quote:
Mlbtraderumors:
"8:04pm: If the Astros tender a contract to Carter this week, they'll only do so if they believe they can move him to another team, reports Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Carter's time with the Astros "is probably done" one way or the other, per Drellich."
quote:
We've heard plenty of chatter over the last few months about the Astros' interest in adding at the back of their pen. It appears from the latest notes that the club is still casting a wide net:
- Houston recently discussed power righty Ken Giles with the Phillies, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Philadelphia "brought up" young starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Vince Velasquez in the talks, per the report. That obviously indicates what kind of return Philadelphia seeks. From my perspective, it would be somewhat surprising to see the 'Stros part with controllable, MLB-level arms such as those, given that they not only have the possibility of being long-term rotation pieces but might be expected to be dominant relievers themselves if shifted to such a role.
- The Astros have also "been engaged" with the Rays on their high-leverage arms,Brad Boxberger and Jake McGee, Crasnick tweets. It appears that GM Jeff Luhnow is looking for ways to add controllable pieces at the back of the pen, Crasnick suggests.
- Having a preference for long-term control, though, doesn't appear to mean that the club isn't seriously interested in otherworldly Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that he sits "on top of the list" for Houston. Interestingly, Crasnick notes on Twitter that Astros owner Jim Crane is reputedly a "big fan" of the Cuban sensation.
quote:
Mlbtraderumors:
"8:04pm: If the Astros tender a contract to Carter this week, they'll only do so if they believe they can move him to another team, reports Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Carter's time with the Astros "is probably done" one way or the other, per Drellich."
quote:
How long do the Astros have Gattis?
quote:
Conger to the Rays
quote:
I'm not opposed to moving Conger, but we couldn't get anything for him? Just cash considerations?
quote:Carter got RBIs because he had 272 ABs in the 4-6 holes. I fully expect Reed to come in and match Carter's production and then some.
Going to have to find a way to replace Carter's RBI production.
quote:I should have said Reed/White. Maybe even both. Regardless I am not overly worried about replacing Carter's production. Even if both aren't ready then a combo of Tucker and Valbuena should do the trick too.
Let's not start anointing Reed just yet...kid is still very young and had those numbers in A and AA ball. Let's see what kind of spring training he has. I don't know why they don't talk about Tyler White...dude had a monster year for Fresno. Batted around 360...
quote:
I don't ever want to see Tucker playing defense again. I've seen little leaguers with better instincts. I wouldn't mind Valbuena as a pinch hitter type. He's not consistent enough to be an every day starter.
