I like your optimism.
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So am I allowed to talk about Leon now? Lol
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Too soon
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He has gone 6 innings or more in 9 of his 22 starts and only once in the last 9 starts.
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Hopefully a change of scenery and a new coaching staff can turn him around for the couple months he is here
Another glass half full slant on this Kikuchi trade: I’m thinking Dana doesn’t make this trade if he isn’t convinced that Tucker is coming back 95% healthy by the end of the year…and to a lesser extent same with Verlander.
If I’m correct on above statement I sure hope they push all the chips in and go get Yandy and then let the chips fall where they may.
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I don’t get hot and bothered about Yandy. His power last year was a one-year blip, with his ISO 60 points higher than any other year. And he’s stopped walking this year (BB rate under 8%, compared with the 14% range the rest of his career). He’s an upgrade over Singleton, but not by much.
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Brown gave up a lot to get a starter, hoping kikuchi is a three month rental.
had given up on this being a playoff season. Obviously Crane and company haven’t, god bless them.
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His numbers are a lot better since the beginning of May, he makes a ton of contact, and he smokes the ball (just not with a high enough launch angle to clear the fence most of the time). He’s a good player and a good 1B. Clear improvement over Singleton imo.
I feel slightly better after sleeping on it some. I’ve taken to heart a little what HH and Coach have said about not being completely sold on Loperfido. He could develop, but we must have a starter to relive some of the pressure in the rotation or we might as well sell. We can’t do that sitting in first place. Someone of value had to go. The other stark reality is that we while many of us feel the cost was high, there is a damn good chance that none of these three we gave up, are top 30 prospects in many of the other teams systems. Just a sign of where we are at after two years of draft penalties and numerous trades for yearly deep runs.
There are things to like about Kikuchi. Hopefully the staff can polish and develop those things that others couldn’t quite harness consistently.
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My “friend’s” reaction.
I don’t think so. (asking if Brown panicked)
That was my initial reaction until I looked at the starting pitchers on the market and the teams that still need pitching.
Also I looked at the White Sox deal earlier.
Right now there are 10 teams aggressively looking for a starting pitcher and all expect to get one.
Those teams are Orioles, Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Atlanta, Mets, Padres, Cardinals, Guardians and Brewers.
At least 8 of those teams have better known/developed prospects than the Astros.
The starting pitchers actually on the market are very limited.
Jameson Tailon, Frankie Montas, Jack Flaherty, Yusei Kakuchi, Eric Fedde, Zac Eflin and Cal Quantrill are the actual pitchers on the market.
Toronto has told teams Gausman and Bassett will not be dealt. The Giants are telling teams they do not expect to trade Snell unless they get a massive offer. The Tigers are not expected to trade Skubul. The White Sox will likely deal Crochet this Winter.
The market COULD have opened up if the Rangers and Blue Jays opened up and dealt Gausman, Bassitt, Scherzer etc.
Instead you have 7 or so starters that can possibly pitch for you in the post season…. Fedde went to St. Louis for a very good player and the Sox also got better prospects than the Astros gave up. Vargas is way better.
The Orioles got Eflin - and their farm system is the deepest in baseball.
Frankie Montas isn’t as good as Kikuchi and likely doesn’t pitch in the post season.
Quantrill isn’t as good as Kikuchi either.
That leaves Jameson Tailon and Jack Flaherty… both are players the Astros tried to get…. The teams competing for those two include NYY, BOS, ATL, SD, NYM, MIL and CLV.
So - when you really look at it, it isn’t shocking what we paid. I don’t like it, but when you consider NY, LA and ATL were all trying to trade for Kikuchi today, it isn’t isn’t surprising in hindsight.
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The back end of this bullpen is suspect at best. I’m so much more concerned about what that means for a significant run to and through the post season than SP even. Games like last night and countless others seem to suggest the possibility is pretty slim.
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There’s no question any Postseason success will hinge on the back of the bullpen. Their failures are the reason this team got off to such a terrible start and their success is the reason they’ve been able to claw back into the Postseason picture. Success in the Postseason, should they get there, will depend on them. But getting to the Postseason will depend more on starting pitching. They can’t get there running Bloss and Arrighetti out there three times a week from here on out. One, maybe, but not both. A starting pitcher was an absolute must, IMO.
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And I agree with all of that. It’s just such a shaky mess that all the work SP does can easily get tossed out the window in half an inning by this bunch.
They’re not exactly what you’d call “rock solid”, that’s for sure.
Y’know what, fuck it, Randy Johnson was a rental too. Go out and shove, Yusei. Today is a new day.
I will say, the last time the Astros and Blue Jays made a midseason trade involving a Japanese player was 2017. That worked out ok.
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I had forgotten Aoki was part of that deal
Fun fact, Kikuchi will be the second Japanese player to pitch for the Astros. Nori Aoki was the first
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I woke up being far more pissed about Hader than this dumbass deal.
If you look at it objectively, your closer should clearly be Scott, and Hader should be relegated to Monteroland.
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