fc2112 said:

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So let's see yall's thoughts.

Zeke Duran for two months of Marcus Stroman. Would you do it?

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fc2112 said:

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So let's see yall's thoughts.

Zeke Duran for two months of Marcus Stroman. Would you do it?

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Quote:

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Things change and move so quickly this time of year it's hard to give a concrete update. It's a crazy (but fun) time of year.

Here's what I do know: Jim Crane has met with Dana Brown and told him to be aggressive. He didn't say he wants to be aggressive. He told him to be aggressive. Crane wants to win.

I think the next week or so is going to tell us a lot about Dana Brown in comparison to James Click. Click was great at his job but he was a little trigger shy at times. He was hesitant to give up big assets. Brown and Click are very similar in that they're much more aggressive than Click.

Now, what does "aggressive" look like? I guess that depends on the market. The Astros have likely been one of the most active organizations in baseball this year as far as working the phones and checking in on players who may be available. They've inquired on just about everyone.

What positions are they looking for? Well, just about anywhere and everywhere they can possibly upgrade, but I think starting pitching is priority number one. Bullpen help is two and a bat is three.

I've also been told that Jim Crane fully trusts Dana Brown's ability to build a farm system. Brown is known for finding kids who develop and progress quickly through the minors. This would make losing guys like Gilbert much easier to swallow. At this point, I wouldn't consider anyone in the farm system untouchable and I expect the Astros to give up a player or two that will make us all cringe a little bit. That said, I would be pretty surprised to see guys like Gilbert, Melton, Clifford, or Baez moved for a rental.

Don't be surprised to see a bit of a shakeup on the big league roster as well. Small market teams value guys who have team friendly contracts and years of control. Julks, Meyers, France all come to mind. I've also been told not to be shocked to see Chas or Pena dealt. Do I expect those two to be moved? No, because the Astros are asking for a lot for those guys and it would likely be a part of a deal for a star player in return. I'm just telling you guys not to be shocked if it happened.

I don't want to predict anything because it would just be a guess. I can tell you guys for a fact that Houston is being very aggressive but there's so many moving pieces and things out of their control. I'm very confident that moves will be made... and it wouldn't shock me in the least to see a move happen that makes everyone say "whoa, what?!".

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