#NeverSettle?
Astros make a controversial trade to get closer Roberto Osuna from Blue Jays
Jul 30, 2018, 6:03 pm
Roberto Osuna can pitch, but he brings baggage. Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
As the trade deadline looms, the Astros have made one of the more controversial trades in recent memory to get a closer that could fuel them in the postseason. Monday, Houston acquired closer Roberto Osuna from the Blue Jays with Toronto receiving recently disgraced Ken Giles along with prospects David Paulino and Hector Perez.
Osuna, who had an All-Star season in 2017 is a young reliever who has been with the Blue Jays since he debuted in 2015. Last year, Osuna had 39 saves and 10 blown saves with a 3.38 ERA over 64 innings pitched. In his 15 games before the suspension this year, Osuna had 9 saves and 1 blown save with 15.1 innings pitched and a 2.93 ERA.
Osuna definitely has a great arm and will be a great addition to the bullpen, however, it comes with a great deal of baggage. Earlier this year, Osuna was suspended 75 games for violating the MLB's domestic violence policy. The allegations are that Osuna assaulted a woman in Toronto which resulted in his arrest on May 8, 2018, leading to his suspension. Osuna plead not guilty, though did not appeal his suspension. Osuna has a court date on Wednesday for the case, which is expected to be settled, and is eligible to return to the MLB on August 5th and is reportedly scheduled to join the Astros in Los Angeles this weekend.
Houston gives up Ken Giles, a once dominant closer recently sent down after poor performance and alleged outburst towards A.J. Hinch in his last major league game, along with prospects David Paulino and Hector Perez. Paulino served a lengthy suspension in 2017 for violating the MLB's PED policy, though is still the #23 prospect in the Astros organization according to MLB.com. Perez is a much higher prospect, currently ranked #10 in Houston's system.
Giles, as many Astros fans know, has had a roller coaster of a season, though did well in save situations, and may be able to turn things around on a new team. Paulino has started seven games in the minors this year, going 27 innings in those starts with a 4.67 ERA and 33 strikeouts. Perez has made 13 starts this year across A and AA, and pitched in relief in 8 others for 21 total games. In those games, Perez has a 3-4 record and a 3.73 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 89.1 innings pitched.
Despite the Astros front office putting out a statement to try and assure fans that Osuna's past is behind him, it has not surprisingly resulted in less than rave reviews from fans around Houston as they have issues accepting someone with Osuna's alleged character issues on their team. Here is what Jeff Lunhow had to say:
"We are excited to welcome Roberto Osuna to our team," said Lunhow. "The due diligence by our front office was unprecedented. We are confident that Osuna is remorseful, has willfully complied with all consequences related to his past behavior, has proactively engaged in counseling, and will fully comply with our zero tolerance policy related to abuse of any kind. Roberto has some great examples of character in our existing clubhouse that we believe will help him as he and his family establish a fresh start and as he continues with the Houston Astros. We look forward to Osuna's contributions as we head into the back half of the season."
Yes, the Astros have the elite closer they have been going after to help them in the playoffs. However, the cost, both in the players given up and the PR of the person they've acquired, may be too hard to swallow for fans of the team who vows to #NeverSettle.
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It’s go time! While the Astros are not the juggernaut they were over the more than half-decade stretch from 2017 through 2022 that yielded regular seasons with 101, 103, 106, and 107 wins, four American League pennants, and two World Series Champions, as the saying goes, they ain’t dead yet. There is no superpower in the American League West the Astros need to overcome. In fact, the American League as a whole is grossly inferior to the National League. As a result, a fifth Astros’ AL title in this era is not some absurd fantasy, though it is certainly unlikely. But winning the pennant is unlikely for every AL team, so if you’re a fan of the Astros there is nothing wrong with a “Why not us?” mentality. On the other hand, the floor for the 2025 Astros is lower going into a season than it has been in almost a decade. The lineup has numerous question marks, and if the terrific trio atop the Astros’ starting rotation (Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Ronel Bronco) runs into injury or performance issues the Astros would have serious problems. That the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners both finish ahead of the Astros is clearly plausible. Play ball!
