Jim Crane might’ve tipped his hand on Astros’ quiet trade deadline with Joe Espada defense

Sometimes we see and hear things, and the more times it is seen and heard, the more different interpretations we get from it.

Such is the case here with Jim Crane. Crane notably said about his manager on August 25 that Espada was "doing what he can do with what he's got".

Initially his noted comments regarding Joe Espada, now nearly three weeks old, seemed like a defense of a manager who has dealt with a rash of injuries, lack of depth, slow start, recent personal struggle and a report that his fate had been decided. The Astros were under fire, and Crane's words took the heat off his manager in that moment. It's the kind of things leaders do.

However, the more I read the comments and the more those comments come into play, the more meaning I find in them. Specifically, the "with what he's got" part of that statement.

Those aren't exactly the words of a glowing endorsement of the team. They more reflect a description that now former-GM Dana Brown failed to assemble a capable roster. That assertion now leads down a different path:

Did Crane have such little faith in the roster that he chose not to allow Brown to make any moves of significance at the trade deadline?

His comments from three weeks ago, paired with reports Crane 86'd a trade of pending free agent Bryan Abreu to the Minnesota Twins for OF Trevor Larnach (a LH-hitting OF who can actually hit) together now conspire to help reach that conclusion.

While Abreu's turnaround is noteworthy, he is also a pending free agent who is likely looking for a closer opportunity and closer money. The Astros will have no interest in paying a setup man closer money again (hello, Rafael Montero anyone?) unless they've completely lost their minds. Considering the Astros concerns on payroll, and it would bring the conclusion to a near certainty that Bryan Abreu will be on another team next season (or whenever they play Major League Baseball again).

Larnach still has another yeat of team control, something that has been at the forefront of what the Astros desire in trade acquisitions for the last two years. Larnach earned under $4.5M in his Arb 2 season, so his Arb 3 season should also be reasonable.

Instead, the only move the team made was trading a surplus starter (Spencer Arrighetti) who may be better suited as a swingman for a lefthanded defensive outfielder (Daulton Varsho) who was a below average bat, hoping a change of scenery may help them catch some lightning in a bottle down the stretch (spoiler: they caught no lightning) as Varsho was also a pending free agent and stood to gain from a productive stretch run.

The deadline inspired no confidence that the team had any direction. They weren't buying enough to make an impact, they weren't selling to get younger and more affordable talent. They were essentially staying status quo, something many teams do when they know they are going to have a change in leadership. They give the new boss the opportunity to decide for themselves who they want to keep and move, what kind of stamp they want to put on the organization.

All the pieces have come together. Crane's comments just tie them all together. He didn't think this team was really good enough to have the window open. He also didn't think the former GM was capable of making the changes necessary to open the window properly.

The main questions now are these: Who will be entrusted to take the reins of reconstructing the roster, and will Espada get a fair shake at keeping his job considering he had to do his best with what he had?

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow