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Faux Astros trade discussion between Luhnow and Reds’ Jocketty

By Eric Huysman

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The Houston Astros are back in competition earlier than many thought they would be, and now they have to decide whether to play contender or be conservative. The Astros are now a half-game behind the Angels who have gotten hot at the right time, when the Astros were not. It is undecided if the Angels have what it takes to stay ahead of the Astros in the long run, but the team has struggled since George Springer‘s injury. Do the Astros make a trade prior to the July 31st trade deadline, or do they continue the ‘process?’

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The AL West is on the line

The AL West race might be decided on which team makes the better trade to improve their team because the division is really up for grabs for whoever wants it bad enough. The Astros aren’t running away with the division anymore. The next two weeks will decide who is will run this division and who will go quietly into the night.

A quote from Evan Drellich’s article titled Astros become a buyer at the trade deadline; starting pitching a priority, summarizes the Astros situation the best. “Standing pat would send a poor message to the fan base and the players, who both can see that the team has real potential but holes as well.”

“Standing pat would send a poor message to the fan base and the players, who both can see that the team has real potential but holes as well.”-Drellich.

The Astros concerns for not making a trade are understandable because the Astros have spent the past 4-5 years accumulating minor league talent to become successful again. Jeff Luhnow made some shrewd moves this offseason, including a few head scratchers. With the talent the Astros have and the acquisitions they made, they have accelerated their process back to being relevant again. They can’t leave 2015 half way done because this will look bad for the players and the fans, you have to go for the gold.

Last year in Fantasy Baseball I made a trade that helped me last year, but could have devastated me this year. I traded Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon, and Madison Bumgarner for Ian Desmond, Corey Kluber, and Corey Dickerson. I knew it was risky, but I needed a shortstop last year for the playoffs with Tulowitzki on the DL. I was the expert on my team, and I saw the holes in my lineup. I then made the best decision that I could have to win, despite my team choking in the first round.

That’s the risk that Luhnow will be willing to make; it could be Randy Johnson all over again. However, you can’t lie and say that the Johnson’s time in Houston was not exciting! We can blame Kevin Brown for going all Bumgarner on us for the Padres that year. You have to give up talent to get talent, but to do nothing will be like riding with a player on the DL in your fantasy lineup.

Can the Astros and Reds matchup with a trade?

One of the potential trade partners is the Reds who seem to be selling Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, and Aroldis Chapman prior to the non-waivers trade deadline. The Astros seem to be shooting more for a rental player with the hope of re-signing them the following season. Luhnow has the prospects needed to pull off any deal, but he will be careful to not deplete the farm system like the team did in the 90’s, and 00’s for the playoff runs. This was always part of the plan, build up a large amount of talent to sustain a hit from trades.

Much had been made of whether the relationship between Luhnow and Reds GM Walt Jocketty would hinder any dealings, with them clashing heads when they both worked for the Cardinals. However, they are both adults and should act so in any trade discussions. If the Astros have the best package available, then they will get Cueto.

In the honor of the possible friction between Luhnow and Jocketty, I have teamed up with Matt Wilkes @MWilkesOSU, the Editor at @BlogRedMachine to have a faux trade discussion on a potential Reds deal. I will play the part of Luhnow and Matt will play the part of Jocketty. Think of this as an unscripted reality conversation that will update daily using a site called replyall.me. As rumors start surfacing, we will be updating this fake leaked series of text messages.

Read, bookmark, and come back the next day to see what is going on in the faux trade discussion. How was it leaked, I think we all know who was behind it?

What Astros trade will Luhnow make? Check back daily to see what is going on in our conversations and feel free to offer Luhnow (@Eric_CTH) and Jocketty (@MWilkesOSU) some suggestions through Twitter or the message board through the site. This is just for fun.

For the latest CTH Houston Astros Rumors, click here.

Next: Houston Astros: CTH’s July Trade Deadline Preview

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