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« Blue Jays To Sit Out Free Agent Market? | Main | Rockies Rumors: Sullivan, Hudson, Fogg »
Astros Likely To Trade Valverde, Wigginton?
According to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros "seem likely to trade" closer Jose Valverde and third baseman Ty Wigginton in the next few weeks due to payroll concerns. Both players are arbitration-eligible, a year away from free agency. The Astros stand to save $10-15MM if they move both.
The Astros are aiming for a $100MM payroll, and both players would have to go to get there. And, there still may not be room to sign a starter like Randy Wolf, Randy Johnson, or Andy Pettitte.
It's not a great time to trade a closer, as supply outstrips demand. The Indians could be a match for both players; they've already been linked to Wigginton.
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So I guess Sheets is out of the question.
Posted by: Teetz | November 19, 2008 at 09:37 AM
One of the Chronicle's writers is having a live chat with Ed Wade this afternoon, so it should be interesting to see if Ed addresses this speculation by Justice.
Given the Astros' lack or replacements for these two players, I would be surprised to see them both moved. Wigginton, maybe. But only if they think Blum can play 3B everyday...scary thought.
Posted by: dogscoach | November 19, 2008 at 10:04 AM
I really thought the Astros, with an addition of a good starting pitcher or two would be the Cubs top contender for the NL Central, but now it looks as if the Brewers, Cardinals, and Astros will be entering '09 worse than '08.
Posted by: Teetz | November 19, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Keep in mind that Richard Justice is the same idiot that said back in 2005 if the Astros Line up looked like this in a few years the Astros would be a decent team:
Willy Taveras, CF
Chris Burke, 2B
Jason Lane, RF
Lance Berkman, 1B
Morgan Ensberg, 3B
Luke Scott, LF
Hector Gimenez, C
Adam Everett, SS
Berkman is of course Berkman. Taveras is respectable. Scott put up decent numbers for the Orioles. And the rest are washed out of the league, or should be.
Richard Justices' perspective of baseball is a joke.
Posted by: Kenny Dewitt | November 19, 2008 at 10:14 AM
I would love to see the Tribe trade for both. Valverde is exactly what they need in the bullpen, and Wigginton can be solid at 3rd base for a year, then Hodges can take over next year. I wonder what it'd take to get them...
Posted by: Krambo42 | November 19, 2008 at 10:17 AM
It must not be a whole lot of fun to be an Astros fan. Your GM keeps trading away all your good players. The most obvious problem with the Astros is the pen. So instead of trading one of your many great hitters for some 7th ant 8th inning help, you trade your closer. Good luck Astros fans.
Posted by: Tomahawk368 | November 19, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Kenny Dewitt, I'm not sure that is a fair assessment of Justice. Lots of people thought Ensberg and Lane were going to continue as above-average hitters through their primes. Both fell off the face of the planet after 2005, to the surprise of many. I guarantee he wasn't the only one who would have endorsed that lineup in 2005 and I guarantee many others were wrong about the career progressions of Ensberg, Lane, and Burke.
In other news, if this report is true, the Astros front office is a joke. They traded for Valverde a year ago, and now maybe they can't afford him? How stupid are they? Qualls is a cheaper, equally effective reliever and they gave him up, plus two other guys of lesser value so they could overpay the tempermental and inconsistent Valverde! And they traded for Wigginton less than a year and a half ago (granted that was Purpura, not Wade) when the Rays were purportedly thinking of non-tendering him because of his salary would soon out-strip his production. Hilarious!
Posted by: mymrbig | November 19, 2008 at 10:21 AM
I would think that Wiggy would be a nice fit for the Dodgers. He can play 2B or 3B and has nice pop...
He and DeWitt can fill in 3B and 2B respectively. It gives the Dodgers some options.
I would also think if the Astros decide to move Tejada, he too could be a fit.
Posted by: MikeClarke | November 19, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Wiggington will be missed, but I'm confident Blum could fill in just fine. Worst case scenario: move Tejada over to 3B. He wouldn't be happy about it, but, oh well. I'd pull the trigger on a Wiggington trade.
But Valverde?! If Ed Wade trades him, I'm giving up on 2009 all together - and likely 2010 and 2011 as well. Who's gonna' close games for you, Wade? Not to mention he's one of the league's elite closers (lead the NL in SVs, so I don't want to hear any arguments). The 'Stros don't exactly have anyone waiting to step up and be the next Jose Valverde. What, are you gonna' bring Brocail back to close out games?
I love how every week the Astros front office seems to back down more and more from their stance earlier this year of "if we sign 2 Free-Agent SP, we'll be right in contention." Makes me sick…
Posted by: thered86 | November 19, 2008 at 10:43 AM
mymrbig, that is only a small part of Justices' idiocracy. Justice also thought the Astros should have traded Clemens in 05, and thought that Gerry Hunsicker deserved no credit for the 2005 Astros. You know the team that he drafted top to bottom.
