My Dream Houston Astros Trade Deadline Moves
By Yoni Pollak
Smaller Deadline Trades
Because the Astros made multiple moves for Major Leaguers, they will need to trade/waive/cut certain players to make room on the 25-man roster.
The Astros traded away a ton of Minor League talent but now is their chance to recoup some of it. Here are a few minor trades I would make.
The Trade
Astros acquire: C Carson Kelly
Cardinals acquire: RP Pat Neshek
Though Neshek has been dominant, the Astros have plenty of relief pitchers capable of handling his load. Here’s an opportunity for the Astros to unload some cash, trade a relief pitcher they could replace and pick up a prospect. The Astros lack catching depth and Kelly is one of the better catching prospects in the game. Jason Castro is a free agent next season, so Kelly could be a future option.
The Cardinals on the other hand need back-end bullpen help. They are familiar with Neshek from his time with them a few seasons ago and his 2.64 ERA would certainly help them this season. The costs for a reliever are high this year, but Kelly isn’t currently in their top 10.
The Trade
Astros acquire: OF Steven Duggar, SS C.J. Hinojosa, RHP Michael Santos
Giants acquire: SP Scott Feldman, OF Carlos Gomez
The Astros trade away Feldman who’s been in their bullpen since April. While he’s been dominant there, the Astros could recoup some value from the impending free agent by trading him in this SP-deprived market.
Duggar is a 22-year old outfielder drafted in the 5th round of last year’s draft. The Astros drafted Hinojosa in the 26th round four years ago but he attended University of Texas instead. He was an 11th rounder in last year’s draft. Santos signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2012. He has a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts this season.
The Giants make this trade because they want to replace Matt Cain in their rotation. Feldman would be a solid addition, sliding into the #4 spot in front of Jake Peavy. Gomez would add a right-handed bat to an extremely left-handed outfield. It’s not like Denard Span is doing much better than Gomez this season. They could platoon the two. Both Feldman and Gomez are free agents after this season.
The Trade
Astros acquire: C Will Smith (PTBNL)
Dodgers acquire: Mike Fiers
The Dodgers are looking for another starting pitcher and the Astros have already added Chris Archer (in my dream scenario), thus knocking Fiers out of the rotation. Fiers is under control until after the 2019 season, making him a more favorable target than Andrew Cashner.
The Astros bring in another catcher to bolster their depth in Will Smith. Smith was a 1st round pick this past draft and currently ranks 15th on MLB.com’s Dodgers top 30 list.
Click below for next slide
Next: Looking At The New Roster