BMX Bandit said:

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2022 NYY JMo - 3.69 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.099 WHIP (excluding his very good STL run)

2023 CLE Bieber - 3.77 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.248 WHIP

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not a relevant comparison.

it only matters what the player is to the team he is on.

Beiber is a key piece of any playoff run for Cleveland. Montgomery was not for NY

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So they unload guys while they still have value (basically the entire 2017 Indians staff, Lindor, etc).

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which were unloaded in season while team in playoff hunt?

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It is relevant even if it is not exactly perfectly 110% the same scenario.

Between Bibee, Civale, Allen, Quantrill, & McKenzie the Gaurds are fully stocked with arms as capable as Bieber.

And yes, those trades were made midseason during a pennate chase.

And again, Bieber is no longer an ace. I really don't see the Astros giving up any assets for him based off what I've seen.

texasaggie2015 said:

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And again, Bieber is no longer an ace. I really don't see the Astros giving up any assets for him based off what I've seen.

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Yup.

I was shocked when someone posted his baseball savant a few weeks (months) ago.

Which Player would you rather start a postseason game?

Blanco


Bieber

This could absolutely be a scenario where Cleveland thinks Bieber is done and they want to get something for him while they can. That's not unreasonable. They would be fine without him.

But again, based off Farmer's above post and what I've seen out of Bieber this year, I don't see Houston giving up any assets for him.

Farmer1906 said:

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Ag_07 said:

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Hell we traded our starting CFer while we were in contention.*

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This needs a Dusty Asterisk

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You always wanna get caught up in the semantics

BCEDAg said:

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So Dana is focusing on a SP? Let's get Giolito.

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Sean made him pick one area he would like to upgrade with his question this morning, but I agree and wonder what the Astros could do with Lucas. I saw he's getting divorced so he might need a change of scenery and wanna come here.

texasaggie2015 said:

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OKCAg2002 said:

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No way we sign Ohtani, but is there even a REMOTE possibility we rent him? He pretty much checks every single box we need. The Angels aren't in a position to demand a ton because no team is going to part with their top notch prospects for a wild gamble he resigns.

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No. This is not happening. I don't know why this keeps getting brought up haha

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Considering all the talk we've had -- especially about Tuck not resigning -- I find it strange that the story about Ohtani came out.

Also, there is no way we should trade for Shohei or even try to sign him. His contract would cause trouble signing others.

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I was shocked when someone posted his baseball savant a few weeks (months) ago.

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That was me and I was comparing him to Brandon Bielak

Ok, since we're talking Guardians starters...how hard would it be to acquire Gavin Williams from them? Like, that would be similar to someone asking for Hunter Brown, right?

redline248 said:

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I was shocked when someone posted his baseball savant a few weeks (months) ago.

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That was me and I was comparing him to Brandon Bielak

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Its not that far off. IDK if that's good for Bielak and bad for Bieber. Probably both.

Looking at Bieber, the fastball keeps getting slower and slower. He's using it less and less for obvious reasons. The cutter has been getting hit harder than ever. And now his secondary stuff is getting less and less swing and miss.

He's always been a guy to get hit hard, but he strike out so many it didn't matter. Now his K% has dipped under 20%.

If we trying to pull a SP from Cleveland, I would prefer Civale. He's a little better and has another year of control. Plus we wouldn't have to pay for his "name" like a Bieber might.

We should probably set our sights on the Cubs, Cards, or White Sox pitching options.

texasaggie2015 said:

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They were going around asking guys to give their pitch. It's a non-story.

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Eh, ok. THAT makes sense.

redline248 said:

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Ok, since we're talking Guardians starters...how hard would it be to acquire Gavin Williams from them? Like, that would be similar to someone asking for Hunter Brown, right?

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Yup. I don't think Brown quite got as high as him rankings wise but Brown also has some big league tape showing he's sticking.

