5:36pm: Luhnow told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart) that the player to be named later will be the "key component" of the trade (Twitter links). Astros Sr. Director of Social Media Alyson Footer says it'll be a while before that player is named, however. It's probably worth noting that any player drafted last year can not officially be traded yet, so they can only be included in a deal as a player to be named right now.
3:38pm: The Royals have acquired outfielder Jason Bourgeois and catcher Humberto Quintero from the Astros for minor league left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later. Both teams have announced the trade.
Bourgeois posted a .294/.323/.357 line with 31 stolen bases last year, while playing all three outfield positions and appearing at second base. The 30-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time after the 2012 season.
Quintero, 32, appeared in 79 games last year, posting a .240/.258/.317 line in 272 plate appearances. He'll earn $1MM in 2012 and hit free agency after the season. He and Brayan Pena will share the Royals' catching duties while Salvador Perez recovers from a knee operation.
“Jason and Humberto were a big part of this team last year and both will be missed,” Astros GM Jeff Luhnow stated. “This deal gives us an opportunity to add prospect depth and we are excited about both players coming our way.”
Chapman, a fourth round selection in 2010, split last season between Class A and Double-A in the Royals' minor league system. The 6'4" 24-year-old posted a 4.94 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 62 total innings of relief in 2011.
The move likely means Jordan Schafer will assume the starting center field role in Houston. The Astros have catchers Chris Snyder and Jason Castro, so they could afford to part with Quintero and his salary. Meanwhile, projected Royals starter Lorenzo Cain could find himself competing with Bourgeois for playing time. The Royals placed Perez and Manny Pina on the 60-day disabled list to create roster space for their new acquisitions.
We got both? Why Bourgeois?
maybe they don’t feel lorenzo cain is ready to be a starter? or maybe jason bourgeois will spell all three spots every so often, not a bad move though, chapman could be a decent acquisition for the astros.
Uh, there are zero concerns about Cain, I know that much. My assumption is that the Royals have concluded that Jerrod Dyson will never hit.
Cain is hitting .521 this spring. How could they be worried about him
because spring stats aren’t good predictors and really shouldn’t be taken into account much?
case in point: eric “keebler elf” sogard has been one of the a’s best hitters this spring
How about a .301/.343/.402 line at the ML level and .295/.368/.430 line at the minor league level plus a great glove. Don’t see any concerns. He hasn’t given reason at any level to have concerns.
What Ben said in article(possible Cain to bench or minors) shows what little knowledge he has about the Royals.
that’s fair enough, obviously he forced the royals hand enough for them to trade melky.
Cain still seems to have a reputation as a 4th OF candidate only, going all the way back to his early years with Milwaukee–I’m not saying its true, but that seems to be the perception
Cain only has 181 PA at the major league level, so acquiring Bourgeois as an insurance plan isn’t a bad move, assuming the PTBNL isn’t too significant.
Plus, if I’m not mistaken, Jeff Francouer is set to start in the OF, and he’s definitely not a sure thing to continue the success he had last year.
cain is 26. i like him as much as anyone, but to pretend there haven’t been concerns about him is pretty silly
Cain didn’t play baseball til his junior year of High School. Being 26 is fairly young since he’s only been playing the game for a decade.
nonetheless, he’s still been old for every level he’s played at over the last few years and he’s been in the minors for seven seasons
i like him. i think he’s been ready for awhile. but there always have been and still are concerns about him
I think you get his actual age and his baseball age mixed up. I don’t care how much of an age difference he’s had at different levels, those younger players more than likely have more experience of playing baseball than Cain.
He would’ve been up last season if the Royals hadn’t signed Melky Cabrera prior to the Greinke trade. Dayton Moore has said as much.
being “younger in terms of baseball age” especially when you’re old for the level is never a good thing, no matter how you try to spin it
If KC doesn’t feel Cain is ready after what he did in Omaha last year, then they ought to just deal him to someone who will play him. He had a very good third-of-a-season in 2010 while in MIL, on top of his work in the minors. Just needs the ABs.
i was more thinking aloud what reason there might be for getting bourgeois, he’s a good get but sort of weird since the royals outfield seemed pretty much set.
Sure…I understood that it wasn’t your personal opinion on what they should do.
I’m thinking the 2nd option and he might play some 2B as well.
Bourgeois has options…he can be assigned to the minors without going through waivers. This gives Royals depth beyond their 25-man roster.
Dang!
Quiet down, you!
I love this trade for us. Even if Quintero has limited upside, Bourgeois is a stud with incredible speed and a good stick, he’s an upgrade over Mitch Maier. I would love to see him make our club as the 4th OF.
I think that’s a loose use of the term “stud”, but the guy can run and has upside.
I wouldn’t call Bourgeois a stud. He hits lefties very well but struggles against righties. He has very limited power. His speed is superior and he is a top rate basestealer. His outfield defense rates at about average overall as he is a second baseman by nature with good foot speed but not much of an arm.
If the Royals use him as a platoon outfielder/secondbaseman and limit his exposure to righthanded pitching, they should get good results.
On the Astros, he’s a stud :)
On the Astros, I’m a stud.
I cannot believe they traded for Ian Desmond. What were the Astros thinking?
what?
they didn’t trade for desmond…
?????
somehow i see this comment as a joke and really funny. i’m probably the only one though
not sure how the Astros benefited talent-wise from this trade…sorry to see them go, however. Here’s to hopes they are successful in KC
a 6’4″ lefty with huge K #s and decent upside for 2 career backups is definitely a talent upgrade.
his minor league stats weren’t impressive. His lowest ERA was a 4.84. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have if you can’t produce in the lowest talent-laden level…
You can’t simply account for ERA. His strikeout rates are very impressive, but his walks are really what concerns me…
Yeah, true…but you like the power arm. That’s something the Astros lack right now. Even though the system is improving, there aren’t many “power” guys.
Hopefully they saw something they could “fix” and they can lower the BB rate.
Good luck to Jason and Q. Both are fun to watch.
As a non-contending team, it makes even more sense to stock the farm with fringy power arms with control issues and hope that a few figure it out. I like it for the Astros
Exactly the Stros need talent more than they need 30yo’s Power LHP even if it is middle relief is valuable, look at what Marshall just netted CHC a cost controlled SP and a 2B prospect.
Not only a power arm, but a power lefty. The Royals have depth in hard-throwing LHP, so even dealing from near the bottom of the deck gets a little MLB depth.
Astros received Royals 18th best prospect plus a PTBNL. A C-level prospect according to Baseball America. Astros claiming PTBNL is better of the two. PTBNL probably is a prospect from 2011 draft. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a C+ prospect.
Not a bad haul for a couple of backups.
Quintero is definitely a viable backup catcher. He doesn’t hit much but is exciting to watch behind the plate. He was simply expendable for the Astros with Jason Castro back from injury and the signing (and performance this spring) from Chris Snyder. He’s the odd man out and not worth the $1MM price tag for a third catcher.
Bourgeois can also be exciting to watch, although he doesn’t draw a ton of walks, he can certainly find his way around the base paths.
Neither are exactly everyday major league players, so given the state of the team, trading two 30+ year old players for a pair of prospects is a good idea.
Snyder has back issues though
The Royals give up something in which they have quantity and add depth. Bourgeois isn’t a starter-level CF, but an above-average fourth OF who can play anywhere and when Perez returns Quintero is a proven veteran back-up C. Good for both teams, and a sign the Royals are on the verge of being a truly competitive club. Just five years ago they were starting Joey Gathright in CF, now a better player is a back-up.
good news for powell, he has a chance to make the team now
doubtful, he may not even be the third best catcher on the roster even after this move…
guess it’s just wishful thinking, he’s a great guy with a good attitude, hopefully he performs well enough to force a spot.
although i will admit, i was kind of hoping the a’s would dump him since he just didn’t have a spot with them anymore
I can tell Royals fans they are getting two quality players with MLB experience. Q is a solid defensive catcher with a knack for snap throws from behind the plate and Bourgeois will steal bases aplenty while being a defensive OF. Not a sexy trade for the Royals but if they need to fill some roster holes, these are two good adds.
Seems like the Astros could’ve gotten more if they would’ve packaged this trade in a 3-way deal woth the Nationals.
If I were the Royals, I’d flip Bourgeois to the Nats ASAP. I just don’t see why the Royals need him…..why not look to the future & get someone young for him.
The Royals could use Lannan too. Sounds like a win-win.
Well it will certainly take more than Bourgeois to get Lannan, but he would certainly be a nice place to start. Bourgeois & a couple middling prospects would probably do it.
i like your thinking
Dyson, Bourgeois, and D. Robinson all now on the 40 Man roster? Are Royals planning on entering the 4 x 100 in next Olympics?
The fourth man in the race could be Broxton since he’s a Royal now ;)
If the baton was exchanged for a footlong hot dog, then maybe.
How long is Perez supposed to be out?