Justice is a joke and I get the displeasure of reading his garbage daily.
With that said, Jose Valverde is a good chip to trade. With the going rate for closers on the free agent market there is not much of a chance of Jose signing cheap next year. Get what they can for him now while they can.
Wiggy will be back in 2009. And Justice is an idiot.
Posted by: Kenny Dewitt | November 19, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Yeah, I agree. They got Valverde a year ago and now can't afford him. I know the economy is hurting baseball teams, too. How short sighted was Valverde though.
Posted by: studio179 | November 19, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Teams are holding on to their prospects and ML ready players tighter these days.
Posted by: studio179 | November 19, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Wigginton could be a nice, fairly cheap player for the Braves to trade for. Especially if Wren does end up trading for Peavy and buying into the Furcal rumors.
I love the idea of them resigning Furcal, but doing so wouldn't leave much money for a power-hitting outfielder and another pitcher. Trading for Wigginton shouldn't require a King's ransom in prospects, either.
These three moves would still leave the Braves with around 10-15 mill. to play with to sign another pitcher and/or resign hampton/ohman/norton.
Posted by: FiNch | November 19, 2008 at 11:03 AM
I've been saying this all along and I'm going to say it again:
The Houston Astros need to rebuild.
I know, I know. McLane will never let the Astros go into full rebuilding mode. I'm just saying, that this is the type of team where that would probably be the best way to build a championship contender.
The Astros are a team built around veterans and a couple star players, and their farm system is basically in shambles.
I just really think that they could rebuild their farm system by moving Berkman, Lee, Oswalt, Valverde, Wigginton and Tejada, and then go after it in 2011-2012. The only really young guy in their core is Hunter Pence, and he'll be 26 next season. The farm system has guys like Bogusevic, Castro, Paulino and Norris, but none of those guys is really an elite prospect and there isn't much depth either.
I just don't see how this team can manage to contend in their current state.
Posted by: scribbletone | November 19, 2008 at 11:17 AM
No rebuilding, please.
We don't have or can acquire the players (remember Lee, Berkman and Oswalt have NTCs) to even have a 100 loss team. We'd probably see the first 110 - 120 loss team in history,and contention maybe 10 years later like the Rays ...but I guess the Wade bashers and Cubs fans around here would love that.
Also, the Astros were 2 decent starters short of contending last year, so I don't see how it's that much of a stretch if they can add to the starting staff this year.
I think trading Valverde and Wigginton smartly might not be a bad idea, as long as they have guys who can take their places. Tejada would move to 3B, so we'd need a SS and I don't think any of the relievers or prospects can close, maybe Paulino.
But we need starters, multiple ones, and even more if Wolf leaves. No other part of the team is as needy.
Posted by: astrosfan | November 19, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Valverde would be great for the tribe...'Stros fans, would you take one of our young OF (Gutierrez or Fransisco)and a pitching prospect or two (even Sowers or Laffey?) I would hate to see them give up Shoppach this winter for anyone really.
Posted by: Furrski | November 19, 2008 at 12:02 PM
My turn!
- I don't understand how Astros fans bag on Valverde but now love Qualls....that's stupid. While Qualls is a good reliever, he's not a closer. The guy has blown more saves (20) than he's converted (15) over the course of his career.
- I may be wrong, but I think Tal Smith made the Wigginton trade, after Purpura was fired.
- Chris Johnson and Drew Sutton are way better options than Geoff Blum. The guy hit .229 with a .691 OPS as a starter last season....forgive me if I don't seem to pumped to having Brad Asmus's offensive equivilant playing the hot corner.
- In Ed Wade's defense, the only guys traded that are really any good is Brad Lidge and Luke Scott. Lidge had to be traded, and could have probably netted something better than Michael Bourn and Geoff Geary, but it wasn't like he was a shut down reliever in 2006 and 07. So it's not like Ed Wade got completely screwed in those deals. Infact, he made out better in the Lidge trade than the Diamondbacks did in the Valverde trade. Also, I hate most of Ed Wade's moves...
As an Astros fan, I used to think all Cubs fans were idiots, but after reading some of these people's ideas, I am certain all teams fans are mostly idiots.....
Posted by: Darin | November 19, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Purpura made the Wigginton trade. The only deal I remember Smith making was the purchase of Sarfate's contract from Milwaukee.
Posted by: Dmok | November 19, 2008 at 12:35 PM
just another reason there needs to be a salary cap
Posted by: alleryan07 | November 19, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Wigginton seems like someone the Braves would be interested in. Wigginton can play Left Field or any of the number bases so he'd be serviceable when Chipper goes on the DL or in Left or if we trade a middle infielder or to platoon with Casey Kotchman. Any way, there's plenty of opportunity to get him in the line-up and a power-hitting right-handed bat is what the Braves are looking for. Seems like a fit to me. Wigginton isn't in a long-term contract is he? He is already eligible for free-agency too right?
Posted by: AtlantaBred | November 19, 2008 at 01:00 PM