Astros history lives in these moments
It is simple fact that time marches on, but it is still amazing that the Astros are beginning their second quarter-century of play at what for its first two seasons was called Enron Field, then for the past 23 seasons Minute Maid Park, and now Daikin Park. That’s 25 seasons in the books, at least 26 more to come, with the Astros a few years ago having extended their lease through 2050. In non-specific order, I have twenty easily come-to-mind most spine-tingling moments at the ballpark. If you want 25 for 25 years, I leave five more to you.
Not all spine-tinglers on the home field are generated by the home team. Here are three produced by visiting players. In 2001, Barry Bonds smashed his 70th home run of the season to tie Mark McGwire’s single season Major League record. We know what went into the home run numbers of that era, but it was still jaw-dropping stuff. Bonds would finish the season with 73 homers. Game five of the 2005 National League Championship Series, with the Astros one out from winning their first ever pennant, Albert Pujols launched a Brad Lidge hanging slider that might still be airborne if not for the glass wall above the train tracks. It may be the most instantaneous crowd delirium to utter silence moment ever. It turned a 4-2 Astros’ lead into a crushing 5-4 loss. But, the next game Roy Oswalt pitched the Astros to that pennant in St. Louis. Lastly, the second game of the 2013 season, Rangers’ pitcher Yu Darvish retired the first 26 Astro batters before Marwin Gonzalez smacked a ball through Darvish’s legs up the middle for a base hit. Soooooo close to a perfect game. Only 22 perfect games have been thrown in MLB’s modern era (1900-today).
Now to Astro achievements. Fudging a bit by including Roger Clemens since it’s not for one specific moment. But the Rocket’s starts with the Astros were events. Speaking of Hall of Famers, Craig Biggio’s 3000th hit is an obvious list-maker. Jeff Kent is not a Hall of Famer but he was better in the batter’s box than any second baseman elected after Joe Morgan. Kent won game five of the 2004 NLCS with a bottom of the ninth three-run bomb to end what had been a scoreless game. Alas, the Astros would lose the next two games and the series in St. Louis. The crowd went much wilder over Kent’s homer than over Chris Burke’s series-winning homer over the Atlanta Braves in a 2005 NL Division Series. Burke’s homer came in the 18th inning, so sheer exhaustion held down the decibel level a little. A sleeper for the list occurred earlier in that same game, when Brad Ausmus of all people hit a two-out game-tying homer to get the game into extra innings.
Four no-hitters have been thrown by Union Station. Working backwards: Ronel Blanco last season, Framber Valdez in 2023, a combined job started by Aaron Sanchez in 2019, and the first in 2015 by Mike....yes, Fiers.
And now to the grandest home park moments of this Platinum Era in Astros’ history. Carlos Correa authored two of them, each in a game two of the American League Championship Series. In 2017 he doubled home Jose Altuve with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. That came off of Aroldis Chapman who shall appear once more in this column. In 2019 Correa tied the series at one win apiece with a walk-off homer. Yordan Alvarez also gets a pair of entries. You know, Yordan hit just .192 in the 2022 postseason. But talk about making your hits count. In game one of those playoffs, ALDS vs. Seattle, it was a two-out three-run walk-off blast off of Robbie Ray to give the Astros an 8-7 win. Then in the final game of those playoffs, it was a sixth inning gargantuan three-run launch to dead center turning a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.
That leaves four moments that are 100 percent non-negotiable entries. While not dramatic (4-0 final score), the payoff warrants inclusion of the Astros winning Game seven of the 2017 ALCS over the Yankees. Similarly, while the moment of victory lacked drama (4-1 final), how could one exclude the Astros winning the World Series on home turf in 2022. Finally, for my money the two most pulsating, goosebump-inducing, viscerally exciting moments at 501 Crawford Street. In one of the most scintillating games ever played in any sport, Alex Bregman’s bottom of the 10th inning single gave the Astros’ their epic 13-12 win over the Dodgers in game five of the 2017 World Series. Then in 2019, Jose Altuve’s game six homer ended the ALCS (I warned you Aroldis).
Here’s to the new season! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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