Astros: 7 Players Who Could Help at the Trade Deadline

Francisco Cervelli – Catcher – Pittsburgh Pirates

Color me a hater, I don’t care. Max Stassi is just not holding his weight right now. At the age of 28, there is still promise for him to pick up the stick and hit more than a NL pitcher can. However, on a team vying for another trophy, it’s becoming harder to justify the output.

Around four months ago, the Pirates were putting out feelers for a trade partner to take on Cervelli and his contract. In their pursuit of J. T. Realmuto, the Astros were keen to give it a go. However, after missing the biggest fish in the pond, the Astros opted to stick with Stassi and sign Robinson Chirinos.

Cervelli would not only bring a veteran presence behind the dish, but he would bring the ever so coveted ability to have a high frame rate too. So far this season, he has also thrown out a sparkling 40% of all runners against him. Well above league average.

The hitting is, well, hit and miss. In the first month of the season, he is only posting a .175 average. His career average indicates that this is merely just a slow start, as he has posted .250 and above the last nine seasons.

Contract wise, Cervelli could be penned as a rental, as he hits the free-agent market after this season. However, he could turn into a thrifty re-sign to help younger prospects like Stassi or Garrett Stubbs next year.

Plus, he’s a fan-favorite. Pirates fans already know how good he is behind the plate.

Contract:  1 year  $11 million – Free Agent 2020.
Pirate Needs:  Starting Pitcher, Bullpen, Third Base, Shortstop
Likelihood of happening: Medium to High

Nicholas Castellanos – Outfielder/DH/1B – Detroit Tigers

Probably the unlikeliest of options, Castellanos has long been the lone “ace-in-the-hole” for the Tigers, regarding trade chips. At 27 years old, Castellanos will hit the free agent market at the end of this year. Which bodes well in his favor, however, the Astros may shy away from both the asking price and the uncertainty of re-signing him.

If they do choose to pursue this option, Castellanos would be a perfect fit for the everyday left fielder/designated hitter position. Michael Brantley currently has left field locked up, but rotating both Brantley and Castellanos between the DH/LF spot would be a wise use of their offensive production.

Since entering the league at the ripe age of 21, Castellanos has done nothing but hit. He has maintained an average of .270 the last five seasons. He also has the ability to hit the long ball, slugging 94 home runs since 2014. All this being done on an anemic Tigers offense.

Fielding wise, he is a bit less reliable, posting a combined -9.0 dWAR since coming into the league. His worst year being last year, as he posted a -2.4 dWAR. Which furthers the point of sticking him in left field or DH.

His contract is considerably cheap, as he is due only $9.95 million. However, with his bat, his age, and his power, those factors would almost put him out of re-signing range. Especially if the Astros are going to try and break the bank for Gerrit Cole.

Contract: 1 year $9.95 million – FA in 2020

Tigers Needs: OF, IF, SP, RP, CP, Front Office

Likelihood of happening: Low

Jose Abreu – First Baseman – Chicago White Sox

Long been a crush of the Houston front office, Jose Abreu is stuck on a constantly rebuilding Chicago team. Albeit, they are on the cusp of coming back into prominence, it would be in the White Sox best interest to explore a trade for Abreu, gather more prospects, and continue building towards the future.

Debuting in 2014 as a free agent signing out of Cuba, Abreu could join his countryman, Yuli Gurriel and help him anchor first base while rotating out of the designated hitter spot. With Tyler White being inconsistent, at best, in the DH position, the Astros could use a boost there.

In the early going of the season, Abreu is hitting a robust .292 average with six home runs and 30 RBIs. Something the Astros are struggling with mightily right now. Since debuting, he has yet to have a WAR below 1.0. He is currently sitting with a WAR of 0.8 compared to Tyler White’s WAR of -0.1

Abreu has a penchant for bringing in runners, as he has only posted one year of below 100 RBIs. His power hovers around the 25-35 home run range and would be a fantastic #5 hitter.

Contract: 1 year $16 million – FA in 2020
White Sox Needs: OF, 3B, 1B, RP
Likelihood of happening: Medium to “it needs to happen”

Robbie Ray – Left-Handed Starting Pitcher – Arizona Diamondbacks

Robbie Ray has been closely followed by the Astros brass. Brian Murray wrote about this when the news broke that the Astros were interested in a partnership with the Diamondbacks to bring Ray’s services to Houston. MLBTradeRumors were also on the Robbie Ray to Astros bandwagon.

It’s not like GM Jeff Luhnow to express interest and then leave it at that. Expect his name to pop up again when the time comes. Especially if the recent string of bad outings from Brad Peacock and Colin McHugh continues. If bets were on the table, Peacock to the pen and Ray to the rotation would be the outcome Astros fans would love to see.

