Astros GM Jeff Luhnow suggested today that he doesn’t anticipate making another significant acquisition this month. In an appearance on the Josh Innes Show on SportsTalk 790, the Houston executive said in particular that the team isn’t likely to add a starter.
“Right now I would set expectations very low that anything happens between now and the end of the month,” Luhnow said when asked about the possibility of bolstering the rotation. While he noted that the club will “continue to monitor” the market, Luhnow indicated there are no ongoing talks to pick up another arm.
While we heard yesterday that the ’Stros have had some recent chats with the Tigers about Justin Verlander, it also seemed that there was no real momentum toward a deal. The longtime Detroit ace is just one of many players to have cleared waivers this month, though he’s actually the only starter to have reportedly done so to this point.
Despite Luhnow’s understandably cautious comments, perhaps it’s still possible something could come together. Houston and Detroit have “a good understanding of the other’s position” in trade talks, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). That situation, he suggests, could yet set the stage for a late-breaking deal later this month.
Beyond Verlander, it’s tough to identify a plausible target for Houston during the August trade season. An unknown organization has placed a claim on Blue Jays righty Marco Estrada, though there’s no indication it was the Astros or that any deal is likely. A variety of other hurlers could also conceivably make for August trade candidates, though none have been tied to Houston.
While the Astros would surely like to upgrade their overall pitching mix, the team has made clear it won’t reach on a valuation to do so. And there’s little reason for the club to add an arm for depth purposes, with the division in hand and plenty of viable rotation pieces on the staff. If anything, it would seem the organization would have potential interest in adding a hurler worthy of taking the ball to start a postseason game.
It’s worth your time to give a listen to the remainder of the interview as well. Luhnow discussed a variety of topics, including the recent acquisition of Tyler Clippard — a pitcher the team has “had [its] eye on for a couple years” — and the outlook on young contributors Derek Fisher and Francis Martes.
jmi1950
If Verlanger is willing the Astro’s should put up whatever $$$ & or prospects to make this deal. He gives them 3 yrs to win a WS with their strong young core. There is no one better who won’t cost them more $$$ and yrs (and therefore more risk) in the free agent class. 3yrs 64 MM for Verlanger is far less risk than what Darvish, Arrietta et al will get this winter.
tigerfan4ever
Verlanger?
jmi1950
Typo’s are the hobgoblin of small minded people.
lesterdnightfly
Or the practice of the grammatically indifferent.
p.s. It’s ‘typos” — I donate to Save The Apostrophes.
jmi1950
I still have my 1964 copy of “Strunk and White”. I just didn’t know I needed to refer to it to post on this forum.
stymeedone
That’s nice, because there aren’t many changes in the 2016 edition. It’s all still relevant.
lesterdnightfly
You have a point. “Verlanger” wasn’t born yet in ’64.
But they still didn’t use apostrophes to form plurals back then. “The Elements of Style” is worth another (or a first) read.
Ejoey
Let us assume the tigers would trade Verlander and 20 million. What could the tigers reasonably receive in return?
Astros2333
Its much more difficult than that. If Verlander gets traded an opt out triggers and he can leave at the end of the season or next season.
If there was no opt out* then Tucker and Perez would be the starting point.
jmi1950
There is no opt out in his contract now. Some have speculated that to get him to waive his no trade right he could demand an opt out.
sngehl01
Tucker wouldn’t be a starting point even without the opt out. He’s been off limits in their talks for Quintana and Gray, who are younger, equally good, and on better contracts. Perez? Sure. Tucker? No way.
Schroeder
“Expectations very low for the Astros to make it out of the first round of the playoffs”
bradthebluefish
That’s such B.S. They’ll have Carlos Correa back and they’ll have their ace Dallas Keuchel ready to go.
Kslaw
You can’t be serious. There is no guarantee Correa comes back in top form and keuchel has been iffy at best since his return from the DL.
astros_should_be_fortyfives
Yup
steven st croix
Why they spent so much time messing with Baltimore is surprising. Also, I don’t think Britton fixes their main issue, starting pitching in the playoffs. Kuechel and McCullers are question marks for the 1st round right now. They might go out and pitch 7 innings or shutout ball, or they might not make it out of the 4th. Lunhow has done a good job with this franchise, until now. I would rather win a World Series than have a top 5 farm system.
stros1fan
I would rather win a World Series while maintaining a top 10 farm system. Verlander does very little to move the needle toward a possible WS title.
