Philadelphia Phillies
Archie Bradley
The right-hander is playing nowhere near his peak 2017 season when he was with Arizona, but Bradley has still put together a pretty solid campaign for the Phillies. After a really tough early part of the season, Bradley seems to have found his stride – he has not given up a run in his last seven innings and is holding opponents to a .155 BA during this time.
Although his velocity has started to dip just a little since leaving Arizona two years ago, Bradley is still very effective with his fastball (OBA .245) and his change-up (.260). Bradley will be a free agent at the end of this year, and Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski has been known to be trigger-happy around the deadline. Bradley wouldn’t be game-changer but would give the Astros another solid steady option in the pen.
More from Climbing Tal's Hill
- Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
- Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
- Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
- Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
- Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer
Brad Miller
Trading for a guy like Brad Miller to be your every-day second baseman wouldn’t exactly thrill anyone. But trading for a guy like Brad Miller to be a utility infielder option off the bench wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Brad Miller is hitting .237 BA this year, to go along with nine home runs, 25 RBIs and a .765 OPS. His bat and position flexibility would give Houston another option for off-days and you’d feel comfortable going with him if/when key players on the roster are injured.
Robel Garcia was a nice story in the beginning, but he has been unplayable as of late. And Abraham Toro seems to be too streaky of a player to be relied on in postseason. Brad Miller is a productive nine-year vet whose experience would be vital come playoff time. Again, if Dombrowski has a Philly fire sale at the deadline, Miller might be a solid bench option available on the cheap.