Where Are They Now? Houston Astros Trades Part 3; 2013

Before linking my dear reader to parts one and two, let us remember that this time of the year –the end of July– is always always always an exciting, festive and fun time for fans and not necessarily for half or more of the players, because July 31st is Major League Baseball’s trading deadline!

Part 1; 2011

Part 2; 2012

So at the risk of needing to fly to New York and get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, I’m concluding a three part series about players that (mostly) beloved Houston Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow has traded since taking the position in the Astros front office in December of 2011.

2013 remains — at least for several more months– the final year to date in the massive overhaul of the Houston Astros organization from top to bottom, position to position and front office personnel to grounds crew members. The pieces to deal away are dwindling down as the club is starting to introduce their young talent to “The Show” and the minor leagues are filled with prospects at each level with high praise coming from external and internal outlets.

Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The first two years in the Luhnow administration were very different but accomplished the goals set forth given the assets within and also the expanding pieces coming from the outside via trading, draft picks, international signings, etc.

Even with the failed signing of 2014 first overall pick Brady Aiken, the draft was still very, very fruitful (Derek Fisher, A.J. Reed, J.D. Davis) and portions of the team are starting to shape up right before our eyes here in 2014.

George Springer came up in April, Jon Singleton arrived in June, Matt Dominguez and Chris Carter have combined for 34 home runs, Carter has 21 of his own after hitting another one last night off of Oakland’s Jesse Chavez (Super-Rookie Springer has 20 of his own #SpringerDingers ), Jose Altuve leads all of baseball in hits (149) and batting average (.343), Dallas Keuchel was on the final vote ballot for the All-Star Game and the bullpen has only blown a handful of games so far. Chad Qualls has eight saves, the teams saves leader in 2013 was Jose Veras with 19. Veras only stuck around for 42 games but Qualls is on pace to surpass that total by the time he hits the “Jackie R” mark of ballgames.

With that said, this summer’s trade deadline and the weeks before and after won’t hold much in the name of a trade to or from Minute Maid Park. However, there could could could be a blockbuster (Netflix?) deal that shocks us all…but for the sake of the rebuild process that is not over despite many new young talented faces and a lot of traded faces, there might be one or two veterans sent away to continue the overall Astros retooling operation in 2014. Or like I said, we could could could be surprised (Dexter Fowler, Scott Feldman, Chris Carter :(, Jason Castro???)

2011 was all about quality in bigger –but fewer– names, 2012 was about quantity in quite a few names. Like half the team pretty much. 2013 dealt with (ha, pun) a situation similar in quantity to 2011 but far from the quality of Hunter Pence/Michael Bourn.

So where are those former 2013 Houston Astros now? Let’s find out together.

Bud Norris – He’s still one of my favorite Astros ever and one of my favorite current athletes, but the masses of Astros fans haven’t been as crazy about Bud Norris the first season the former staff leader by default has spent away from the club with the Baltimore Orioles.

Dealt at the trade deadline last year to the O’s, the 28-year old Norris was making a team-high $3 million dollars for the Astros and had drawn interest from clubs such as the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees but ultimately ended up at Camden Yards.

Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The return held short term intrigue with longer term promise. Outfielder (and previously a 2B) L.J. Hoes was acquired along with starting pitcher Josh Hader and a 2014 competitive balance pick that saw the ‘Stros select outfielder Derek Fisher 37th overall and third overall in the Competitive Balance A round.

My only problem with that pick.

After just one 2-3 game in rookie ball, Fisher was promoted to low A Tri Cities where so far the very promising 20-year old left handed hitter is slashing .363/.463/.901 with 11 stolen bases through just 21 ballgames.

Josh Hader, also 20 years young, is in high A right now throwing beautifully. He has compiled a 9-1 record with a dazzling 2.36 ERA in 21 games this season. 14 of those were starts, three of those he actually finished the game and in two recorded saves.

L.J. Hoes, the closest and far and away most MLB ready product acquired in the trade had already made his MLB debut with one AB in 2012 for the Orioles as well as three more in 2013. However, his first hit would come as an Astro after being acquired and in a try out for the following year he was very productive, hitting .287 in 46 games.

