Astros AM: Trade Talk, Hall of Fame, Looking Down at MMP

The All-Star break is over and Major League Baseball has resumed. The Houston Astros got off to a good start to the second half of the season by getting their 50th win in nail-biting fashion over the Texas Rangers last night.

It’s been a long time since Astros fans have cared what happens in July. This year is different, though. There are two things that are keeping Astros fans engaged (aside from the nightly games): the July 31 trade deadline and the induction of Craig Biggio into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

First the trade deadline…

Everyone is talking about how the Astros need to trade for some starting pitchers. There’s a strong “yes!” crowd on that, and there’s also a fervent “don’t do it!” crowd. Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels, and Scott Kazmir are the hot names.

But according to Dennis Lin at the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Astros and Padres have already engaged in some preliminary conversations about Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner.

"Ross and Cashner have an obvious connection to Astros manager A.J. Hinch, an assistant GM for the Padres until Preller’s hire last August…So far, however, discussions between San Diego and Houston appear to be a matter of diligence. The Astros are sorting through contingencies in the event that they don’t land an elite pitcher such as Cueto."

Maybe Jeff Luhnow will…or maybe he won’t

However, there is at least one person- “Clornelas” over at the Crawfish Boxes- who believes Jeff Luhnow will not pull the trigger. “Clornelas” argues that that the Astros season is already a success for the front office, no matter what. While the team has the goods to make a deal, it’s just not the Luhnow way:

"Luhnow likes the slow burn, the building wave, and his quantity over high quality approach has led to his success and to his current predicament with the AAA outfield and to a lesser extent with the future of the 40-man roster. This is the code that got us here, and we will live by it. We will also die by it. For better or for worse, this is who the Astros organization is now."

On to the Hall of Fame…

Let’s talk about those baseball caps. Craig Biggio was an Astro his entire career. There was no debate about which team he would represent, just which era he would choose. Nolan Ryan‘s choice of cap, on the other hand, still hurts in Houston.

Astros AM: Trade Talk, Hall of Fame, Looking Down at MMP

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