Houston Astros: Mark DeRosa proposes another deal

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On MLB Network yesterday morning, analyst and former major league utility player Mark DeRosa proposed another trade for the Houston Astros. This one was to acquire a former American League MVP. In the hypothetical deal, the Astros would acquire six-time All-Star Justin Verlander, reliable left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, and cash.

The Tigers would get No. 1 prospect Francis Martes, No. 2 prospect Kyle Tucker (who was mistakenly called Preston Tucker by DeRosa), major league fourth outfielder Jake Marisnick (or Marisnik) and right-handed pitcher David Paulino.

Even though this deal would bring the Astros national attention for such a huge trade, Verlander, with all of his accolades with the Detroit Tigers, may not be the best option for long-term. Let’s break this trade down.

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The Tigers haul

Obviously, the main draw of this trade would be the Tigers’ ace. In his 13^th season in a Tiger uniform, Verlander has been considered as one of the top pitchers in the game. Currently fourth in terms of wins by active starting pitchers with 178, he has a career 3.51 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP.

After having a comeback season in 2016, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting, Verlander has struggled a bit this season. In 16 starts, the 34-year-old has a 4.47 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP. The strikeouts are still a major part of his game, averaging 8.7 per nine innings.

However, control has become much more difficult this season than in years past. He now leads the league with 44 walks in 94.2 innings of work, walking 10.6 percent of all batters faced, the highest of his career.

The real prize possession in this deal may be the left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. In the middle of his second season with the Tigers, Wilson has a 2.76 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP, the best in his six-year career. With only a .170 batting average against, he is striking out a career-high 36.8 percent of batters faced.

Wilson’s high strikeout rate is due to the swing-and-miss he carries in his arsenal. He throws either a four-seam fastball or a cutter 87.8 percent of the time. With the high velocity on his pitches, throwing his four-seam fastball in the high-nineties, opposing batters are only making contact in the strike zone a career-low 78.2 percent of the time.

The Astros haul

Jun 14, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Francis Martes (58) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Currently eight games under .500, the Tigers are seven games behind the Cleveland Indians for first place in the AL Central. This would be a kind of deal for the Astros to provide the Tigers with some top prospects to begin the rebuilding process.

The headliners for this trade would be Martes and Tucker, the top two prospects in the Houston Astros system. In the middle of his first major league stint, Martes has a 5.51 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP in four appearances, including three starts.

With a .259 batting average against, the electric right-hander has proved that he can throw, striking out 16 in 16.1 career innings. However, he does have some control issues, walking 11 in those four outings.

Tucker the great?

Tucker, however, is still grinding it out in the minor league system. After being promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi on May 30^th, he has shown some offensive promise. Through 25 games, he has a .257 batting average with a .821 OPS. He has 14 extra-base hits, including six home runs, and has driven in 17 RBIs.

Showing all of his five tools, he has also shown his speed a bit, swiping four bags on six attempts. Highly touted as soon as he was drafted in the first round, Tucker is on track to be a major league outfielder, depending on the system, as soon as sometime next season.

Although Tucker and Martes are the main pieces of this deal, Paulino and Marisnick bring depth to any major league roster. Paulino is a big right-handed starter with a mid-nineties fastball that can become a staple as a three or four starter in that Tigers rotation. Marisnick would have the opportunity to take over the majority of playing time out in center field with his speed and power potential.

The long-term effect for the Astros

Jun 29, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Justin Wilson (38) pitches in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Now, on paper, this deal should be very beneficial for the Astros. First, Wilson provides stability as another left-handed reliever out of the Astros bullpen, not leaving Tony Sipp as the only one. He would also become a valuable late-inning pitcher. He has shown that he can strikeout hitters with consistency and with nasty stuff. That would take the burden off of pitchers like Will Harris and Chris Devenski who could take a rest more often.

However, Wilson is in the middle of a one-year $2.7 million dollar contract with the Tigers. He was traded from the New York Yankees before the 2016 season. Depending on how valuable he is in his time with the Houston Astros, Wilson could be due for a big payday going into his 30-year-old season. He is no definite as a long-term option out of the bullpen.

The money side.

As for Verlander, the Houston Astros are going to have to be sure he is right for the organization before the trade is through. According to spotrac.com, the 34-year-old is in the middle of a six-year $162 million dollar contract that is through 2019 with a player option for the 2020 season. That would mean that the Astros would have to pay $28 million dollars in 2018 and 2019 for Verlander.

Now, money may not be an issue for the Astros, but his pitching style may not fit as well in the system. As a high strikeout pitcher that primarily uses a mid-nineties four-seam fastball, a high-eighties slider, and a low-eighties changeup, he is a fly ball pitcher. Normally, his fly ball percentage hovers from 40-45 percent. He normally gives up close to one home run per nine innings of work.

This season, hitters are hitting fly balls 42.8 percent of the time with only 8.5 percent of those balls leaving the yard. With pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers, they have found success in creating ground ball contact in a hitter friendly park like Minute Maid Park. If Verlander cannot do this, it may become an issue.

Next: Astros: Justin Verlander could offer a Randy Johnson like impact

Fans would be excited to see Verlander in an Astros uniform. He would have the chance to be a leader in the clubhouse and the bullpen for the younger Astros pitchers. However, he is not a rental. So, you have to think, is Verlander the pitcher the Astros want for the next two-and-a-half seasons?

***Stats from Baseball-Reference and Spotrac***

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