Now that we have reached the All-Star Game, let's look at the moves the Astros did and didn't make.
First, the big trade. The Astros sent Willie Taveras, Taylor Buckholtz, and Jason Hirsh to the Rockies for Jason Jennings. Hirsh at the time was the Astros #1 pitching prospect. Jennings in 10 starts is 1-4 with a 4.07 ERA. Hirsh in 17 starts is 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA. Buckholtz in 7 starts is 3-4 with a 4.65 ERA and has pitched out of the bullpen. Willie T is hitting .325 with 20 steals. The rap on him was lack of power and he doesn't walk. He has 16 walks for the year for a OBP of .371 and he is slugging .391 with 13 extra base hits. The guy the Astros replaced Willie T with in centerfield, Hunter Pence is currently leading the NL in batting, hitting .342 with 11 homeruns and 42 RBI's. He is slugging .589 and has 10 walks.
Now the moves the Astros didn't make, the two guys pitching for the NY Yankees. Andy Pettitte in 18 starts is 4-6 with a 4.25 ERA. He has pitched 112 innings and pitched good early, but seems to be in a bit of a slump. Roger Clemens in 6 starts is 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA and has only given up 2 runs in his last two starts.
UPDATE: Carlos Beltran, all-star, is hitting .265 with 16 HR and 55 RBI's. He is really struggling now though. That is the non-deal from 3 years ago.
My opinion? I think the Rockie trade was bad, as Jennings is a free agent at the end of the season, and while Hunter is great, both Hunter and Pence would be better. Pettitte is getting old, and I don't think his second half will be much better. Clemens seems to have hit his stride, but we'll see how he holds up. Those two I don't miss.
Now, the Astros need to start trading guys to restock, and make a run in a few years again. Rebuilding time, Astros.
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5 comments:
So you've given up on them this season? I remember that happening before - the paper put a big gravestone on the front page - I believe that year we made it to the playoffs!
That was a different team and they were not this far down at the break either. There are only 2 teams that are worse than the Astros in the NL. Time to wake up, make some moves to help in future years.
I agree...rebuilding. The bad thing about baseball is that I tend to get attached to players even if they aren't that good. Oh, well. We'll see how it plays out. While we may not have the best season we can still enjoy it for what it is...like Saturday and all 17 innings that went with it.
I agree - gotta love 'em even tho this isn't their year. I get attached to the players, too, but have to remind myself that baseball is a business. Let's just hope they keep Hunter Pence around! I'm lovin' him right now!
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