You guys are convincing me to make Stroman #1. Maybe the expressed love for Cease is a diversion.
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At the risk of seeming obsessed, my favorite Marcus Stroman tidbit.
Before the 2015 season he tore his ACL in March, stated that he would be back on a big league mound before the year was done. He did a full ACL rehab and took 15 hours of classes at Duke to complete his degree over the summer and made his season debut in September. The man did a 9 month rehab in 6 months while taking more than a full time student schedule getting a degree at the same time. This dude has that drive.
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I saw some idle speculation maybe a couple of weeks ago about Mason Miller from the Athletics. I would be giddy as a schoolboy if the Astros traded for him, but I don’t see that happening (at least, not this season). It would take a hell of a lot to get him and while the A’s are a dumpster fire, it’s not their m.o. to trade away talented players this early in their careers.
Who really interests me, besides Cease, is Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals. He’s pitched much better of late and to me seems like the most likely candidate to go through the Cole/Verlander overhaul with a similar outcome.
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Flaherty wouldn’t be a bad reclamation project for the Astros if the price is right.
Is Stroman strictly a rental? Any chance that he would pick up his option for next year?
Very little chance. He’s probably the best non Ohtani pitcher that could be on the market and can’t be given a QO. He’ll do better than 21M for next season and probably get a 5 year deal on the open market.
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Would he be inclined to sign a deal with us after a trade? Is he an Astros hater?
Not as far as I know. Most recently he’s found himself in hot water for sticking his neck out in defense of Kyrie Irving (amid Irving’s antisemitism controversy) and for his own comments on who he believes, uh, “controls the media”.
(Ironically the mainstream media has mostly ignored that story but if he becomes an Astro you can bet it’ll get more press.)
I don’t remember seeing anything about him making statements about the Astros back then. He has been very open about wanting an extension with the Cubs, whether that is Cubs specific, or he is open to an extension in general, I do not know.
He is on the record as hating his opponent, whoever that happens to be any given day, but I’ve never heard him comment one way or the other about any specific team.
I share the Stroman love.
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And if I’m not mistaken, he’s expressed his desire to remain in Chicago and work out a deal there.
As @Doyce7 and others have said, with the way Stroman’s pitched this season, he’s not likely to take his $21M player option for 2023. Also, he will be 33 next season.
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If Pam Gardner still had an office in Union Station, Stroman would be on the team yesterday. The marketing possibilities with his name are endless.
For the record, I think Stroman would be a huge get, and I am glad Pam Gardner does not still have an office in Union Station.
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Michael Schwab posting on twitter that there is momentum behind a deal for both Cease and Roberts. “Would require several big league and fringe talent.”
Have fun speculating what that talent package would look like.
Cease & Roberts in exchange for:
Jake Meyers, Seth Martinez, Hunter Brown, Pedro Leon, Jacob Melton & Korey Lee?
Also, I wonder if we could work Graveman into the deal as well?
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I’d do that. Brown would hurt but the rest are expendable.
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Meyers would be a given, as there would no longer be room for him and Chi would need a CF.
They are losing 3 SP to FA and this would be another, so at least 2 MLB or close SP - Garcia and France?
With Chas, Robert, and Tuck all signed/controlled through 2025+ Gilbert is expendable.
2 more prospects. SP is priority.
Meyers, Garcia, France, Gilbert, Leon, and Whitley?
Dup
Schwab has been known to just throw shit at the wall and see what sticks, so many grains of salt there
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Baltimore opens trade season by acquiring Shintaro Fujinami from Oakland. Fujinami was atrocious in the first couple months of the season but has put himself together lately as a quality reliever.
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