In one of his latest columns at FanRag Sports, Jon Heyman looks at the final hours leading up to Aug. 31’s Justin Verlander blockbuster. The Astros, according to Heyman, had been reluctant to part with any of their top six prospects in trades for virtually any player in either July or August. It wasn’t until 10:30pm ET on the night of Aug. 31 that they called the Tigers to at last cave in and concede a willingness to part with highly touted right-hander Franklin Perez. Detroit GM Al Avila had two execs head to Verlander’s home before the ace had decided whether to waive his no-trade clause in order to obtain his signature as quickly as possible if he ultimately approved a deal.
The Tigers’ initial centerpiece target, per Heyman, was another of the Astros’ young right-handers: Forrest Whitley. Houston held firm on him, but the two sides were ultimately able to cobble a deal together and give Verlander about an hour to weigh whether to waive his no-trade protection. In the end, the trade went through at 11:59pm, per Heyman, barely scraping under the wire.
A bit more from the AL Central…
- Jake Depue of 1500 ESPN spoke to Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey this week about top pitching prospects Stephen Gonsalves and Fernando Romero and the progress that the pair made in 2017. While there’d been some speculation that Gonsalves could join the team in September, Falvey hinted at some inconsistencies following a promotion to Triple-A Rochester. “We’ve seen some really good outings from him,” said Falvey. “…We’ve also seen probably the natural fatigue that a pitcher goes through late in the year, and he’s had some of those outings too.” Falvey ultimately acknowledged that the team felt Triple-A was “the best environment” for Gonsalves, with whom the team will be careful from a developmental standpoint. Indeed, Twins manager Paul Molitor told reporters prior to Thursday night’s game that the team was likely done making September call-ups (Twitter link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com).
- Indians prospect Yandy Diaz has demonstrated elite exit velocity but also an extreme tendency to hit the ball on the ground, writes Travis Sawchik of The Athletic (subscription required and recommended). The 26-year-old Diaz signed out of Cuba for $300K three years ago, and while he’s never cracked many top prospect lists, his exit velocity and outstanding eye at the plate (14 percent walk rate, more walks than strikeouts in the minors) make him an intriguing breakout candidate despite his age. In addition to chatting with Indians assistant hitting coach Matt Quatraro about Diaz’s approach, Sawchik breaks down Diaz’s point of contact and recent adjustments to his swing as he looks to carve out a role on the team moving forward.
- Left-hander Carlos Rodon was a last-minute scratch for the White Sox tonight, as Scott Merkin of MLB.com writes. Fifteen minutes before first pitch, the Sox swapped Rodon out for veteran Mike Pelfrey due to stiffness in his left shoulder. The former No. 3 overall pick is viewed as a key long-term piece for the Sox, but injuries have limited him to 69 2/3 innings this season. It’s not clear at this time if Rodon will need to miss any further outings.
- Rodon isn’t the only injury for the White Sox, either; right-hander Jake Petricka was placed back on the 10-day DL for a third time this season due to an elbow strain, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago. Petricka expressed some frustration but explained that the injury built up over time as opposed to a more severe injury that could occur on one single pitch. Indeed, Hayes notes that an MRI revealed no structural damage for Petricka, but there’s uncertainty as to whether he’ll be able to return to an already inexperienced ChiSox pen before season’s end.
Of the Astros top 6 prospects, Perez is the easiest to part with. He came out nowhere and AA pitchers have a high bust rate. His ceiling also makes him more valuable to opposing teams.
Plus the Astros drafted a bunch of college arms last Summer and they have a bunch of arms on the way and 9 controllable starters on the 40 man
Great insight! Thanks.
Lemme see….You have a guy that finished AA season at the age of 19 with success, YET your preaching about a BUST rate?? Are you that BIG of an Astros Homer to NOT find that the least bit impressive?? It’s OK to say that Detroit got a REALLY good player with a decent upside. GEEZ
I would say the Astros had a very hard time parting with Perez, because otherwise they wouldn’t have waited until the last minute/hour to get something done.
Saying AA pitchers have a high bust rate is nonsensical. There are very few players in the last 50 years who skipped both Triple-A and Double-A to make the big leagues. What you mean to say is that Double-A is known as the hardest level, which is, generally speaking, true. However, Perez has been succeeding in Double-A as a 19-year-old. That’s pretty impressive.
As for Perez coming out of nowhere on the rankings, there are very few international draftees that get placed very high on the prospect lists as 18 year olds, because they don’t receive the national attention that rule 4 draftees do, nor are they even done growing yet. Eloy Jimenez and Gleyber Torres were just starting to get national attention when they turned 18: link to m.mlb.com: Gleyber was ranked in 29th, and Eloy wasn’t even ranked yet when he was 18. They are both top 5 prospects now.
Essentially, my point is, the younger they are, the lower they are ranked, but that doesn’t mean someone will bust just because they weren’t ranked high a year ago.
I love reading about the inner workings of trades. Fascinating.
At least the Indians have won a WS title and have been multiple times since that win. What have the Astros ever done? One appearance in 2005?
I don’t understand why the hate for a young player trying to find his way, and improving at that, coupled with trashing a team on a 15-game winning streak.
(The above is what happens when you reply to a comment as the moderator is deleting said comment, lol.)
Weird thread.
What’s with mlbtr pumping another subscription site? What is this one, haven’t heard of it. I wonder if it’s product placement on the sly, like is mlbtr getting a cut of each referral? Probably should.
Diaz has already improved as far as getting more lift on the ball. And his plate discipline is outstanding. He’s gotten so many walks recently that opponents might as well just hold up 4 fingers.
I see him making the post-season roster.
Rodon is injury prone and will never be a top line starter
Throw him into the bullpen and see he have improved confidence
He doesn’t need improved confidence. He has been fantastic after a slow start (after missing spring training and half the regular season). He’s not being moved to the bullpen anytime soon – and he shouldn’t be.