Houston Astros Rumors: Team checking in on Julio Teheran

The Houston Astros are several weeks away from the trade deadline with it being well-known that they need an extra arm to compete and another name has sprouted up as a possible candidate.

Yes, the Houston Astros have been able to manage the tide quite well in terms of being able to manage their pitching staff with the injury woes that they have to deal with. When it seemed as if the odds were insurmountable, they still continued to persevere to win games with the staff they had. But the plot just thickened even further.

According to MLB Insider Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Houston Astros have been checking in Julio Teheran of the Atlanta Braves among the clearly obvious other of likely Jose Quintana, Gerrit Cole and Sonny Gray. This is not too surprising as the front office staff is among the most-talented in the majors, figuring out where the talent is and creating shrewd ways of acquiring it.

Although he has been struggling as of late — as with most of the candidates out on the market — the long-term possibilities of his being a sound investment for the Astros is certainly too good to pass up. Heyman mentions that he certainly pitches a lot better on the road, possessing a 5-0 record with a 2.88 ERA and is just 1-5 at SunTrust Park with a 7.58 ERA. But the one thing that we all have to understand is that pitchers go into ruts but the good ones eventually find themselves a way out of it.

Would that be the case for the young, Colombian pitcher? I think so. As far as his contract, the Braves bought out his remaining arbitration years back in 2014 as he signed six-year, $32.4 million deal back then. He’s due to earn $6.3 million this season and $8 million the next but it continues to escalate up to $12 million by the end of the term which is in 2020. He does have a $1 million buyout kicker attached to his contract but I seriously doubt that it will be exercised considering he will be 29 at the end of his current deal. Teheran would be a free agent in 2021.

We didn’t get to see him as he had already pitched this past Sunday when the Braves were up in Oakland, taking on the A’s. He tossed eight strikeouts, allowed three hits, two earned runs, one homer and walked four through 6.1 innings pitched.

As per Brooks Baseball, the right-hander has a plethora of pitches in his stable with a fastball that sits a 92-mph, a 83-mph slider, a sinker with a two-seam grip and change-up and curveball that’s up-and-coming. His fastball seems to be his largest weapon but it’s also mentioned that his velocity is below average. His curveball, one of the Astros’ pitching staff’s most-prolific pitches, sits on the low 70s but has resulted in a ton of fly balls.

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So what does this all mean? He’s still young and has plenty of time to develop his tool set. The Braves are in rebuilding-mode and are looking for additional prospects t to not only build their farm but to build up their roster as well. It would also be prudent to say that they’re overachieving with a 40-43 record. Hey, life seems to be tough after Chipper Jones.

Who should we’d deal for him? I’d package Tony Kemp, Teoscar Hernandez and possibly Franklin Perez to land Teheran. But if we’re dangling Perez, we’d better be getting something palatable in return like their lefty prospect Luiz Gohara. Is the price to high? I think not. I have absolutely no desire to unload Francis Martes or Derek Fisher at this time, especially not for Teheran. But if the Braves are willing to listen, who knows what it will take to move the needle.

Until then, we must wait as the clock continues to tick. But I have no doubt a deal will be done by the deadline as this remains the team’s screaming need. We shall see!

Next: Forrest Whitley is looking like the real deal

Teheran, 26, has posted a 6-6 record, a 5.14 ERA, 70 strikeouts but has an awful 5.71 FIP and a gaudy 1.42 WHIP through 96.1 innings pitched and 17 starts on the season for Atlanta. But think potential here not the current numbers.

Go Astros.

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