Astros: best trade options out of the NL East

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
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Charlie Morton, Houston Astros
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves

Will Smith

Will Smith has disappointed since signing his big contract with the Braves two years ago. But the lefty is still a former All Star with incredible skillset that you can’t find everyday. Smith has a mid-90s fastball that attacks the zone and his slider ranks among the best pitches in the game (career .143 opponent BA with a 47% Whiff rate!).

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Smith still has a high strikeout per nine rate (13.1) and doesn’t give up many home runs – always a need when your team plays in a hitter-friendly ballpark like Minute Maid. With the Braves season taking a turn for the worse, perhaps Atlanta considers retooling their roster and moving Smith in return for future prospects  And a change of scenery might be what the talented Mr. Smith might need the most.

Charlie Morton

I mean … duh. I don’t need to spit off stats about Charlie Morton – Chuck’s one of the best in the game and is one of the best dudes ever. And he belongs back in an Astros uniform.

How awesome would it be if the Astros had Charlie Morton come in the seventh inning of game seven of the 2021 World Series and finish the game, all culminating in a soft ground ball hit the Jose Altuve for the final out? Astros are World Series Champs 2: The Sequel?

Come on, James Click – let’s make this happen!

The Astros are back on the field on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. with Framber Valdez countering right-hander Kyle Gibson. With the anticipation of Aledmys Diaz returning for the upcoming road trip, Alex Bregman is to have more news on his health tomorrow, while Josh James and Brooks Raley threw to hitters before the game on Friday.

Schedule