Would The Houston Astros Be Interested In Kyle Lohse?
By Jimmy Price
Would The Houston Astros Be Interested In Kyle Lohse?
The Houston Astros are off to a good start at 19-10 this season. With the new sense of optimism growing among fans, people are started to eye the playoffs as a legitimate goal. This is something that may not have been brought up prior to the season but winning early on can definitely change people’s views.
The top of the rotation has been dominant with Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh. Anytime either one of those guys takes the hill I assume the Astros will walk away with a win. So far this season in 12 starts between the two the Astros are 11-1. So far the two have combined to give up 18 earned runs (Keuchel 4, McHugh 14) in 12 starts which is tremendous.
After these two it gets a little murky. The #3 starter, Scott Feldman, has made six starts with four being quality starts and the other two being pretty bad. This is somewhat expected and Feldman will most likely finish the season with an ERA around 4.00.
The next in line is another veteran Roberto Hernandez. He has done well this season going 1-2 with a 4.25 ERA. I think he has been what most people expected, solid veteran. That said, it is hard to predict future outcomes for him given his 4.74 ERA (5.11 FIP) in his last 9 starts last season.
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The final rotation spot is still up for grabs. Asher Wojciechowski made three starts but they didn’t go too well. Sam Deduno made two starts but he is more suited for long relief. The Astros do have Brett Oberholtzer ready to return soon but with the 4th and 5th spots still uncertain they could look to add a veteran from a team that is struggling.
The team that could be selling early is the Milwaukee Brewers, who have already fired their manager. They have a few veterans on the pitching staff that may interest the Astros. As Jon Heyman notes, Kyle Lohse could be a possibility for the Astros. Jon states that rival GMs could see him coming to Houston where he and Jeff Luhnow could reunite, like the days they were together in St. Louis.
Kyle Lohse isn’t going to come in and step to the front of the staff but he could provide another solid arm in the rotation. Here is an excerpt from an article from SI.com:
"The 36-year-old Lohse, who is making $11 million this year, has been roughed up for a 7.28 ERA through his first five starts, but since his injury-marred 2010, he’s enjoyed by far the best stretch of his career. From ’11 to ’14, he delivered a 3.28 ERA (116 ERA+) and averaged 199 innings and 3.1 WAR per year. – Jay Jaffe"
Lohse has had trouble keeping the ball in the park but he also does a great job limiting walks. This is the last year on his deal so prospect wise he shouldn’t cost much. Maybe a trade would be similar to the Justin Masterson deal last year where the Cardinals sent AA outfielder James Ramsey in a one-for-one deal.
What are your thoughts? Would acquiring Kyle Loshe improve the Astros?
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