WHEELING AND DEALING
Here’s how Astros GM officially put MLB on notice
Jul 29, 2021, 11:37 am
More moves could be coming. Photo via: MLB.com.
With the MLB trade deadline ticking toward 3 p.m. Friday, the Astros already have bolstered their bullpen with the acquisitions of Kendall Graveman from the Mariners and Yimi Garcia from the Marlins. Just as important, the Astros gave up very little in exchange. We liked Abraham Toro, but he was expendable and possibly destined to Sugar Land with the return of Alex Bregman and Aledmys Diaz.
So far it looks like Astros G.M. James Click's speed dial is stuck on "M." Is there anybody that Click can steal from the Mets roster? Click has indicated that the Astros aren't done dealing.
Think … Monday night, Graveman is the winning pitcher against the Astros. Tuesday afternoon, he's wearing an Astros uniform. And Mariners players are furious with management for trading Graveman to the team they're chasing for a post-season spot, where the Mariners haven't been in two decades. It's one thing to grab one of your rival's best pitchers, it's a whole other thing to rock your rival's clubhouse in the process. James Click, you sorcerer.
It says something that Graveman and Garcia, closers for their previous teams, will be set-up relievers for the Astros. This is what serious World Series contenders do, use the trade deadline to patch up holes for the stretch run. If Graveman and Garcia deliver, they'll turn the Astros pen, their black hole this season, into a team strength.
Isn't it fun that the Astros will take chances and do what's necessary to win, even if it means crossing the MLB's luxury tax threshold? Hey, it's not like our other two major sports teams are giving us much to cheer about. Is it possible for a city to fire an NFL owner?
With the trade deadline looming, and the Astros' No. 1 need addressed, fans have turned into Oliver from the Broadway play:
"Please sir, I want some more."
Though the Astros are sitting with a 6-game lead over the A's in the American League West, and the lineup is scoring runs like a video game set on "easy," there is room to get stronger. There's a fire sale on bullpen closers, including Cubs super reliever Craig Kimbrel. Also on the market: Tanner Scott (Orioles), Daniel Bard (Rockies), Richard Rodriguez (Pirates), and Ian Kennedy (Rangers).
The Astros are cruising in first place. Driver James Click is making a fuel stop and filling up with premium.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.