Solaris611
Is Luhnow somehow related to Mark Shapiro? Shapiro had a special way of throwing cold water onto Tribe fans’ expectations every stretch drive when they had a shot at the post season. Notice that is no longer the case in CLE since he departed for TOR.
dodgerfan711
1st year without Shapiro the Indians make the world series. lol
jdgoat
With the core he built. This year they should be running away in the AL, and all they added was Jay Bruce.
Solaris611
Shapiro would have never signed Edwin Encarnacion or traded for Bruce or Andrew Miller. He would have gone out and signed Pedro Alvarez and traded for Craig Breslow and Alejandro De Aza. Tribe fans know exactly what I’m talking about.
Mark Fichtel
The Astros simply won’t part with young talent. That’s why they have to shop in the clearance isle, for garbage like Clippard and Liriano. Verlander (and some cash towards contract) could probably be had for a couple young players who really aren’t of any immediate need to the Astros. Martes and Tucker would probably get it done.
Ejoey
In Moment we would do it But rather have a package starting with Whitney.
notorious623
1) Francis Martes would have to clear waivers since he’s on the Astros’ MLB roster. That will not happen.
2) I’m going to assume you mean Preston Tucker cause if you meant Kyle Tucker, that’s insanity… Kyle Tucker straight up for Verlander would be a horrible deal for the Astros (unless the Tigers ate the entirety of Verlander’s contract – even then it’s bad). Adding Kyle Tucker plus Martes would be horrendous.
Ejoey
I know the world loves Tucker but I would rather have Whitney.
notorious623
You mean Whitley? If so, there’s no way the Astros trade him for Verlander. I could see a deal centered around someone like Franklin Perez
Ejoey
Tucker would not have the World Series impact the next 3 3 years that Verlander would give you.
stros1fan
34-year old Verlander adds very little to what the Astros already have. If Keuchel and McCullers aren’t healthy they aren’t winning the WS with or without Verlander.
Legacy of Bo
Drinking a Strohs thinking about this comment. Verlander is a stud, who gets very little run support from his Tiger teammates when he pitches. Not only would he be a big game pitcher and slot anywhere between the 1-3 spot in the rotation, his post season experience is invaluable in a locker room lacking it. Every fan places higher value on their prospects than they are truly worth. Preston Tucker would have to clear waivers to be moved, same with anyone else on the 40-man. Kyle Tucker is the target and an ace pitcher is worth it during a pennant race. Astros fans have to remember that despite the youth, the window may not be open as long as they think. Deals have to be made when the getting is good.
sngehl01
I love how you assume Verlander makes a significant impact. It’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about what you’re going to do. At this point in Verlanders career, his a decent pitcher with a big name. Kinda like how CC Sabathia was the last few years.
Insidemoves22
Be a great deal if they won the W.S. No one cares who had best farm system in ’08, but Pilly fans love that W.S title.
Ejoey
The trade will never be made without Whitley or Tucker.
stros1fan
The Tigers aren’t stupid and they know there is no way they are getting a very highly rated prospect for a once great pitcher that is on the decline. There is no way the Tigers are getting any prospect the caliber of Tucker or Whitley for Verlander. I can see a package centered around Yordan Alvarez and Daz Cameron, but they wouldn’t get much else. Any team acquiring Verlander is getting 2017 Verlander, not 2011 Verlander.
Whyamihere
You know this how?
stymeedone
So, in your mind, an Ace starter should cost little. Verlander would probably go for a bit less due to his contract, but he is still pitching like an Ace. If you need one, you will pay for one, or you will go without one.
newagescamartist
Is he still an ace though? He gets paid like one, but is he projected to pitch like one going forward?
sngehl01
A 4+ era/fip is an ace now? Wow, how low standards are…
Verlander (marginally) moves the needle. He’s not an upgrade over Keuchel, McCullers, or Morton at this point in his career. And I mean on a per game basis. Any are a risk to not be healthy. After that, Fiers/Peacock/McHugh you can’t feel great about, no matter which you’re throwing, but whoever is throwing the best ball heading into the playoffs is gonna be getting those starts. The chances that Verlander is pitching (substantially) better than any of those 3 later this fall isn’t that great.
