Headlines

  • Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim
  • Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon
  • Brandon Woodruff To Start For Brewers On Sunday
  • Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds
  • Rangers Option Josh Jung
  • Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Astros GM Luhnow On Potential Bullpen Additions

By Steve Adams | July 8, 2015 at 1:37pm CDT

The Astros have had one of the better collective bullpens in all of baseball this season, but GM Jeff Luhnow tells Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle that he’ll still be on the lookout for a hard-throwing bullpen arm this month. “I think you can always use another good arm,” said Luhnow. “You look at the arms we have in the bullpen: we’ve got a sinker baller, a slider guy, different looks. Neshek is a funky guy. The one guy we’re probably missing is the flamethrower guy. …but those guys are hard to find. Certainly we’re going to keep our eyes open.”

Houston has received an excellent return on its offseason investment in Luke Gregerson, Pat Neshek and Joe Thatcher. The trio of veteran relievers have combined to deliver a 2.96 ERA in 82 innings of relief this year, and they’ve been complemented nicely by waiver claim Will Harris (0.93 ERA), left-hander Tony Sipp (3.19) and right-hander Josh Fields (2.57).

Given the success of the current group, it’s not all that surprising to see Luhnow categorize the addition of a hard-throwing reliever to be more of a luxury than a necessity. As Drellich notes, the answer could come from within as well. Both Lance McCullers and Vincent Velasquez average about 94.5 mph on their fastball and will have their innings monitored. The Astros plan to find a way to keep a way to keep McCullers available for a potential playoff push, Drellich writes, and Velasquez could also fit into the bullpen picture as well.

The first name that comes to mind when discussing hard-throwing trade candidates among relievers would be Aroldis Chapman, though the tone of Luhnow’s comments doesn’t seem to indicate that the team is gunning for a reliever of that caliber. Additional relief arms that are among the league-leaders in velocity (via Fangraphs’ leaderboards) and happen to be on non-contending clubs include Jake Diekman and Ken Giles of the Phillies, Bryan Morris and Sam Dyson of the Marlins, and Jeremy Jeffress of the Brewers.

Share 5 Retweet 45 Send via email0

Houston Astros

Give Us Your Commenting System Feedback
Main
Red Sox Acquire Ramses Rosario From Nationals
View Comments (23)
Post a Comment

23 Comments

  1. Brixton

    10 years ago

    Jake Diekman and Ken Giles won’t exactly be cheap. They’d probably cost more than Papelbon would, Giles significantly more than Paps.

    Papelbon and 10M for L.J Hoes?

    Reply
    • cowboysoldier 2

      10 years ago

      It’s not a bad trade, but I think neither team would pull the trigger on it. Phillies want more, Astros just want a decent hard thrower.

      Reply
  2. A'sfaninUK

    10 years ago

    “Flamethrower” = Chapman, who’s also a guy who makes them officially dangerous. If they are serious about contending, he’s definitely the puzzle piece they need.

    Reply
    • thecoffinnail

      10 years ago

      A one inning pitcher no matter how dominant will never be the difference maker between a playoff team and a non contender..

      Reply
      • A'sfaninUK

        10 years ago

        Yes, that’s what I was getting at? The Astros are contenders but are by no means a dominant force, Chapman makes them officially dangerous.

        Reply
        • sngehl01

          10 years ago

          They are “officially dangerous” without Chapman. Gregerson is fine enough at closer. Chapman puts guys on base at an extremely dangerous rate. Gregerson does not. You don’t have to be a flame thrower to effectively close out games, just ask Trevor Hoffman. Gregerson has 4 straight seasons with a sub 3 ERA, and has a career line of 1.07 WHIP, 2.79 ERA, and averages 8.8K/9 with a 3.2:1 K:BB ratio… I’m more than happy to see him as the closer for Houston.

          The point is, strikeouts or fastball velocity don’t matter as much as how many (or how few) guys you allow to cross the plate. Overpaying for a guy like Chapman is insane, because he will cost too much to get and too much to keep.

          The bigger concern is the hitting. Leading the league in strike outs and homers is concerning. I’d be more happy to see Chris Carter and/or Evan Gattis move on in favor of more consistent hitting. I’d like to see Adam Lind in Houston, personally. Solid left handed bat that could hit .280-.290 with ~25 HR, approximately. Keep the lineup from being quite so boom or bust…

          Reply
  3. ezrider

    10 years ago

    He may not be the “flame thrower” Lunhow is looking for but how about
    John Niese, Bobby Parnell and Hansel Robles for
    Jed Lowrie and Colby Rasmus?

    Reply
    • cowboysoldier 2

      10 years ago

      No disrespect at all, but I cant see this deal happening.

      Reply
    • A'sfaninUK

      10 years ago

      That’s a trade that doesn’t help either team, and both sides have better pieces to acquire better quality help. Its almost all rental players, you don’t see that happen at all.

      Reply
    • rct

      10 years ago

      While the Mets have a crowded bullpen (just had to send Logan Verrett down to make room for Mejia, despite Verrett pitching well), I don’t really see it.

