mopey and it affects his game.

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      • If the runner on second was a winning run and there were no outs – then you try to cut him down. This allowed the tying run to get to the plate when outs were precious. Dumb

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  19. 100 games in the book! We take the first game, Verlander goes tomorrow against Nick Tropeano one of our farm hands. Let’s hope our guys can get more than one run for Justin tomorrow he needs that 10th win!!

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  20. Good game – just enough offense and terrific pitching. Cannot understand why that was considered an earned run against Keuchel who was tremendous. McHugh put out a fire in the 8th and Rondon struck out the side in the 9th.

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  21. Our fifth starter is pretty good these days. If he keeps this up, we’ll be happy and he’ll be happier after signing his 4 year deal with someone.

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  22. Recommend article in today’s sports section re Lidge’s anguish over Giles. Guess others know but I did not: Pujols and second baseman were caught on camera mimicking Lidge’s hand position; he was tipping his pitches. That is part of how he got back on board.

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  23. -I’m thinking it’s not what Giles said coming off the mound, that got him in trouble, but what transpired in the conversation with Hinch later.
    -Keuchel’s small sample of second half success is getting larger.
    -Here’s hoping that Joe Smith gets a taste of whatever Hector Rondon is drinking.
    -Bregman’s 0-4 night is probably going to result in something special in the next couple of days.
    -Every time Oakland loses a game in the standings to Seattle, it makes their improbable miracle a lot tougher.
    – Include me in the camp of observers who thinks the Angels are not doing the right thing with Ohtani.
    -Boston is opening up a lead in the AL East.
    -Colorado and Arizona played right into the Dodgers hands by not stomping them when they had a chance to. Now the Dodgers can load up without going over the spending cap.
    – Evan Gattis’s July is a huge disappointment. It’s worse than his April.

    Liked by 3 people

  24. OP here is gattis stats per baseball reference.
    gattis in april: hits 16, rbi 8, hr 1, games played 25
    gattis in july: hits 9, rbi 9, hr 4, games played 13

    with 12 more games to play in july to equal his april total of games played and already ahead in 2 of 3 categories, i think his july will surpass his april.

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    • Yes, but you and I look at different things. I look at his entire slash line and it tells me he’s not hitting or getting on base. His BA and OPS are lower than April. A guy who is hitting .180 for July in the middle of the lineup is stranding runners and leaving the lesser hitters at the bottom of the lineup with nobody on base when they come up. Except for the rare home run, Gattis has been a big hole in the lineup in July, when there is no Correa around and Springer tries to hit his way out of a terrible slump.
      We needed the May/June Gattis when the club has struggled in July to produce runs and Gattis disappeared on us.

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  25. I know he’s my nephew, but you’ve got to love Tyler White. You’d think maybe he’d go back to work pissed off and swing at anything and everything. No, he goes 1 for 2, takes three walks and scores two runs. If I get Luhnow’s job next year, nephew is my 500K DH. 1OP, I will guarantee you that he won’t go hot and cold the way Evan does.

    Speaking of Gattis, I don’t know. If we get 30 homers and 100 RBI’s out of him and a .775 or .800 OPS on the season, does it matter when? I’m not sure, as long as he’s not swooning in October.

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  26. well its gonna be 108 today and i have put off mowing the yards for as long as i can, so if i drop dead (which at my age is possible) i want all in here to know it was my pleasure to discuss and sometimes debate opinions on the astros. you all have a great passion for our team and that is what matters. good luck to all!
    ps. if i dont croak you’ll have to put up with me for a while longer.

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  27. wooohooo i survived the front yard but i think i will wait and do the rest tomorrow. and i found out i get the astros on tv tonite wooohoooo. i hardly ever get them so this is an unexpected treat.

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  28. Sounds like a great plan rray – and nice the ‘Stros will be on for you!
    So the A’s get better today as they trade a couple prospects for the first reliever on my list Jeurys Familia from the Mets.

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      • It looks like the Mets did not get that much – they got a 23 y.o. 3B who is hitting so-so at A+ ball and a 26 y.o. Reliever who is pitching well at AAA
        They also received a $1 MM international signing bonus addition and got out from under about $3 MM in Familia’s salary

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  29. OP, what’s the deal with Abreu’s name coming up about possible trade? Britton may make sense but why another 1st baseman being considered, if true, and would they trade Yuli if they do go after him?

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