WHEELING AND DEALING
Patrick Creighton: 5 potential Astros trade targets
Jun 8, 2018, 6:55 am
Josh Donaldson might add pop as a DH. Wikipedia
Now that the calendar has turned to June, it’s officially trade watch season. While the Mariners and Rays completed an early deal, this is usually when the speculation starts to get hot and heavy.
While the Astros starting pitching has been tremendous, the bullpen has had its struggles and some spots in the order (DH/LF) have regressed and are not producing.
In a season where the Yankees and Red Sox appear to have improved significantly, the Astros will likely seek some upgrades as the deadline approaches. Here are five potential trade targets:
Kelvin Herrera CL Royals
This guy should be front and center at the top of the list. Herrera has become an elite closer in MLB, and the lowly Royals will find him a luxury they cannot afford next season.
Herrera is making just under $8M and will be a free agent at season’s end. The Royals are in full rebuild, and the Astros are one of the teams in baseball that are loaded with minor league talent to help Kansas City in their process. The Royals are a bad organization from top to bottom, and have what is universally considered to be the worst farm system in baseball.
In 2018, Herrera is 1-1 with 13 saves. In 22.2 IP, he has a 0.79 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 19Ks. He has not walked a batter all season. Herrera would bring a dominating presence to the back of the pen.
Acquiring him would also hurt the Indians, who are having their own bullpen woes as well.
Jeurys Familia CL Mets
Familia should be the backup plan if Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is unable or unwilling to meet what will likely be a sky high price for Herrera.
After a down season in 2017, Familia has regained his form, increasing strikeouts and decreasing walks. Familia is used to a heavy workload (43 Sv in 2015, 51 Sv in 2016), has postseason experience, and is also a free agent at season’s end. Familia is making just under $8M in 2018.
As the Mets’ injuries continue to pile up, so do their losses, and Familia will definitely be on the trade block.
In 2018, Familia is 2-3 with 14 saves. In 29 IP, he has a 2.48 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 33/9 K/BB ratio. He would take over as the Astros closer, and steady the back of the pen. Expect him to find some rejuvenation being back on a contender in a walk year as well.
Josh Donaldson 3B/DH Blue Jays
The 2015 MVP has been beset by shoulder and calf injuries this season but will have plenty of time to show he is healthy before the deadline.
The “Bringer of Rain” is a legit power bat that is capable of playing both corner infield spots and has experience as a DH. Donaldson had 33 HR and 78 RBI in only 113 games a season ago while slashing .270/.385/.559.
Donaldson will be the Jays biggest trade chip at the deadline, and he would inject a bolt of power into the Astros’ “Jekyll & Hyde” offense.
While currently on the DL, Donaldson is hitting .234/.333/.423 this season in 36 games, with 5 HR and 16 RBI. His value will be more heavily determined on his health and how he hits when he returns from DL. He is making $23M in the final year of his contract.
Donaldson’s shoulder woes this season have impacted his throwing, and are likely to help drive down the cost to acquire him, as he’s best served DHing this season.
Mike Moustakas 3B/DH Royals
“Moose” found no takers on the market for his services coming off a 38 HR season. So far in 2018, Moustakas has proven that power spike was not an anomaly, as he already has 12 HR and 40 RBI in 239 AB.
Moustakas is also on a team friendly 1 year/$6.5M deal with a mutual option for $15M in 2019 (it has a super team friendly $1M buyout).
The Royals are guaranteed to be sellers and Moose would be an instant upgrade at DH. He also brings balance to the lineup as a left handed hitter.
Zach Britton CL Orioles
The Astros nearly pulled the trigger for Britton at the non-waiver deadline last season before Orioles ownership nixed the deal at the last second.
The 30 year old lefty has been one of the better closers in baseball since 2014, but injuries have beset him the past 2 seasons.
Currently Britton is on the DL after having surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles. He is expected to be activated off the DL June 15.
So far Brit isn’t pitching back-to-back days on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk, but he is expected to do so this weekend.
If he can prove healthy and able to regain his prior All-Star form, he could be the Astros guy at a cheaper cost than either Herrera or Familia.
In 2016 (his last fully healthy season), Britton was 2-1 with an AL leading 47 saves. In 67 IP, he had a 0.54 ERA, 0.836 WHIP, and a strong 74/18 K/BB ratio. He is in the final year of a deal that will pay him $12M.
Patrick Creighton hosts “Late Hits” weeknights 7-9p on ESPN 97.5 Houston, and “Straight Heat” weeknights 9p-12a CT on SB Nation Radio & SportsMap 94.1 Houston. Follow him on Twitter: @pcreighton1
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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!
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