I'm okay with the deal. I didn't see Lee as someone the Astros were going to keep long term. With that being said, I figured he would have been part of a package for a starter. I like that Dana isn't waiting until the last day to get something done as this was my issue with Click. I thank the Dodgers for getting movement started with the deadline.
Lee reunites with Vaughn in Chicago. I don't really think Lee was in the team plans going forward. He just never really put it together in the Big Leagues. Could be wrong. Wish him the best though. Good luck.
I'm hoping we get the Astros Graveman back. I'm a little disappointed that Lee still didn't have enough prospect luster to get back a reliever that would induce less heartburn.
Nobody was legitimately saying that... unless they were trying to gauge true value for long-shot trades for guys like Soto or Ohtani. Diaz has at the very least proven himself to be a guy worthy of being a mid-order DH against righties. That has value by itself. Add his ability to catch and/or play first, and you're not going to ever get a guaranteed 1-1 return.
Bottom line is this trade makes the team better this year and next. Lee may become an all-star but that's just the price. Both Brown and Dusty have publicly said that Diaz is the catcher of the future. The bullpen is gassed and needs another leverage arm to help them recover. Neris, Maton, and Stanek are FA so the 2024 bullpen was looking like Pressly, Abreu, Montero and a bunch of AAAA guys. Remember last year when Pressly, Montero, Abreu, and Neris with Stanek as the #5 guy was the most dominant playoff bullpen ever? Well now there is: Pressly, Abreu, Neris, Graveman, and Maton with Montero and Stanek as the #6 and #7 guys. If they can recover and hit the playoffs fresh it could be another great run.
What do some of you think about Contreras of the Cards being shopped? I wouldn't want him at his price tag but it sounds like they are really wanting him gone. Idk. They would have to eat some of that cash.
With the emergence of Diaz, Lee was nowhere to be found in the future plans of the Astros. His value in this organization was wholly dependent on what he could bring back in a trade. Apparently, that value is 1.5 years of a set-up man. Anyone lamenting the loss is still focused on his draft position and not his actual worth as a player. Keith Law (I know) makes it seem like he has regressed in the eyes of scouts. Lee was Houston’s first-round pick in 2019, a modest surprise who wasn’t on my predraft top 100, someone the Astros liked more for some of his metrics than from a scouting perspective. He performed well enough to project as a soft regular until he reached Triple A last year, where he’s become a much less disciplined hitter, chasing way more pitches out of the zone, like he’s trying to just mash his way to the big leagues. It’s enough to make me think he’s more likely a backup than a starter, but he still has that everyday ceiling if he gets back to the hitter he was through 2021, swinging at strikes and putting the ball in play rather than trying to dead-pull so many pitches.
Martinez can go down I think they will try and get another BP arm aswell. Which could force thwre hand to move a Stanek or hopefully Montero. I think this team should do everything ro get Hader here this BP would be shut down. But again they would have to move away from Montero to make that happen. I dont think Neris opts out he loves it here. And I'd almost certainly thi k Maton might leave . Stanek who cares.
