
Would Nelson Cruz be a fit for the Astros? Abbie Parr/Getty Images
Now that baseball's winter meetings are over and most available free agents and trade targets are still out there, who would you most like to see join your favorite baseball team, Houston? What position group do you want Jeff Luhnow and his staff to target as the top priority? It doesn't look like Manny Machado or Brice Harper are going to be headed to H-town but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of good options that could help upgrade the roster and improve the team. The rumors have been flying about the Astros and names like Nelson Cruz and Michael Brantley in free agency and JT Realmuto and Jose Abreau via a trade. So I ask you, what player or players to you have on the top of your wish list? What position are you hoping they address first?
The choices are many and the possibilities endless, but if you had your choice, which direction to you want Jeff Luhnow and his staff to go first? Are there names you have in your cross hairs that you would give anything to see in the blue, orange and rainbow trim? I personally hope they utilize free agency to address a corner outfielder and a DH/1B type player and look for at least one starting pitcher via a trade. Obviously the price has to be right when you go out and sign players on the open market, but most players seem to want to play in Houston these days and have a chance to win a ring, so that can help find the right price to lure a few quality bats. As for a trade, there are a lot of big named, experienced and high quality, starting pitchers being dangled out there. Depending on how much of thier contract and how many years you are willing to absorb and how many decent prospects you are willing to include, you may be able to land one without giving up Forrest Whitley or Kyle Tucker.
The names at the top of my list for Houston in free agency are Brantley and Cruz. Brantley is a veteran, athletic outfielder who can fit right in defensively with his glove and arm, while adding left handed pop to any space in the lineup that A.J. Hinch decides to hit him in. He hit .309 last season with 17 HRs and 76 RBIs in 143 games and is a lifetime .295 hitter in 10 seasons with the Indians. Cruz has always seemed to be an Astros killer, whether he was with the Rangers, Orioles or Mariners. He hit 37 bombs and knocked in 97 while hitting .256 in Seattle last season and has hit at least 37 long balls and driven in at least 93 runs in each of the last five seasons. Brantley is 31 years old and in the prime of his career, while Cruz is 38 and still playing at a high level in the twilight of his career. Both have playoff experience and both would like to play with a contender that gives them a chance at winning a ring. If the price is right, both would be a great fit in Houston next year.
If you are hoping for a trade it really comes down to how many above average prospects you are willing to include? Are you throwing in a player or two off your major league roster? Are you willing to take on multiple years of big salary as part of the deal? If the answer to those questions are yes, then you may be able to get a big name that can step in and upgrade your team all while hanging on to the two biggest names in your farm system, Tucker and Whitley.
Both of those guys are said to be untouchable by Luhnow and a deal breaker with any team they may engage in trade talks with. They have been rumored to have had discussions with the White Sox centering around Jose Abreau, the Marlins in a package for catcher JT Realmuto as well as talks involving big named starting pithers like Zach Greinke and Madison Bumgarner.
I fully expect that these rumors and talks will intensify as we get closer to the end of the calendar year, with teams like Cleveland hoping to move Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer and the Mets considering relocating Noah Syndergaard or Jacob deGrom. I would love to see the 'Stros make a move for a front line starter that can help fill the void left by Charlie Morton and Dallas Kuechel moving on, as well as better prepare for the possibility that one if not both Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole could be leaving via free agency after this season. I would take a close look at Greinke because Arizona is in fire sale mode and looking to unload big contracts. I would love to have Kluber but fear the asking price is astronomical. OK, enough from me, who would you like to see the team go get in free agency and via a trade?
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Jamal Murray had 39 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat Houston 116-111 on Sunday night to snap the Rockets' nine-game win streak.
Murray, who scored 17 in the first half, had 17 in the third quarter as Denver outscored the Rockets 39-22 in the quarter to take a 96-79 lead.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon scored 13 points with eight assists and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, which shot 51% and were 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Jalen Green scored 30 points, and Dillon Brooks added 21 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Steven Adams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, which shot 44% and were 11 of 34 from behind the arc.
Trailing 109-100 with 1 ½ minutes left, Houston used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three on a Sengun layup with 21 seconds left, but Christian Braun made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the lead back to five.
Takeaways
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game with left ankle impingement, and Denver improved to 2-2 with him out of the lineup.
Rockets: Houston remains in second place in the Western Conference with 10 games left, but the Nuggets closed to within a game of Houston.
Key moment
Sengun made one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, and Murray made two free throws two seconds later to push the lead to 114-108.
Key stat
Houston finished 22 of 34 from the free throw line, while Denver made 18 of 26.
Up next
Denver hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, while Houston hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.