Unfortunately he has lost a ton of steam this year, hitting .170 in 44 games and the 24-year old currently mans center field for the AAA Redhawks. The power and stolen base combo potential has yet to blossom but he’s hitting a more than respectable .323 so far this season for OKC.

As a loyal follower of Bud Norris on twitter, I can tell you he’s certainly happy in the often used #Birdland hashtag. Whether O’s fans feel the same will rely heavily on his upcoming second half of the 2014 season.

In 2013 he had a few good starts but ultimately was not what the team had hoped down the stretch. Norris, like other rotation mates in Baltimore last season– Chris Tillman, Scott Feldman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez all have high potential but all are very capable of an ugly 4 IP 7 ER start. Norris had a 4.80 ERA in 50.2 IP in 2013 for Baltimore and so far in 2014 has battled a groin injury that caused him a DL stint but has been much, much better for the current leaders in the American League East. In 102.2 IP he is 8-7 with an ERA just under four at 3.94.

The slider specialist is making a hefty $5.3 million this season and is arbitration eligible through 2016.

Norris has found his way into the headlines back in his old stomping grounds and not in the best ways possible. He was outspoken about the Jon Singleton contract extension, calling it “terrible.”

Overall this remains mutually beneficial at the time with a chance to do even more so in the future for both organizations and their tones of orange.

Jose Veras – Picked up at the beginning of the year for the sole idea and purpose of being traded at the deadline, the Astros got a very solid return on their $2 million dollar for one season contract handed to Jose Veras in December of 2012. At the trading deadline the Detroit Tigers (who seem to be in the market for a late reliever every trade deadline) sent 19-year old outfielder Danry Vasquez and eventually David Paulino as a PTBNL for the Astros closer who would join them as a 7th and 8th inning shutdown hopeful.

Veras, who was coming off a very productive season with the Milwaukee Brewers, gave the Astros a fantastic first portion of the season, racking up 19 saves and posting a 2.93 ERA. Things in Detroit went okay in the regular season and he threw a scoreless 1.2 IP in the ALDS vs. Oakland but in the ALCS put up an inflated 5.40 ERA across 5 appearances.

Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

This earned Veras a nice $4 million dollar contract with the Chicago Cubs in 2014, the team holding a $5.5 option for the following season to potentially expedite his trade value for the rebuilding Cubs.

However, things went south and south fast on the south side of Chi-town and by June 15 not only was Veras DFA’d he was released and picked up by…..the Houston Astros!

As for the return and not the re-return, Danry Vasquez out of Venezuela holds a lot of promise but a lot of promis

Justin Maxwell – The market was what the market was for the capable-on-both-sides-of-the-ball outfielder that the Astros claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees in April 2012. He had a productive, energetic and very likable season+ with our squad, but the Royals were contending for the first time in a decade and sacrificed a potential packed pitcher in their plethora of minor league arms to acquire a bench bat for the stretch run.

Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately for KC, they fell short of the playoffs. However, they got a nice half season out of Maxwell at .268 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI in under 100 AB [97]. Part of the appeal in J-Max was his cheap eligibility for the following 2014 season.

Patience wore thin for the now 30-year old and after a rough start to the season. A .150 batting average and a .175 slugging percentage added to 20 strikeouts in 20 games made for a short season in the Majors.

On May 16th he was DFA’d and is now playing for the Royals’ AAA affiliate in Omaha having a productive season but is not on the 40-man roster and is hard pressed but not at totally terrible odds to earn a late season call-up for the Royals.

The Astros  received 21-year old A baller Kyle Smith, who made the jump this season to AA Corpus Christi after going 4-0 in A Lancaster. His ERA has jumped along with the level leap from 2.60 to 4.00 but the starting pitcher remains one to keep an eye on in a system full of talented throwers.

Jordan Lyles, Brandon Barnes – This deal didn’t take place during the season and barely squeezed itself into 2013 but right before the calendar flipped the Astros and Colorado Rockies swapped underachieving top prospects, outfielder Dexter Fowler and a PTBNL heading south from Denver to Houston and Jordan Lyles as well as outfielder Brandon Barnes going north to Colorado.

Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to the 2009 season Baseball America ranked Dexter Fowler as the 14th best prospect in the game one slot below Buster Posey and one above Giancarlo Stanton –know then as Mike– if you’ve heard of either of them.

Prior to the 2011 season, Jordan Lyles was ranked 42nd by BA, sandwiched by Yankee prospects Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances. Lyles made his debut as expected that season at the age of 20 and has been one of the youngest pitchers –and players– in baseball since.

It didn’t really sound like a great move at the time, but the Astros were pre-Luhnow bad and also pre-Luhnow and searching for something to fire up the fan base by calling up their prized youngster, picked 38th overall in 2008, at the end of May.

From that fateful debut to the date of his trade to the Rockies, Lyles had an ugly, ugly 5.35 ERA and even a change to the hitter-friendly as it gets Coors Field was in the best interest of all parties.

Brandon Barnes came on the scene as an impressive 26-year old rookie in 2013, playing a lot of center field very well for the Astros and hitting lefties very well to a tune of .296/.354/.437 (he hit .240 against righties). Barnes also hit eight homers and stole 11 bags. He is under team control until 2018, giving the Rockies a flexible and productive platoon player in their outfield while they develop a new wave of outfielders like Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson and soon Raimel Tapia in the wake of giving up on Dexter Fowler for a young pitcher they hope to turn around.

The 2014 Colorado Rockies have been no stranger to trying to turn around the careers of young starting pitchers, most however coming internally. Tyler Matzek and Christian Friedrich hoped to fulfill their former status of heralded prospects in the Rockies system, while Lyles from Houston and Brett Anderson from Oakland attempted to do the same.

Barnes has been a high energy role player just as Colorado intended and Houston was forced to overuse in 2013 by default of (lack of) assets. The numbers aren’t flashy or great or even that good but he’s had several good games in a very rotational Rocks lineup and at a price you can’t complain about, $501,000.

Jordan Lyles fell to the fate of so many pitchers this season. No, not Tommy John Surgery luckily but alas he was injured in early June and hasn’t pitched since, currently residing on the 60 Day Disabled List. His injury is a fractured left hand.

Before he got hurt though, he was having easily his best pro season. Through 69 innings he had allowed 64 hits, struck out 49 batters, walked just 26 and possessed a 3.52 ERA with a 5-1 record for the Rockies, who at the time for playing great baseball in large thanks to a rejuvenated 23-year old Jordan Lyles. Lyles has never finished a season with an ERA under 5 (5.09 in 25 2012 starts).

Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Lyles is on track to return from the 60 Day DL when first available on August 4th and just threw 3.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start at high A Modesto. He threw 70 pitches but his stuff looks ready to go in about a week and no matter the struggles he experienced in his very short, once promising career as a Houston Astro, it will be nice to see him come back strong and finish 2014 in the same manner.

The PTBNL has yet to be named but the biggest potential value of the deal was surely center fielder Dexter Fowler, where in his 4th full pro season in Major League Baseball had a monster campaign. He hit an even .300 with 18 doubles, 13 home runs, 11 triples and 12 stolen bases.

In 2013 he played just 119 games and suffered setbacks all across the board. With a handful of young outfielders the team had it’s eyes on and a hole or six in their five man pitching rotation, the Rockies made the considerably bolder end of this trade to acquire Barnes and Lyles.

So far for his new American League squad, Fowler has had some bright moments in 2014 but the injury bug that loomed large in 2013 followed him to the Space City. On Jul 1st the team put Fowler on the Disabled List with a back strain. As of July 30 the news remains grim on Fowler’s injury and return outlook.

MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports that Fowler, sidelined with the intercostal strain, has “a long way to go” before returning to the Astros lineup. In his  (and right now also George Springer’s) stead Robbie Grossman, Marc Krauss and Enrique Hernandez will see more playing time.

Before the injury, Fowler was hitting .270 with six home runs and stolen bases apiece in 334 PA where he has also drawn a healthy 47 walks already this season, but plate discipline has never been a bugaboo for Fowler.

The team’s long term plans for the switch-hitting 28-year old remain in the air, but the general thinking is that if they can get him healthy and producing they hope to flip him for more than they gave, if that isn’t really the name of the trading game.