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Four Possible Trades Between Astros and Padres

By Issa Cook |
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The 2015 trade deadline is on Friday at 4 pm, and the Astros have to decide if they are done shopping, or if they will stay the course. The Astros have already acquired a starting pitcher in Scott Kazmir, but there is no guarantee he will stay with the Astros beyond 2015.

The Astros had an offseason goal of signing or trading for a premium starting pitcher to pair up with Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh. The Astros have been rumored to be in the bidding for the services of Cole Hamels, but the chances of him landing him are over.

Enter the Padres, a team that was supposed to be much-improved team after A.J. Preller did an extreme makeover in the offseason bringing in James Shields, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, and Justin Upton. Many thought that his moves were brilliant and bold for a brand-new general manager, but he appears ready to do some more tinkering after a losing season.

According to Evan Drellich of the Chronicle, the Astros and Padres are gaining steam in trade talks.

Nothing close to ready to deal, but it could appear that Jeff Luhnow is has lost Cole Hamels and has indeed turned his focus on to the Padres pitchers including Shields, Tyson Ross, and Andrew Cashner. These three are all decent pitchers with Cashner as the only one who could be considered as struggling. According to Dennis Lin, the Astros are more after Ross than Cashner. I wrote about Ross here: Houston Astros Rumors: Tyson Ross a Possibility?

While the Astros could have gotten Cole Hamels with a big package, could they use some of those pieces to get player(s) from the Padres, that will will be able to plug into the holes on the Astros team. Let’s look at four trades that the Astros could do with the Padres.

Next: Trade for Tyson Ross

Trade for Tyson Ross

May 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

One name that many Astros fans might not have heard of before these deadline talks began is Tyson Ross. Now, Astros fans must know who Ross is because Jeff Luhnow is pursuing him aggressively. The 28-year-old right-hander is in his sixth year in the majors and has pitched for Oakland and San Diego.

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In 2015, Ross owns a 3.45 ERA along with a 9.7 K/9 and a 1.5 WAR. He’s no ace, but he’ll definitely add some much-needed depth to this Astros rotation. Ross has only allowed four home runs all season long and is second to James Shields in quality starts for San Diego. He would probably be mixed in the third spot of the Astros rotation behind Kazmir and Keuchel and ahead of Lance McCullers and McHugh.

I don’t think the Astros will have to relinquish any top prospects to acquire Ross, so it’s definitely a worthy trade to investigate for Houston. Here’s the trade that I would envision the Astros making to get Ross:

Astros receive: Tyson Ross

Padres receive: Asher Wojciechowski, Joe Musgrove, and Colin Moran

With this trade, the Padres receive a prospect in Moran that will immediately become the best third baseman in that system and an MLB-caliber pitcher in Wojciechowski that can help fill the void in Ross’ absence. Musgrove would also be a top right-handed pitching prospect to add to the Padres’ system. The Astros aren’t selling the farm altogether in this deal, but they do surrender their 12th, 13th, and 26th best prospects, which would sting a bit.

Next: Trade for Andrew Cashner

Trade for Andrew Cashner

Jul 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) smiles on the field prior to pitching against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no surprise that the Astros are reportedly pursuing Ross more aggressively than Cashner, as the Conroe native has struggled so far this season for the Padres. Yes, you heard that correctly, Cashner is a native of Conroe, Texas, and Astros fans might have to deal with another coming home story here.

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But, Cashner isn’t feeling as welcomed because Astros fans really don’t want him. He has a 3.93 ERA so far this season with 102 strikeouts and a -0.9 WAR. He’s the exact opposite of Collin McHugh, as he seems to find ways to lose and carries a 4-10 record. James Shields and Ross are greatly outperforming him so far this season, and his trade value has been dropping.

It’s really unfortunate for Cashner, as he was superb in 2013 and 2014 and looked to be the ace of the Padres future before they signed Shields. Cashner had shown signs of his great ability recently when he pitched seven innings allowing only one run and striking out five Marlins in a win. Here’s what I think the Astros should give up for Cashner:

Astros receive: Andrew Cashner

Padres receive: Nolan Fontana and Akeem Bostick

A definite lower price for Cashner, which is more than fair considering the difference in production between him and Ross in 2015. The Astros relinquish their 29th and 30th best prospects in this trade, which is very reasonable.

