Astros acquire White Sox reliever Tyler Clippard

The Houston Astros have tried to make an August trade to improve the team’s chances for 2017.

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow chose not to make a big splashy move at the trade deadline. Whether he got 90% close to a deal or not, they only acquired Francisco Liriano. Fans have scratched their heads about why there were no big additions at the deadline.

Fast-forward a couple of weeks later. They may be on the verge of making a trade for White Sox reliever Tyler Clippard. This news was first reported by Ken Rosenthal. However, Clippard was so excited that he already changed his Twitter bio to list the Astros.

Not too sure how many times that has happened where a player broke the news of a trade. Jon Heyman later confirmed Rosenthal and Clippard’s reports that he was being traded. This acquisition is not on the same level of a Brad Hand or Zach Britton.

The new Astro!

Clippard is a 32-year-old righty who has played for the Yankees and briefly with the White Sox. He is an 11-year veteran with some postseason experience. Heyman added that this was a good pickup.

Clippard did not get off to the best start this season with the Yankees, with a 1-5 record with a 4.95 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. He was then traded to the White Sox as part of the Todd Frazier trade.

With the White Sox, Clippard adjusted his delivery by watching video breakdowns according to Daryl Van Schouwen. In Chicago, he had a 1.80 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 10 innings. This was including two shutout innings versus the Astros on Tuesday and Thursday. The Tuesday game earned him his second save of the season.

The cost.

It was announced later by the White Sox and many others that he was acquired for a player to be named later or cash considerations. This makes sense because the Astros could not trade anyone on the 40-man roster without exposing him to waivers.

I know you are saying yay in a very sarcastic manner. We added a reliever with a 4.27 ERA. Clippard has pitched in 14 playoff games including for the 2015 Mets that played in the World Series. He did take the loss in Game 6 to the Royals, but he knows what it’s like to pitch at the highest level.

Improved bullpen?

Add his arm to Ken Giles, Will Harris, Chris Devenski, Joe Musgrove, and others. Clippard will not be the closer or eighth inning guy consistently. But it is a good move to add a veteran arm instead of relying on a rookie in the playoffs.

This move does not address the left-handed reliever situation, but we did trade for Liriano. Because he will be added to the 40-man roster before August 31st, he will be eligible for the playoffs.

The bad news is that there is not an opening on the 40-man roster and they will have to send a player on the active roster down. They will make that corresponding move tomorrow with a pitcher going back to Triple-A.

Next: Astros: Let’s talk about Alex Bregman’s resurgence

While this is not a sexy move, this could help the bullpen. Especially if he has rediscovered his formula for success. Jake Kaplan reports that Clippard with be at Chase Field tomorrow to join the team. Go Astros.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***