Astros: Left-handed relief pitchers to consider before trade deadline

The Astros currently have one left-handed pitcher available out of their bullpen, and he has an 11.81 ERA. Is it time for Houston to go shopping?

The trade deadline is quickly approaching and one of the Astros‘ most glaring needs seems to be pitching, starters and relievers. We are halfway through the season and Houston has rotated seven pitchers back and forth, from the Minors, to the Majors, and back again. Eight counting Jose Urquidy‘s Major League debut, which, by the way, was marred by the bullpen.

None of these pitchers seem to impress well enough to stick to the roster. Yes, there have been injuries necessitating some of the movement. Even a couple of starters have played dual roles this season. But there are still holes to fill, in both the starting rotation and the bullpen.

So, to say the least, there has been no consistency in the bullpen staff with the rotation of pitchers this season. On top of that, the relievers number of innings worked, month over month, has gone up. The Astros’ relief pitchers saw in increase in innings pitched of 5% from Mar./Apr. to May, and then another 10% increase from May to June.

The bullpen has simply been overburdened lately. Combine that with the inconsistency, and the results are sure to suffer, and they have. The ERA of the pen in May was 2.86 and the opposing teams had a slash line of .208/.283/.341. Compare that to June, 5.42 ERA and the opponents slashing .251/.320/.486. Relievers have allowed over twice as many home runs in June (24), than in May (11).

In my opinion, the Astros should strongly consider looking into picking up a relief pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline hits. Looking at the roster, with Reymin Guduan as their sole left-handed reliever, that’s probably where they need to start, a lefty. I know, a starting pitcher would also be a nice addition, but that is an entirely separate article.

GM Jeff Luhnow has admitted the need and has expressed that they will be looking into getting help in the pitching department. Whether that will be a reliever, a starter, or both, remains to be seen. But in the meantime, let’s take a look at what left-handed relief pitchers might be in the offering.

Will Smith: LH/RP – San Francisco Giants

Let’s face it, the San Francisco Giants are out of the race at 36-47. They are 19.5 games behind the first place Los Angeles Dodgers and currently second to last for a shot at a Wild Card slot. So, I think it’s safe to say that Will Smith, along with other Giants, will be up for grabs in this final month of trading.

Smith started his career with the Kansas City Royals as a starter in 2012. After a 6-9 win-loss record and an ERA of 5.32, the Royals thought it best to try him out as a reliever. Ever since going to the bullpen, his highest season ERA was 3.70.

He missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he seems to have come back even better. His career ERA prior to the surgery was 3.88 and had a 1.344 WHIP. In the two years post-surgery, he has dropped his ERA to 2.40 and his WHIP to 0.915.

The 29-year-old reliever is having a stellar season for San Francisco and has been justly rewarded by being selected to his first All-Star appearance. Smith is tied for first in the National League in games finished with 32, tied for second with a 3.4 WPA (Max Scherzer 1st with 3.5), and third in the League with 21 saves.

Smith is having the best season of his career boasting a 2.16 ERA, 0.810 WHIP, and a 1.2 WAR. He has struck out 51 in his 33.1 innings of work and walked a paltry eight batters. That gives him an impressive 13.8 SO/9 IP and a 6.38 SO/BB ratio. Smith has only surrendered three homers all season.

Will Smith would come in with a relatively cheap $4.23 million dollar contract. But he would probably equate to just a rental, being that he becomes a free agent at the end of this season. He is primarily a closer with San Francisco but would be a nice left-handed compliment to Ryan Pressly and Roberto Osuna.

Felipe Vazquez: LH/RP – Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates aren’t quite in as hopeless of a situation as the Giants, but they’re working on it. They are currently in fourth place in the NL Central Division with a record of 39-43. Pittsburgh is just four games back in the Wild Card race, but have six teams ahead of them. If something doesn’t give soon, they’ll be in the selling mood.

Felipe Vazquez, like Will Smith, is having one of the finest seasons of his career. He was on the 2018 All-Star Team and it’s beyond me why he isn’t on this year’s team. His numbers this year are by far superb to last season’s statistics.

This the 27-year-old left-hander’s fifth year in the Majors and he has impressive career numbers. In 300 games, an average of 68 appearances per season, he has an ERA of 2.73 and a 153 ERA+. He has accumulated 369 strikeouts over his career giving him a SO/9 IP of 10.8.

If you think those numbers look good, check out this year’s performance. Vazquez has 35 innings of work in 33 games and already has 19 saves to his credit. He has a 2.00 ERA and a 218 ERA+. He has compiled 57 strikeouts giving him a 14.3 SO/9 IP. He also has a career-best 2.21 FIP. Vazquez is currently 7th in the Majors among relief pitchers with a 1.3 WAR.

The price tag for Vazquez is a reasonable one. He’s due approximately $13.5 million on the last two years of a 4-year contract. He is the Pirates best reliever and it may be very difficult to convince them to let him go, and if they did it would take some major trade pieces from the Astros.

Brad Hand:  LH/RP – Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are on the bubble of getting into selling territory. Their chance of winning the AL Central Division is quickly slipping away as they are seven games behind the Twins. But they are still in the running for a Wild Card position. They could be a team to keep an eye on for trade partners as July winds down and the Wild Card race becomes clearer.

The intriguing relief pitcher that could be of help to Houston is Brad Hand. Jon Morosi of MLB.com suggests that as Cleveland’s chances at winning the division lessen, their willingness to trade a couple of their pitchers will increase and Hand was one of those pitchers named.

Hand was selected to participate in this year’s All-Star Game, his third straight appearance in the Summer Classic. He is tied for first in the League with 23 saves and has a commanding lead in games finished with 37.

He has pitched in 38 games totaling 36.1 innings of work. His ERA sits at a very respectable 2.23 along with a 211 ERA+. His strikeout per nine innings pitched ratio has climbed in each year of his career topping out this season at 13.4.

Hand has a very low ground ball rate inducing a lot of fly balls, when not striking out batters. But not to worry, very few of those ever make it over the fence. He’s allowed only two home runs this season giving him a 0.50 HR/9 rate. He is sitting at fourth in the Majors Leagues with a 1.5 WAR for relievers.

When looking at Hand’s results, the 29-year-old wouldn’t be the salary burden on the Astros you would expect. He has this season and next left on his three-year $19.75 million contract. He is due $6.5 million this season and $7 million next.