That time A.J. Hinch verbally dunked on awful umpire Angel Hernandez
SPORTSMAP ROUNDTABLE
10 June 2020
SPORTSMAP ROUNDTABLE
Angel Hernandez is in the news again, and of course it's for all the wrong reasons. Hernandez is being accused by MLB of eavesdropping on a league investigative call. The infamous umpire is no stranger to controversy, including when he tossed former Houston Astros skipper A.J. Hinch out of a Spring Training game in the first inning.
This is one video you don't want miss as we recount Hinch's beef with Hernandez, discuss several other incidents including Hernandez inappropriately asking for multiple autographs from players, and much more. Finally, we discuss if it's time that MLB pushes Hernandez out the door. Internal video and story credit to MLB writer Alyson Footer (Twitter: @alysonfooter).
Not long after the Astros pulled the trigger on trading Kyle Tucker, we started seeing reports about the club's interest in trading for Cardinals 3rd baseman Nolan Arenado.
The Athletic's Chandler Rome also reported that Arenado has a no-trade clause, and it's unclear if he would waive it to come to Houston. Earlier last week, a list of teams Arenado would reportedly waive his no-trade clause for circulated on the internet, and Houston was not on it.
The Astros are thought to still be in contention to re-sign Alex Bregman, but a trade for Arenado would kill any hope of a reunion with Breggy.
Also, one of the benefits of trading Tucker was using this as an opportunity to add to a depleted farm system. While Arenado is not expected to bring back a haul of coveted prospects, the Astros would be wise to avoid trading away any young talent for an aging player that's clearly regressing.
As Charlie Pallilo points out in the video below, a deep dive into Arenado's stats shows his numbers are frighteningly close to Jose Abreu's 2023 season. And we all know how that movie ended.
If the 'Stros are going to move on from Tucker and Bregman in the same offseason, it would be nice to give the fan base something exciting to look forward to. Such as signing a switch hitting power hitter like Anthony Santander to play left field.
If Houston goes into the season with an outfield consisting of Mauricio Dubon, Jake Meyers, and Chas McCormick, the infield better produce at a high level or this offense will struggle to score runs once again.
Which brings us to Framber Valdez. As it looks right now, the Astros are trying to reset while also planning to contend in a weak AL West. Would it be more wise to “rip off the band-aid” and deal Framber to speed up the rebuild?
Don't miss the video above as the guys from Stone Cold 'Stros address the latest trade reports, team building, and much more!