Next: Trade for Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel

Trade for Ross and Craig Kimbrel

Jul 2, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) celebrates after closing out the eleventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Padres defeated the Cardinals 5-3 in eleven innings Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Ok, now we’re getting somewhere with these negotiations. We’ve already discussed why the Astros could use a pitcher like Ross, so I’m going to spend this slide discussing Kimbrel.

San Diego is a losing team. Losing teams have no need for dominant closers because they lose more than they win. The Padres have won 48 games this season, and Kimbrel has saved 29 of those victories. The Astros are 57-45 and have an average closer in Luke Gregerson. I don’t consider closer a “need” for the Astros, but adding Kimbrel is always welcomed when you can upgrade from mediocrity to dominance.

The Astros bullpen has been one of the best in the league so far from a statistical standpoint, but for some reason I still think it could use a lot of work. Last night, Astros fans watched a 6-1 game in the 9th inning become 6-3 with runners threatening very fast after Gregerson was roughed up a bit. During that whole inning, I couldn’t help but think about how awesome it would be to have a shutdown closer.

I think the Astros could benefit from Gregerson moving to a setup role along with Neshek. Imagine this late-inning lineup:

Neshek in the 7th, Gregerson in the 8th, Kimbrel in the 9th = Wins

Now I need to back up my talk. With that in mind, here’s an offer that the Padres wouldn’t be able to refuse:

Astros receive: Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel

Padres receive: Michael Feliz, Will Harris, Domingo Santana, and Josh Hader

This is definitely a blockbuster trade. For Kimbrel, the Astros will probably have to give up one of their bullpen pieces. As great as Harris has been this season, I think he’s worth sacrificing in this deal and can be replaced by Neshek/Gregerson in the seventh. I would love to be able to trade Chad Qualls, but no one wants his old self.

As far as prospects go, the Astros give up #s 7,9, and 14 in this deal along with one of the top relievers in the MLB this season. It will definitely be hard for the Astros to give up Feliz and Harris, but I think Kimbrel could do great things for this team down the stretch. The bullpen has proved to be  crucial in previous Astros postseason runs, and the 2015 team needs to be able to handle those late-game situations.

Next: Trade for Tyson Ross, Craig Kimbrel, and Justin Upton

Trade for Ross, Kimbrel, and Justin Upton

Jul 6, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Justin Upton (10) on the field prior to playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Alright, this is just getting ridiculous. If the Astros pull off this trade, I will absolutely go crazy. I don’t know what kind of crazy, however. As much as I want Kimbrel to be the dominant force of this bullpen and Ross to add pitching depth, I don’t know how much I want a hitter in Upton whose best days were 4 years ago.

Seriously, if you look at Upton’s career, his best WAR was in 2011, when he came in at 6.1. Then in 2012, he dropped to 2.5, followed by 2.9 in 2013, 3.2 in 2014, and 3.0 thus far in 2015. He has a .249 batting average with 16 home runs and only 85 hits compared to 101 strikeouts. These are not All-Star numbers by any stretch.

With that said, it would still take an enormous deal to haul Kimbrel, Ross, and Upton from the Padres. Upton, although he’s struggling so far, could turn it around in a postseason race with the Astros and become a solid piece in the outfield. With that said, here’s a potential deal between A.J. Preller and Jeff Luhnow:

Astros receive: Craig Kimbrel, Tyson Ross, and Justin Upton

Padres receive: Mark Appel, Will Harris, Colin Moran, Preston Tucker, Josh Hader, and Michael Feliz

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Unfortunately, a deal like this one would definitely take a large-scale selling of the farm system. I personally would hate to see a lot of these guys traded to San Diego, but that’s a part of the business. Tucker and Harris have been key pieces in the Astros run recently, and Appel is a top prospect. Moran, Hader, and Feliz are also top-tier prospects with a lot of potential. I saw Feliz pitch last night at AA, and I was really impressed with his stuff.

To relinquish Upton, the Padres would definitely need a quality replacement for him in the outfield, and San Diego would have a closing opportunity waiting for Harris as soon as he gets there. Appel would probably get promoted to the majors, and they would want Feliz in the bullpen pretty soon as well. Third base is a position of need for the Padres across the board, as I would think that Moran would see time in AAA immediately for that organization.

Once again, I am NOT in favor of this grand of a deal! But, if this big of a trade is being discussed, Astros fans must realize the quality of prospects that would be traded away. I hope I helped in that regard, and I’m looking forward to these next two days. Should be entertaining for sure!

Next: Astros Trade Rumors: Yoenis Cespedes

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