It probably (very likely) won't come into play, but we have about 14 M in play before we reach the luxury tax. With only about 1/3 of the season left after the deadline, we can take on guys making a total of about 42 M without sending out some money. While we dream up ideas, don't be scared of 2023 payroll.

Mathguy64 said:

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So you are saying we can afford JV without hitting the tax limit.

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Or Scherzer

I was wondering about Scherzer yesterday. He's in the final year of his deal (I think). Are the Mets going to turn into sellers?

Scherzer would be awesome. We need the Mets to keep losing though

redline248 said:

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I was wondering about Scherzer yesterday. He's in the final year of his deal (I think). Are the Mets going to turn into sellers?

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I think he has one more year (through 2024).

My prediction is the Mariners will make a strong offer for Ohtani and the Yankees will make one for Juan Soto. Whether the Angels and Padres will go for it, who knows.

Ag_07 said:

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You'd be OK giving up all that even Hunter Brown for a couple months of Ohtani?

Man...That's a lot

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Maybe they'd let us trade Herschel Walker to them and call it even.

Great thread from Astros legend Kent Emanuel.

For reference, the “normal” MLB strike zone..

Top of zone: The midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants

Bottom of zone: A point just below the kneecap

To be a strike, part of the ball must cross over part of home plate within the height

— Kent Emanuel (@KentEmanuel) July 12, 2023

Although the width is still 17 inches, the added distance to where the zone lies makes the strike zone much smaller. (I feel like this part of the ABS system doesn’t get enough attention)

It is now possible to throw a pitch that touches part of the plate and be a ball

— Kent Emanuel (@KentEmanuel) July 12, 2023

The ABS height range (particularly the top of the zone) is certainly a lot smaller

Belt high fastballs are sometimes a ball now, pitches the are caught at the level of the catchers face are rarely called strikes anymore

— Kent Emanuel (@KentEmanuel) July 12, 2023

In addition, umpires can no longer give zone feedback as they are no longer the ones calling balls and strikes.

I’ve had multiple instances this year where I have asked an umpire where a called ball was, only to get an idk shrug 🤷🏻‍♂️ in reply

— Kent Emanuel (@KentEmanuel) July 12, 2023

It’s also important to remember the zone can manifest itself in many different ways, not just higher walk rates.

Essentially every hitting metric will be improved with a significantly smaller zone. Pitchers have to risk increased walk rates, or throw more middle of the plate

— Kent Emanuel (@KentEmanuel) July 12, 2023

Having more offense may be seen as a good thing, and that may be what MLB wants.. this zone certainly would bring that

But I do think baseball is vastly underestimating how much it would change the game in MLB, and how much it is currently changing AAA

— Kent Emanuel (@KentEmanuel) July 12, 2023

Wabs said:

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redline248 said:

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I was wondering about Scherzer yesterday. He's in the final year of his deal (I think). Are the Mets going to turn into sellers?

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I think he has one more year (through 2024).

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I think it's an option, and he has a full no trade clause, so he can shoot it down if he doesn't want to come here.

Keith Law continues to pan the Astros in his latest review of AL draft picks.

And let’s just say Dana Brown’s track record is quite a bit more impressive. https://t.co/7DbRJJd4cX

— Climbing Tal's Hill (@astrosCTH) July 12, 2023

Keith Law hating on our draft.

agproducer said:

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Tucker making a pitch to Ohtani?

https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/astros-shohei-ohtani-free-agency-18196606.php

Kyle Tucker gives Shohei Ohtani Astros' impressive free-agency pitch
Houston's lone All-Star participant made quite the pitch to the presumptive MVP.
By Michael ShapiroUpdated July 12, 2023 10:30 a.m.

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker is no stranger to facing off against Shohei Ohtani. On Monday, Tucker made his pitch to bring the two-way phenom and presumptive American League MVP to Houston.

"Houston is a really good spot. I love playing there," Tucker told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "We play indoors. Really good food. No income tax. We've got a really good team. That should speak for itself."

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small positive in hearing Tucker acknowledge the state income tax advantage