We’re just shy of a week out from the trade deadline (7/30 at 5pm central), and while things have been quiet around the league so far, I’m sure they’ll kick into gear soon. Astros looked like potential sellers just a few short weeks ago but are now in position to add.
Brown has been extremely open about the team’s need for a starter:
“Try go to big and see if there’s a deal that makes sense for the organization,” Brown said of his efforts to add a starter. “If that don’t work, we’ll go down to mid-level and hopefully we can land something there. But it doesn’t hurt to ask. When you go through this, ask and thou shall receive sometimes. We want to try to go big, and if we can’t get the big thing done, we’ll try to go mid-level so we can get through this.”
“If we can get a mid-level guy and we get Garcia and Verlander back,” said Brown later in that same radio appearance, “that would be massive to this club.”
On the hitting side, the latest speculation is that they’re a fit for Isaac Paredes of the Rays. Paredes is an extreme pull hitter playing 1B right now, but he’s a 3B by trade, and has logged some time at 2B as recently as last season. He’s under control for three more seasons and could slide back to 3B if Bregman doesn’t come back next year. So yeah, he seems like a perfect fit for the Astros, but he’s a perfect fit for a dozen or more teams—and there’s no telling what the price could be.
Chandler Rome writes that the Astros are particularly interested in Isaac Paredes of the Rays. He’s played 3b for them this year but has a lot of experience at 1b. He’s slugging .445, and has three more years of club control, making him a potential long term replacement for Bregman.
Rome also notes that since Tucker went out 40 games ago, the 7-8-9 hitters have a .254 OBP.
After the last two nights, I’d be surprised if anyone on the team has an OBP that high.
In all seriousness, this team has been playing with one hand tied behind its back all season. Starting pitching is the obvious priority and I’d certainly love to see an upgrade at 1B. Just don’t know if Houston has the prospects to pull that off.
Paredes with three years of club control and positional flexibility would be an obvious fit this season and next (assuming Bregman leaves in free agency). But he ain’t coming cheap. I think a reasonable deal could be made for Jack Flaherty, which could do wonders for the starting rotation. Beyond that, any significant trade feels like a moonshot.
The Astros prospect situation when it comes to trades, really depends on what the other team wants. If they want to sell their fans on “look who we got, here’s their rankings” then the Astros don’t have the capital to do that. If they want guys from a system with a proven track record of success from outside the top 100 lists, the Astros can deal. A GM worried about his job probably isn’t talking to the Astros because it’ll be harder to sell his owner on the package.
They’ve got the players to meet a reasonable price for anyone available at the deadline, especially if they’re willing to trade from the MLB roster (Chas, Loperfido, Arrighetti). Other teams may offer crazy prospect packages, but if they do so to the point where the Astros can’t compete, we’re way out of reasonable price territory.
He’s batting .211 and k’s at an almost 30% clip, but I see Mariner fans talking this up. This move doesn’t bother me in the slightest. The team with the most K’s in baseball might have gotten worse.
Not only that, the prices have been steep for this trade and others so far. The Astros getting a decent pitcher for the stretch run is most likely a long shot without it really hurting.
Since the start of June he’s batting .284 with .903 OPS. They absolutely did not get worse. They didn’t pay that high a price when you consider he’s under club control for a few more years
He is on a heater right now, and I’m underselling it some, but he doesn’t strike fear in me. What does worry me is the Mariners still have plenty of ammunition to get much better than RA.
2 really good months from a guy who’s be really good for 3+ years is a heater? Ok, I guess. I know a lot of people don’t like Randy, and that’s fine. But lets not act like he isn’t really good at baseball. He immediately becomes the best hitter on the Mariners.
Arozarena has been good for awhile and was a thorn in the Astros’ side during the 2020 ALCS. Seattle got better. Now, it’s Dana Brown’s turn to counter.