|
|
Post by olpapa on Jan 10, 2020 9:44:45 GMT -6
Paging OP.... On the surface this looks like such a great trade. Stevenson has lifetime .315 ba in the minors, Battenfield had 1.60 era in his first stint at "A" Ball. This for a 5-ish era MLB pitcher? Oops, not enough coffee. Meant..... On the surface this " does not look like such a good trade" I agree with Saint. Pruitt’s high spin rate is likely what attracted the Astros attention. I don’t think that either Stevenson or Battenfield was ranked among the Astros top prospects and both were at least a couple years away from being ready for the majors. I really don’t know a lot about Battenfield. If memory serves me correctly, Stevenson’s tools are similar to those of Straw. Fast guy with no power who hits for a high average. I am confident in Luhnow. He was successful long before banging on trash cans was even thought of. |
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Jan 10, 2020 11:24:30 GMT -6
Every time the Astros don’t want to acquire a big name (Rendón) or even a decent name (Harris), you hear the two magical words soon after: spin rate.
Whenever they talk up an unspectacular name, here comes the “Strom is God” talk.
I don’t know what the plan is given the dearth of OF talent in the minors to trade one for reportedly a long reliever. They better have legitimate plans with Springer and/or Brantley because it’s looking bad right now.
|
|
|
|
Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Jan 10, 2020 11:59:11 GMT -6
I wouldn't worry too much about them trading a dude in A ball.
|
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Jan 10, 2020 12:03:15 GMT -6
Every time the Astros don’t want to acquire a big name (Rendón) or even a decent name (Harris), you hear the two magical words soon after: spin rate. Whenever they talk up an unspectacular name, here comes the “Strom is God” talk. I don’t know what the plan is given the dearth of OF talent in the minors to trade one for reportedly a long reliever. They better have legitimate plans with Springer and/or Brantley because it’s looking bad right now. In their defense, their reclamation projects have mostly worked out pretty well. Even when we use some of our guys as examples that DIDN'T work out, they mostly did have some success even if it wasn't sustained. (Guys like Giles, Devenski, etc.) We don't know abut Sanchez since he got hurt before we really got to see what he could do. I'm still willing to give Luhnow the benefit of the doubt. I don't believe he and his analytics department would trade two at least-solid prospects for a 30 year old pitcher with limited success, if they didn't think he had a chance to be a decent component of the staff. If he did end up another McHugh, then we ended up with a pretty good deal, imo. (McHugh was a very underrated producer for us for several years in both of his capacities. And I'm still not sure it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him back on a very cheap deal, if he is indeed cheap. I don't know how his arm issues ended up, but he would still fill a nice role out of the bullpen.) |
|
|
|
Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Jan 10, 2020 12:14:55 GMT -6
Every time the Astros don’t want to acquire a big name (Rendón) or even a decent name (Harris), you hear the two magical words soon after: spin rate. Whenever they talk up an unspectacular name, here comes the “Strom is God” talk. I don’t know what the plan is given the dearth of OF talent in the minors to trade one for reportedly a long reliever. They better have legitimate plans with Springer and/or Brantley because it’s looking bad right now. In their defense, their reclamation projects have mostly worked out pretty well. Even when we use some of our guys as examples that DIDN'T work out, they mostly did have some success even if it wasn't sustained. (Guys like Giles, Devenski, etc.) We don't know abut Sanchez since he got hurt before we really got to see what he could do. I'm still willing to give Luhnow the benefit of the doubt. I don't believe he and his analytics department would trade two at least-solid prospects for a 30 year old pitcher with limited success, if they didn't think he had a chance to be a decent component of the staff. If he did end up another McHugh, then we ended up with a pretty good deal, imo. (McHugh was a very underrated producer for us for several years in both of his capacities. And I'm still not sure it wouldn't be a good idea to bring him back on a very cheap deal, if he is indeed cheap. I don't know how his arm issues ended up, but he would still fill a nice role out of the bullpen.)Fixed your tense state. |
|
|
|
Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Jan 10, 2020 12:58:12 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Jan 10, 2020 13:01:23 GMT -6
Not a major surprise. I believe Bryant ended up with $18+.
