According to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Houston Astros infielders Carlos Correa and Aledmys Diaz will both begin minor league rehab assignments with the club’s AAA Round Rock affiliate on Monday (Twitter link). That the two up-the-middle players would begin rehab assignments simultaneously is fitting, considering that both have been sidelined with injuries since a May 26th matchup against the Boston Red Sox.
Correa had been off to a nice start in 2019 after a down campaign last year, posting an excellent 140 wRC+ (.295 /.360/.547 slash line) in his first 50 games before being felled by a rib injury. As The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan points out, Correa’s assignment to Round Rock projects to be a slightly lengthy one, as his recent placement on the 60-day IL renders him ineligible to return to the Astros until July 26th at the earliest (Twitter link).
In Diaz, however, the Astros should be able to soon welcome back a capable Correa fill-in. Acquired in an offseason trade with the Blue Jays in exchange for Trent Thornton, Diaz has mostly served in something of a Marwin Gonzalez-esque role for the ’Stros, logging time at all four infield spots and in left field in 2019. If he is able to return from his hamstring injury in time for Houston’s upcoming July 19th homestand, as Kaplan expects, Diaz and Myles Straw would represent two respectable options to hold down short until Correa’s return.
Love that we’ll have the whole band back together, but we HAVE to get another starting arm.
Hopefully their return marks the end of White’s time in Houston.
Boyd is there for the taking. Just quit being so greedy with those minor leaguers!
It’s not greed, it’s intelligence in the Astros front office. Boyd isn’t deserving of the 2nd best hitting prospect in baseball.
Maybe Detroit needs to stop banking on half a season of good starts on a pitcher with no history of being a top tier pitcher. Maybe Detroit should sell a Honda as a Honda, and not ask for Bentley money for an Accord.
Haha! You’re probably right, but WS windows can close quickly.
Yup, prospects are good. Parades are better.
AMEN!
I think a package of Bukauskas, Peter Solomon, and Luis Santana should get it done.
According to mlb.com they are #5, 9,and 17 prospects.
In the Verlander deal, Detroit got #3, 9, and 11 paid Houston about $16 million and threw in a PTBNL.
So this feels about right
Not even close. Detroit is under no pressure to trade him. They’ll need a top hitting prospect or they’ll simply keep Boyd. Verlander deal isn’t comparable. Lots of money owed, even if Tigers paid half, and no one really expected him to be as dominant as he was/has been.
I completely disagree on your assessment of the value, but you are probably right.
No deal will get done because Detroit holds all the cards will demand a king’s ransom.
It’s the right thing for them to do but will keep the deal from getting done.
Houston can’t afford to give up any outfielders, except Fisher, Kemp or possibly Straw.
Based on the contract status of current OF they really can only trade away pitching or infield prospects
Right. So why would the Tigers trade for reserves when they are in a rebuild? They could get Tucker, Alvarez, and Beer (obviously, not saying this would remotely be a possibility) and still be one of the worst teams in baseball next year.
And, Houston could definitely afford to give up Tucker. Boyd, for however he’s valued, is a legitimate MLB starting pitcher who is cheap for three and a half more years. That frees up $ to sign a FA OF, when needed or make a run at resigning Cole. To me, you guys are so stacked that losing a top prospect, here or there, doesn’t really hurt. Of course, I am just a Tiger fan wanting to be excited about a hitter, any hitter for the future.
I understand your point. Go big or stay home. If you don’t get enough to change the culture then why make a deal.
That said, your assessment of these being “reserves” is completely wrong.
Bukauskas is rated as the #97 overall and a 55 prospect grade mlb com. That projects to a #3/#4 starter or average closer.
Solomon is a 50 which projects as a #4 starter or high level set up man.
Santana is a 45 which projects as a platoon or utility player ( which is different than reserve which is a 40)
So this deal would net Detroit 2 pitchers who would project as regular middle of the rotation or high leverage relievers and a part time starting infielder.
Maybe not enough to turn them into a winner, but hardly “reserves”
Ultimately the longer Detroit waits, the less likely he will be traded (at least for a King’s ransom that was previously stated). He isn’t worthy of what they are demanding, otherwise he would have already been traded. To worsen Detroit’s bargaining power, he has regressed back to his mean over his last 4-5 starts and is back to being arguably slightly better than average.
His ERA is 3.95 and rising and his WHIP is also on the rise. He is striking out hitters at a career pace, but he’s also on a career pace of giving up HRs. As badly as Tigers fans want him to be a superstar, he just isn’t. He a #3 starter for half the contenders, and would be the 4th starter in Houston (yes, behind Wade Miley).
Astros fans also overvalue Tucker (I think he will be nothing more than a league average LF in the pros). The difference is that Tucker’s upside far outweighs what Boyd is, so the trade isn’t equitable for Houston as a 1 for 1 swap.
Some team will possibly overpay for Boyd, but it won’t be Houston.
Tigers fans like to say that they aren’t comparable, but also never mention that one is a first ballot HOF pitcher, and one is a middle of the rotation pitcher having a career strikeout year. Regardless of money owed or years remaining, a track record of being an excellent pitcher matters in trades. So yes, they are comparable as ALL factors are considered.
Trust me. There is no need to explain that JV is a better pitcher than Boyd. Verlander provided me some of the greatest baseball memories of my life.
But, this much I do know: the Astros have some pitching coach/philosophical magic going on. JV, Cole, Morton, and Wade Miley all get better once they put on a Houston uniform, and Verlander is the only one who was really a great pitcher before that (Cole was up and down). I have to believe they could make Matt Boyd considerably better and I have to believe that they believe that.
Either way, I’d love to see the Tigers trade him for some sorely needed hitting prospects, but have no problem if they keep him if the return doesn’t fit that bill.
Get your band back….A’s are on your heels
They can have Fisher.
No, Myles Straw is not a respectable option, especially at SS.
I second that. He’s serviceable-ish, but not respectable.
Diaz at first and release Slim White.