On Monday night, Astros fans were in a frenzy. GM Dana Brown did what he said he wanted to do by trading for lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi to add to a rotation dismantled by injury. The problem was he had to give up two minor league standouts and popular rookie Joey Loperfido.
Tuesday, Brown worked a deal with the Yankees to acquire lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson, another priority at the deadline, for a young A-ball pitcher, Kelly Austin.
Of their three priorities — starter, reliever, bat — they Astros landed two, but was the cost too high?
The Astros acquired two pitchers, both of whom are free agents after this year. Kikuchi has the kind of stuff, particularly strikeouts per nine innings, the Astros believe they can build on and improve. Ferguson gives them flexibility in a tired bullpen and a left hander they’ve wanted for some time.
In the end, it’s a pretty good couple of players who could play a role in another postseason run. The frustration seemed to be with what they sent in return. But when you look at it after the initial sting wears off, it probably isn’t as bad as you think.
Jake Bloss, a guy who probably had no business pitching at the major league level this season, was ultimately a pitcher most projected as a third or fourth pitcher in the rotation. He has solid if somewhat average stuff and might have a hard time cracking a rotation that could include a number of players the Astros have picked in recent drafts.
It was great to watch Will Wagner, son of Astros great Billy Wagner, develop in the minors, but he was ultimately a marginal player with quality bat skills and no power who played middle infield spots already occupied by a Hall of Famer and a great young player. His opportunities in Houston were limited at best.
Yes, the loss of Joey Loperfido was the toughest to swallow, but in the light of day, maybe not as much. The Astros already have multiple outfielders in their farm system, including number one prospect Jacob Melton, who had duplicate skills to Loperfido without the strikeout propensity. The team called up Pedro Leon, a five-tool player who has been injuries away from contributing in the majors and now gets his shot.
We all liked Loperfido, in particular, but the Astros weren’t going to wind up with quality roster position players for some rookie ball prospects and the contract of Rafael Montero, no matter how much you might wishcast it. If these two pitchers help get the Astros deep into the playoffs, it will have been worth it.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