3-4 months…
I’m not thinking outfield at all here: I’m wondering if Bourgeois is the Royals starting 2nd baseman now. After all….Gio has done poorly enough to move Yuni into the discussion. Not even Ned Yost REALLY wants Yuni as a starter…right? Hopefully?
I feel like the astros keep trading players for less than what they could get.
They need Rizzo as the GM!!!
I feel that you are right.
I like the “player to be named later will be a “key piece” of the trade” part of it, honestly. Snyder = Quintero and Bourgeois will in no way be able to help us when we are actually good again due to his age. We might as well trade them now for young prospects like the 2 we are getting in return.
This worries me as a Royals fan. I’m ok w/ the deal, I guess, if Chapman is the best thing we sent away.
Honestly……does it take much to be a “key component” of a trade that invovles these three players? I think Astros fans may be getting just a little too excited about what the PTBNL will be. It won’t be much.
Player to Be Named generally means: A. pick a player off this list near the end of the season, or B. we have to wait until this draftee or international free agent signee is one year out from the date when they signed their contract before we can trade him. The A situation usually only happens with in-season trades. The B situation is more likely with the player to be named being a 2011 draftee. My guess is it is one of these 4 recent draftees: Bryan Brickhouse, Kyle Smith, Patrick Leonard, D’Andre Toney.
A C prospect & PTBNL (probably a C+ prospect) is a healthy price to pay for a backup C & OF with options. Phillies and Diamondbacks are probably not liking this price given they both need a backup C and middle IF both with options.
Wait, what? Two C level prospects is a “healthy price” to pay for two current ML players? Yes, they are clearly bench role players. But they are ML players. But two C level prospects – which essentially means they likely will never be ML players…..is a “healthy price”?
ok…you tell us what a roster filler C out of options is worth…or…a utility OF in his 30s.
Astros did well with a C & C+ prospect. Perhaps, you are not familiar with C & C+ prospects. For example, Baseball America now considers Yankees Austine Romine to be a C prospect.
“ok…you tell us what a roster fill C out of options is worth…or…a utility in his 30s.”
Well, I’d say a couple of C grade prospects is about right actually.
“Astros did well with a C & C+ prospect”
Didn’t say they didn’t – but is that the same as the Royals paying a “healthy price”? I suppose it depends on who the second player is – but if it’s another Chapman-ish…..the Royals won’t miss it. That’s why it’s a good trade for both teams.
… and we’ll probably learn who it is in a day or so because that player will work out at the Astros extended spring training site until the short season leagues start up and he becomes eligible to be traded to them (a la what went down with Drew Pomeranz a year ago).
We appreciate the PTBNL lessons. You left out the fact that it can also just end up being cash.
I’ll be very surprised if it’s Brickhouse.
He’ll be easy to spot – since he can’t be named yet he’ll be the guy at the Astros’ spring training facility who’s wearing the Astros jersey with no last name over his number for the next 3 months.
Yea, since he’s a Brick House.
my best guess is it is Brickhouse.
The Diamondbacks need a starting catcher not a backup.
Also they need Middle Infield? Ransom, Bloomquist, Drew, McDonald, Blum, Hill, and Roberts
Does anyone think the Royals will flip Jason B to the Nats? Ian Desmond might be a good 2b for the Royals.
They’re not trading Desmond. For some reason, that FO is really high on him. So much so that they moved the better glove, and player, out of position to accommodate Desmond.
Perhaps Steve Lombardozzi Jr, possibly with more players involved on each end of the deal.
I was thinking he gets flipped to Nats for either Lombardozzi, Desmond, or a reliever after Soria went down.
Interesting fact: Before he was drafted by the Royals, Patrick Leonard spent his senior year of high school playing for a team coached by…Craig Biggio.
… who also serves as a (largely ceremonial) Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Astros. They won’t have to look far to get a detailed scouting report on Leonard.
I don’t think the Royals are giving up any of the first three players. It is probable it could be Toney.
I’m thinking PTBNL is Brickhouse or Gallagher.
just completely venturing a guess here, but i wouldn’t be surprised if it was an early rounder who a) signed early and b) did pretty well. that way they get a good prospect and get him earlier in the season so they can get him for half a season or so in their own system rather than just a month. also they would have some pro data for him as well
edit: talking about the potential ptbnl
Schafer is the starter in CF for Houston? Is he really all that much more than Shuck?
Weird trade but I guess it helps both teams.
Still, Jordan Schafer is so bad at baseball. I remember when he was supposed to be the next stud leadoff hitter. Fell flat on his face. Tough to just hand the job outright to him.