|
|
|
|
Post by bearbryant on Jan 10, 2020 13:21:38 GMT -6
Paging OP.... On the surface this looks like such a great trade. Stevenson has lifetime .315 ba in the minors, Battenfield had 1.60 era in his first stint at "A" Ball. This for a 5-ish era MLB pitcher? Oops, not enough coffee. Meant..... On the surface this " does not look like such a good trade" |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2020 13:25:41 GMT -6
Oops, not enough coffee. Meant..... On the surface this " does not look like such a good trade" Nothing worse than being burnt by a sleeper. J. D. Martinez comes to mind. |
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Jan 10, 2020 13:31:40 GMT -6
Oops, not enough coffee. Meant..... On the surface this " does not look like such a good trade" TB is always playing for the future though. If they do turn out to be superstars, they'll likely be traded a year or three before they become free agents anyways. |
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Jan 10, 2020 13:50:16 GMT -6
TBR wins nearly every trade they make. I wouldn't be surprised if the guys we dealt turn out to be superstars Nothing worse than being burnt by a sleeper. J. D. Martinez comes to mind. JD wasn't a sleeper to me. The Astros were impatient with him and made some poor coaching decisions, imo. As good as we've overall been with our pitching development the last several years, we've been just as poor from a hitting standpoint. We've lost out on or completely blown it with some talented offensive prospects. Maybe they would have sucked anyways, but look at this list of guys that tore up the minors and we never developed them (most of which were top-100 prospects): Brett Wallace: .858 OPS Jon Singleton: .828 OPS AJ Reed: .908 OPS JD Martinez: .931 OPS JR Towles: .831 OPS Tyler White: .913 OPS - Don't be surprised at all, if this guy gets enough ABs, to really flourish with the LAD. Robbie Grossman: Not much power, but the guy was an on-base machine in the minors. He went on, after completely sucking with us, to be a 109 OPS+ hitter with Minnesota the next 3 seasons as a regular player. I know the history of the minor leagues is filled with great prospects that never made it big, but it feels like, in recent years, we've done pretty poorly on the offensive side outside of our current Core-4. And let's be honest, Bregman and Altuve started their careers slowly. Altuve was fortunate to get an extended look because our team was so bad, and then he ran with it. Bregman was a high level pick and given more of a chance to succeed. I don't think Strom is as big of a genius as some do, but he obviously has some skill. We need a hitting coach with his skill, and we need a better/different approach from the analytics department when it comes to offense and developing players. |
|
|
|
Post by paastrosfan on Jan 10, 2020 13:53:20 GMT -6
Oops, not enough coffee. Meant..... On the surface this " does not look like such a good trade" Their scouting system has to be one of the best in Baseball. How they have put together "the bullpen by committee' over the last few years by going through other teams look overs. Not to mention position players. |
|
|
|
Post by bearbryant on Jan 10, 2020 14:02:13 GMT -6
TBR wins nearly every trade they make. I wouldn't be surprised if the guys we dealt turn out to be superstars Their scouting system has to be one of the best in Baseball. How they have put together "the bullpen by committee' over the last few years by going through other teams look overs. Not to mention position players.
from Fangraphs
|
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Jan 10, 2020 14:10:20 GMT -6
I wouldn't worry too much about them trading a dude in A ball. If Springer and Brantley take off, it’s a little too late to address things. We could be looking at a suspended or banned Luhnow and less draft picks. |
|
|
|
Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Jan 10, 2020 14:13:09 GMT -6
I wouldn't worry too much about them trading a dude in A ball. If Springer and Brantley take off, it’s a little too late to address things. We could be looking at a suspended or banned Luhnow and less draft picks. Gotta manage for today, not for things that may never come to be |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2020 14:22:04 GMT -6
If Springer and Brantley take off, it’s a little too late to address things. We could be looking at a suspended or banned Luhnow and less draft picks. Gotta manage for today, not for things that may never come to be Sounds like an Ed Wade quote...  |
|
|
|
Post by blcoach8 on Jan 10, 2020 15:06:04 GMT -6
I repeat.........they need to get off their asses and offer Springer 5 years/$150 million.
|
|
|
|
Post by nathangarza29 on Jan 10, 2020 15:50:18 GMT -6
They actually need to make the move Reddick has to go open up the cash. The Astros are gonne be in a real pickle come this time next year if they dont. All three of there starters in the OF will be FAs. And there is no reason to have Kyle tucker on the Bench. He needs to start and get used to the Major league Pitching.
And with out everyday Batting like they did with Bregman he isnt ever gonna be where he was in the Minors
|
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Jan 10, 2020 16:00:43 GMT -6
They should’ve paid Cole like Verlander. The problem is that Cole didn’t really step it up until his walk year. If they would’ve locked him up in 2018, they wouldn’t have had to deal with a bidding war that was always going to be advantage Yankees.
|
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Jan 10, 2020 16:13:52 GMT -6
Just remember, worst case scenario (WORST CASE), we start 2021 with an OF of a ROY in LF, a top prospect in RF, and a speed demon in CF that will likely get on base at least at a .350 clip if nothing else. All of which are playing for basically league minimum. I hate to lose Springer and Brantley has been great, but it's not like we don't have potentially a pretty darn good young OF ready to go to replace them.
Yes, Yordan could possibly be another Carlos Lee in LF, but Straw's range will help counter some of that. You could also probably put Diaz or Toro out in LF and leave Yordan at DH.