      Reply
  4. 4ester 2

    10 years ago

    How about Brett Phillips straight up for Ken Giles?

    Reply
    • A'sfaninUK

      10 years ago

      Phillips, Singleton & Musgrove for Giles, Ruiz and Howard and RAJ won’t hang up. You gotta remember RAJ is acting insane right now, he wont give up anyone unless its a massive overpay – you could say thats the worst way to rebuild and get no argument from me.

      Reply
      • thecoffinnail

        10 years ago

        You have Amaro nailed perfectly.. I don’t understand why he is making things so difficult.. Had he made the trades necessary last year the Phillies would already have their rebuild underway.. Instead they have wasted a year and Amaro has put his job in jeopardy.. I know Seattle made him look foolish in the Cliff Lee trade but he needs to get over it.. Grab a few good prospects and get the rebuild going.. Getting rid of Hamels/Papelbon/Giles/Howard/Revere will make sure the Phillies get top 3 draft picks for the next few years. Then Amaro can get his own prospects.. An argument can be made that had he unloaded them last year the Phillies would have picked a lot higher than 10th in this years draft.. Which would have resulted in him picking higher in later rounds.. Amaro is one of those people that can’t see the forest through the trees..

        Reply
        • Brixton

          10 years ago

          There is no need to trade Giles. Hes a young, controllable, cheap elite reliever who if not for Papelbon, would be an allstar reliever this year. His stats are right up there with the elite BP arms in the game. Don’t dare trade Giles unless you’re getting a Craig Kimbrel-type haul for him.

          Reply
          • A'sfaninUK

            10 years ago

            There’s no point for the worst team in baseball to have great bullpen arms when theres next-to-no-offense to have leads to hold.

            Reply
            • Dock_Elvis

              10 years ago

              It’s just that great bullpen arms might not command even the equal value in arms back. I completely understand the absurdity… but Giles has to bring back solid value…they’d need to double his contribution. He’ll still have value down the road. A bullpen is also a great thing to assemble from within…they could bring a few guys along to pair with Giles and in very short order have a strong pen.

              Reply
        • A'sfaninUK

          10 years ago

          Its mind boggling how he hasn’t been fired. Its not hard to have a fire sale, if done correctly a team can even contend while they’re doing it and get real good real quick, but even if the rebuild fails, you just pull an Astros and tank for 3 years then have a great team thats built to contend for years, as they have now.

          Reply
          • Dock_Elvis

            10 years ago

            Philly isn’t a small market…they can rebuild quickly… Once they start developing some players they can also make some signings.

            Reply
        • El Duderino

          10 years ago

          Don’t forget the Pence and Victorino trades.

          Reply
    • Brixton

      10 years ago

      You’d have to do a bit better then that. Relievers with Giles upside are a rarity. Hes in the same boat as Betances. Imagine the return it would take to pry Betances away from NY.

      Last 2 seasons:
      Giles: 1.52 ERA, 1.81 FIP, 248 ERA+, 12K/9, 3.0BB/9
      Betances: 1.48 ERA, 1.80 FIP, 267 ERA+, 14K/9, 2.8BB/9

      Betances has the slight edge is most stats, but its 0.01 FIP, 0.04 ERA, 0.2BB/9 is hardly a difference.

      Reply
      • 4ester 2

        10 years ago

        I’m hearing you out and I’m reluctant to trade Giles, but just don’t see his value when the Phils need to build up a core of outfielders that could play defense and put some runs on the board. Dial in a solid starting 9, THEN worry about a closer.

        Reply
        • Brixton

          10 years ago

          I’m all for trading him, but for the right price. I feel like even Amaro can get a better return for a great reliever. I get that relievers are a dime a dozen, but we’re talking about a guy with 5+ years of control mixed with a 95-99 MPH heater and a filthy slider. I feel like we could do better than Brett Phillips in a return.

          Reply
          • 4ester 2

            10 years ago

            Then maybe one of Hader, Feliz, or Velasquez or something like Phillips with Kent Emmanuel…just don’t see them getting a huge haul for a bullpen piece, but hey, yeah the Braves did awesome getting Wisler for Kimbrel pretty much and as a Phils fan was disgusted to see that Andrew Wisler is going to have to be facing the Phillies for many years to come….

            Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Brandon Woodruff To Start For Brewers On Sunday

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Pirates Reportedly Have Very Few Untouchable Players At Trade Deadline

    Griffin Canning Believed To Have Suffered Achilles Injury

    Mariners Looking For Corner Infield Bats; Ownership Willing To Bump Payroll

    Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

    Recent

    Padres Seeking Upgrades At Catcher

    Tayler Scott Elects Free Agency

    Rays Outright Forrest Whitley

    White Sox To Recall Colson Montgomery For MLB Debut

    Giants Select Sergio Alcantara

    Max Muncy Expects To Miss Around Six Weeks With Bone Bruise

    Mets To Sign Zach Pop To Major League Contract

    Dodgers Claim CJ Alexander, Designate Steward Berroa For Assignment

    Colten Brewer Opts Out Of Yankees Deal

    Royals Sign Michael Fulmer To Minor League Deal

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version