In this early season, Ray’s production is a bit convoluted to weed out. His FIP is lower than last year at 4.11, which is still a number that is a little disconcerting. However, his strikeouts remain high posting 200+ strikeouts in 2016-2017 seasons. Ray’s ability to miss the bat is well documented

Ray also is due $6 million this year, the bonus being, he has one more season of arbitration to go. It almost aligns up nicely as a Cole-Clone-style scenario.

Contract: 1 year  $6 million – ARB in 2020 – FA in 2021
Diamondback Needs: SP, SS, 2B, RP
Likelihood of happening: Low to Surprised on July 31st

Taylor Rogers – Left-Handed Relief Pitcher – Minnesota Twins

I rather hate what I’m about to write. It’s so cliche that I used to hate when talking heads would bring it up. However, the Astros do in-fact have a need for a lefty out of the pen. Framber Valdez and Reymin Guduan show promise, but have largely been ineffective as a shut-down arm out of the pen. All the while, Chris Devenski is still working at putting last year behind him and get back on the horse as a lefty neutralizer.

This leads to the Astros double-dipping. After scoring Ryan Pressly from the Twins last year at the deadline, the  Astros could be poised to do it again and snap up the lefty Rogers.

Holding his own out of the Twins pen, Rogers has a penchant for striking out batters and keeping the ball in the ballpark, owning a 2.68 FIP and 13.2 SO/9. To compare him to the aforementioned Pressly, when the Astros acquired him, Pressly was pitching a fantastic 2.47 FIP with a 12.8 SO/9.

This would probably pose more difficult as the Twins look to be in the hunt for a playoff birth right now. If that were to change, Rogers could help the Astros down the stretch and in addition to the future. At 25 years old, he is controlled through the 2023 season so the prospects to be given up could pose costly.

Contract: 1 yr $1.53 million in 2019 – ARB eligible 2023
Twins Needs: SP, 1B
Likelihood of happening: Low to Medium

Trey Mancini – OF/DH/1B – Baltimore Orioles

Same song, different verse when it comes to a DH/OF role type player to come to Houston. Mancini is in the midst of a career-year on a terrible team.

Slugging a team-leading six home runs and .342 average, Mancini poses as a long-term 1B/DH position player for the Astros, if dealt for. Sitting at his 4th season, Mancini is finally blossoming into the player the Orioles hoped he would be. Only they aren’t in the position to contend.

Mancini’s OBP has inflated from .299 last year to a current .397 and his slugging has bumped up from .416 to .596. This is the type of production the Astros long for. His power will only flourish more in a lineup that is full of star potential. As of 2018, he topped out hitting 24 home runs. The potential for a 30 HR/100 RBI season is not too far off for Mancini.

Mancini has a Hunter Pence (ala-2011) feel to him, in the sense of being a budding young star on a floundering 100 loss team. He is also controllable through 2023 as well. So a good bit of prospects will need to return to Baltimore.

Contract: 1 yr $575 K in 2019 – ARB eligible 2023
Orioles Needs: SP,1B, 2B, 3B, OF, RP, CL, Front Office
Likelihood of happening: Low to “I dare you Luhnow”

Caleb Smith – Left-Handed Starting Pitcher – Miami Marlins

As a former Sam Houston State University grad and someone who covered their baseball squad when Caleb Smith was on it, this is purely a homer pick for me.

The Miami Marlins, much like the Orioles, Tigers, and White Sox, are still rebuilding. Derek Jeter will no doubt see the strong start that Caleb Smith has carved out for himself and try to get the utmost prospects in return for Miami.

The 27-year-old southpaw has put his dreadful 2018 behind him and is now sitting with a 2.81 ERA and undefeated in six games. His SO/9 has jumped up from 10.2 in 2018 to 11.3. He has also learned to keep the ball in play as he has dropped his FIP from 3.96 to 2.81. That is right on par with Justin Verlander.

In comparison this season:

Justin Verlander: 44 IP , 53 K , 3.74 FIP, .864 WHIP, 10.8 SO/9
Caleb Smith: 36 IP, 45 K, 2.81 FIP, .833 WHIP, 11.3 SO/9

With one game removed, that is a fantastic stat line to hang your hat o

n, especially for someone that throws lefty.

Controllable through 2024, I’m sure it will be a rough go to even try to pry this stud away from the Marlins. Jeter may like the idea of Sixto Sanchez and Caleb Smith being a solid 1-2 punch. We’ve also seen his unwavering negotiations in action, as he was adamant that Kyle Tucker or Forrest Whitley be included in Realmuto trades.

Contract: 1 yr $557 K in 2019 – ARB eligible 2024
Marlins Needs: SP,1B,2B,3B,OF,RP,CL, Front Office
Likelihood of happening: Low to Unlikely