Verlander would be a welcome addition, no doubt, but when it comes at the cost of a moderately substantial prospect return + taking on a not good contract, it’s a deal that’s simply not worth making. Now, if Peacock wasn’t breaking out and McHugh wasn’t back into form (his bb/9, k/9, hit rate, etc have been about par for the course). His 4.88 ERA is obviously high, but his FIP suggests he’s been a little unlucky.
The point is : Verlanders name value outweighs his on the field value. He’d be a good add, but he’s not worth the big haul Detroit is holding out for. They want Houston to pay for the fact he’s a Detroit icon, they have openly said as much. With that way of thinking, you can’t expect Houston to make a deal.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
Well as long as he’s on the 40 man he’d have to clear waivers regardless of whether or not he’s on the MLB roster.
lesterdnightfly
Mark Fichtel:
Is that “clearance isle” in the Eastern Caribbean? Guadeloupe or Trinidad maybe?
OnlyRaysFan
Overpaying just because random fans of other teams call you out, is a good way to end up back in the 2011-2013 Astros era.
dugdog83
Or the 2017-2020 Astros who can’t get over the playoff hump. Your fools if you think adding JV is a bad idea. Your farm team isn’t going anywhere the next couple years cuz the big team is stacked and full. Make some trades and win now. Farm systems aren’t just to look at. Blows my mind Astros fan can only think of farm teams and not the World Series. You will have a tough time coming out of the AL Cleveland will beat you as it sits now. And you know it. You could even draw Yankees and have no experience on your side. Long days in the Bronx
Whyamihere
Oh drat, did the playoffs happen already?
Kslaw
No way they part with those guys for JV. They balked at Chris Sale because it involved Tucker.
AndThisGameBelongsToMySanDiegoPadres
Verlander has negative trade value. Tigers aren’t getting Martes or Tucker for him and if they trade him to someone else they aren’t getting anyone like Martes or Tucker.
julyn82001
Luhnow did not insist on A’s Gray… Billy Beane was listening and Sonny would’ve made a nice addition but hey…
AndThisGameBelongsToMySanDiegoPadres
Yeah. Idk if Luhnow or Beane had some kind of reservation about dealing with a division rival. But looking at what the A’s ultimately got for Gray, the Astros could have easily gotten him. And considering the respective states of their farm system and Major League rotation, they arguably should have.
detroitdave84
Hopefully this is just Houston just blowing smoke because they don’t make a deal when it would only cost them their number 3 prospect and possibly a #10 & #20 when they have a ton of prospects, is stupid, short sided & basically says to the team and fans that this year really doesn’t matter to them. It says that they don’t believe they can beat the Dodgers.
Ejoey
How do you beat the Dodgers or even get to them w/o Verlander or some equal to him. Take it from the tigers it’s nice being competitive but not like winning it all.
stymeedone
I understand the Astros believing they have a young team, and the future is bright, but you never know when or if the opportunity will come. Atlanta built a great team, yet only won a single WS. Detroit contended for ten years, and didn’t win any. The Cubs won last year, but are having to battle this year. Not taking advantage of your opportunities is the biggest mistake a GM can make.
lesterdnightfly
“Not taking advantage of your opportunities is the biggest mistake a GM can make.”
Wise words !
OnlyRaysFan
Probably doesn’t help that they don’t have a huge budget and can’t take on a huge contract and give up significant prospects; for the people saying Tucker is worth it. They are unlikely going to be able to afford all their young players so they need prospects to fill in. Trade top prospects for a small window; given Verlander’s age; then you’re left with nothing afterwards if you can’t afford your young stars. Luhnow probably wants to be like the Cardinals that constantly push out successful players from their farm system.
jmi1950
64MM for 2017,2018 and 2019 is not huge for a team with a great chance to win their first WS. Especially when you look at what is available for SP FA’s this winter. As for prospects, the Astros won’t have regular PT for 2/3 of them. If they don’t get Verlander now they will probably being looking at the same tough choices next yr. Not to mention what the fall out in the clubhouse will be.
Ejoey
having watch the Dodgers recently maybe the Astros Management doesn’t feel that they’re not ready to win it all right now and why they’re not going all-in for Verlander I don’t know if they even get past Cleveland