Potential 2021 Lineup with career OPS+ (Anything over 100 is considered above-average, Bagwell's was 149 for comparison and Biggio's was 112.):
Straw CF - 99 (.380 OBP - elite)
Altuve 2B - 126
Bregman 3B - 144
Yordan LF - 173
Correa SS - 129
Tucker RF - 73 (118 in 2019)
Diaz 1B - 110
Maldonado/Stubbs C - Bad
Free Agent DH - Plenty of cost-efficient options via free agency that would be solid. Guys like Thames, Shaw, or Smoak that are only making around $4-5 million but can hit 25+ HR with an OPS+ around 110.
That's still a pretty good lineup even if we do nothing. The pitching should probably still be priority next offseason as we prepare for the possible departure of JV and ZG.
|
|
|
|
Post by Saint on Jan 10, 2020 16:14:55 GMT -6
They should’ve paid Cole like Verlander. The problem is that Cole didn’t really step it up until his walk year. If they would’ve locked him up in 2018, they wouldn’t have had to deal with a bidding war that was always going to be advantage Yankees. I don't think Cole would have been super interested in an extension unless it was a huge one. I believe he was always msotly interested in exploring free agency, as I believe Springer is. And I don't blame either one of them. |
|
|
|
Post by paastrosfan on Jan 10, 2020 16:25:31 GMT -6
They should’ve paid Cole like Verlander. The problem is that Cole didn’t really step it up until his walk year. If they would’ve locked him up in 2018, they wouldn’t have had to deal with a bidding war that was always going to be advantage Yankees. Good point, in the case of Yankee fans they better hope that last season wasn't Cole's career year. In Coles case playing in NY, he better hope it wasn't. |
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Jan 10, 2020 16:36:06 GMT -6
They should’ve paid Cole like Verlander. The problem is that Cole didn’t really step it up until his walk year. If they would’ve locked him up in 2018, they wouldn’t have had to deal with a bidding war that was always going to be advantage Yankees. Good point, in the case of Yankee fans they better hope that last season wasn't Cole's career year. In Coles case playing in NY, he better hope it wasn't. I never understood the appeal of playing in New York. I get it if you’re Cole because of the Yankee fandom, but unless you’re a drafted hero like Jeter, you’re under the microscope for every misplay or strikeout. Everything you do on or off the field is subject to extra scrutiny because of the endless newspapers, YES Network, ESPN, MLB Network, Fox Sports, etc. It seems like a hassle. |
|
|
|
Post by olpapa on Jan 10, 2020 16:37:26 GMT -6
They should’ve paid Cole like Verlander. The problem is that Cole didn’t really step it up until his walk year. If they would’ve locked him up in 2018, they wouldn’t have had to deal with a bidding war that was always going to be advantage Yankees. Good point, in the case of Yankee fans they better hope that last season wasn't Cole's career year. In Coles case playing in NY, he better hope it wasn't. I predict that 2019 WILL be Cole’s career year. He’s got the big long-term contract now. No need to bust his butt like he did last season ever again. |
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Jan 10, 2020 16:39:49 GMT -6
They’re ending up paying Devenski $2 million in arbitration.
|
|
|
|
Post by abregmanfan on Jan 10, 2020 16:56:45 GMT -6
They’re ending up paying Devenski $2 million in arbitration. Smh. |
|
|
|
Post by unionstation82 on Jan 10, 2020 17:02:21 GMT -6
They’re ending up paying Devenski $2 million in arbitration. Smh. My bad I meant to avoid arbitration. |
|
|
|
Post by paastrosfan on Jan 10, 2020 17:23:38 GMT -6
Good point, in the case of Yankee fans they better hope that last season wasn't Cole's career year. In Coles case playing in NY, he better hope it wasn't. I predict that 2019 WILL be Cole’s career year. He’s got the big long-term contract now. No need to bust his butt like he did last season ever again. We saw last season the bull dog in Cole, not knowing much about him off the field only observing him in post game interviews, seems like a different person that would not be able to hold up to the NY media if any part of his season goes south. Randy Johnson went to NY with a better and longer tract record and couldn't handle it. I guess we will see soon, how many years of that contract Cole is going to hold up to. |
|
|
|
Post by paastrosfan on Jan 10, 2020 17:25:56 GMT -6
Good point, in the case of Yankee fans they better hope that last season wasn't Cole's career year. In Coles case playing in NY, he better hope it wasn't. I never understood the appeal of playing in New York. I get it if you’re Cole because of the Yankee fandom, but unless you’re a drafted hero like Jeter, you’re under the microscope for every misplay or strikeout. Everything you do on or off the field is subject to extra scrutiny because of the endless newspapers, YES Network, ESPN, MLB Network, Fox Sports, etc. It seems like a hassle. On his press conference the day of the signing, he said he thought sometime in his career he was going to play for them. |
|
|
|
Post by blcoach8 on Jan 10, 2020 17:55:15 GMT -6
They’re ending up paying Devenski $2 million in arbitration. He should be released. He is useless |
|
