No to Mayer in your proposed trade. He’s quickly become one of the better arms in the Astros system and has the potential to be a MOR starter, which is pretty remarkable for a guy drafted in the 16th (as a college reliever!!). From what I’ve read, more than a few teams have been interested in trading for him.
I think Hicks will be a rather useful MLB reliever, which is also remarkable for a 13th round draft pick. But his ceiling is certainly appears to be lower and he’s also a year older than Mayer at AA.
As @Lefty pointed, he certainly was. But like his last full season in the minors (2024) he was used primarily as a swingman not a full time starter.
I’m not saying Hicks doesn’t have value or won’t be a good pitcher (he does and will be, imo). Just responding to the parameters of @Idstrosfan proposed trade - i.e. between Mayer and Hicks, the former is a better prospect with more upside.
ETA - on Bubic, he was a first time All Star in 2025 with sub 3.00 ERA. He also missed the last two months of the season with rotator cuff strain and missed most of the 2023 season with TJ surgery. I honestly don’t know if that’s the guy the Astros would/should trade one of their better minor league arms for.
My comment about him being AFL pitcher of the year wasn’t meant to prove your take wrong or stir the pot but I can see how you could take it that way. Sorry about that.
With the financial/prospect situation the Astros are in, I think they may have to take a risk on a buy low type candidate.
One of the reasons I like Bubic is that his injuries last year reduce his cost and he’s a rental so there isn’t a ton of risk.
Christian Scott of the Mets is another one. Mlbpipeline’s #47 overall prospect in 2024 that made it to MLB for 9 starts then needed TJS that September
He is supposed to be healthy in time for spring training, 17 months after the surgery, but the Mets have moved on and Fangraphs has him listed as 8th SP on their depth chart projected SP stats. And they are looking to add more veteran starters.
It would be a chance for the Astros to get a high ceiling type SP with 5 years of control that they may not be able to afford without the injury.
I think he would be a good match in a Jake Meyers trade. Add a prospect to whichever side needs a bit more value.
I’m not interested in one-year guys. It’s time to rebuild, and everything should be looked at from that perspective. If I have to give up some bodies, the bodies I’m getting in return had better still be here in three or four years (or themselves get traded for others that will be here in the future). Giving up two or three people (especially a pitching prospect) for one year of Bubic only harms future competitiveness.
I’d be ok with it for a guy like Peralta, who could make a real difference, not Bubic who I see as an injury risk that we do not need with all the pitching injuries we already have. Personally, I wouldn’t be trading for a SP, there are tons of guys on the FA market right now that could be had on 2 or 3 year deals at reasonable AAV
If I were Crane and Brown, I’d see if I could get Merrill Kelly on a reasonable, shorter contract/AAV in this free agent class. If JV wants to come back on a cheap, incentive-laden deal along with one of them to add depth, that’s fine, too. I’d also explore the idea of trading for Jose Berrios if the Jays will help pay down his contract to move on.
Max Scherzer would also be worth considering on a one-year deal.
I think Minnesota is on the verge of blowing shit up. They’ve got a couple controllable SPs that would be worth trading for in my opinion, but it would probably take a lot to get one of them.
Right-handed 25-year-old hurler Nico Zeglin was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an undrafted free agent last April after pitching three innings in the Mexican League. He went on to have a dream debut season in Low-A and High-A, racking up 66 innings to the tune of a 0.95 ERA and 90 strikeouts.
Unfortunately for Zeglin, that momentum was derailed by an injury that cost him the entire season this year. But those stats are still on his professional track record, and entering his age-26 season, he’ll get a chance to keep progressing toward the major leagues with a new organization.
According to the transactions log on his official roster page, Zeglin was traded from the Cubs to the Houston Astros on Thursday, with Chicago receiving cash considerations.
According to Cuban baseball journalist Francys Romero, the Cubs received $250,000 in international bonus pool money in the deal, a significant amount which was made more impactful by the fact that they only had $33,000 left to spend before the budgets reset on Dec. 15.
Perhaps the Cubs had a specific prospect in mind, perhaps they didn’t, but it’s of little consequence to the Astros. They saw an arm they liked in Zeglin, who consistently threw multiple innings per outing and shut down the opposition, and decided to give him a shot.