DAT 5/24: Astros (Miley) vs Red Sox (Sale) 7:10 CT

31 years old, 2 parades here. Saints and Astros. That lil frick tard.

Guess I’ll move this to the new thread.

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Astros Trade Candidate: Max Scherzer. No, Really.

Hear me out for a few seconds and I swear this will all make sense after the details have been laid out for all to see.

It looks like the National’s seven year window of relevance has come and gone as the Nats have now gotten off to a rough 19-31 start. As we enter June, the Nats are already 8.5 games back of a wild card spot, as well as 10 back in the division.

The NL East looks set to run through Atlanta and Philadelphia for the foreseeable future, and as the Nats stare back down at a farm system that is in the bottom third of the league, it looks like the Nats could officially become sellers for the first time in 8 seasons.

If the Nationals know what’s good for them, it’s time to officially put Max Scherzer on the trade block.

What exactly has to happen in order for the Nats to entertain the idea of trading Scherzer? Someone’s got to figure out the contract. After this season, Scherzer is entering the final two years of his 7 year, $210M contact. This is where things get complicated for the Nationals, as Scherzer’s no-trade clause kicks in next year, meaning his value is sure to take a hit knowing now that the Nats will be restricted in who they can do business with.

To really complicate things, Scherzer’s contract isn’t even close to coming off the books for the Nats. Scherzer, even after his contract “expires” after 2021, is still owed $105M of his contract in deferred money to be paid from 2022 through 2028, meaning the Nationals will be paying Scherzer $15M a year until he’s 44 years old, long after he dons the red and white for the last time.

There’s no debate. There is no better time to trade Max Scherzer than this season.

Should a team like the Astros call up the Nationals and offer to eat a chunk of the deferred money as well as offer a three prospect package headlined by a strong pitching prospect or a dynamic bat, that could be the kick the old tires would need to begin what could become the trade that sends the baseball world into a frenzy, the one that results in Mad Max packing his bags and trading places. The Astros meanwhile would add yet another arrow to their quiver, a third ace up their sleeve, and would become favorites in their quest to win their second World Series in three years.

More here:
https://www.astrosfuture.com/2019/05/astros-trade-candidate-max-scherzer-no-really/

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You don’t see them trading him or you don’t see the Astros trading for him?

I’ll transfer my reply here. Downvote away.

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Ted, Armenteros, and Beer. You eat your own deferred money.

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Maybe in the past there just wasn’t a guy available worth trading a top prospect for.

They are going to have pay most of the deferred money to move him. I still don’t think they will trade him.

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You eat your own deferred money

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This. If the Astros are going to pay him for games he already played for the Nats, they get a lesser trade package.

Also, something we're not talking about is the luxury tax but we're getting to the point that there's not a lot of room to take on mega salaries without going over the luxury tax threshold. We're at $161 million this year with $124 million already committed for 2020 (to 8 players). That number doesn't include any arbitration raises where guys like Springer and Correa are likely to see hefty pay raises. My rough guesstimate based on what guys might get in arbitration raises puts us north of $175 million next year.

The other thing regarding scherzer is even if it’s the “smart” move for the nats I don’t think there’s any way the ownership oks it given how the Harper situation played out last year.

Good write up on the newest AAA starting pitcher for Round Rock.

Jose Urquidy Takes A Giant Step Forward

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Righthander Jose Urquidy is ascending the system and adding his name to this growing list of Astros' upper-level pitching depth that also includes Forrest Whitley, J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin.

Urquidy, who changed his preferred name from Jose Luis Hernandez this season, was the Opening Day starter for Double-A Corpus Christi and earned a quick promotion to Triple-A Round Rock after 33 innings.

A 24-year-old Mexican righty signed in 2015, Urquidy was once known as solely a great pitchability guy before having Tommy John surgery in 2016. When he returned in 2018, he had a four-pitch mix and a fastball hovering between 89-92 mph and touching 93.

Four outings into the 2019 season, Urquidy was touching 97 mph. Recipients of Tommy John surgery often experience some sort of velocity increase upon their return, but not to the level Urquidy had demonstrated.

He struck out 40 and walked five in 33 Double-A innings before being promoted. Speaking in mid-May after Martin made his big league debut, general manager Jeff Luhnow lumped Urquidy along with the aforementioned names as candidates for the next promotion.

"It’s always hard to put a finger on what the mechanical changes are or if it’s just (him getting) physically stronger or something like that, but the coaches have been working on getting him to rotate better,” farm director Pete Putila said.

"I’m not completely surprised at what he’s done thus far, but the velo has been a very nice surprise. Now, he’s as legitimate of a major league starting pitching prospect as you can get.”

Lauded for his pitchability within the organization, Urquidy has a plus changeup and has recently progressed with a slider to complete a four-pitch mix.

"At this point, he’s checking all of the boxes,” Putila said. "He was sort of quietly doing that before, but everyone wants to see guys throwing 95, 6, 7 or 8.

"But him at 94 is still a very good pitcher, maybe just not a guy who's going to be lighting up prospect lists just because velo is easier to hedge on when people look at pitchers. Now, pitching (93-96), it’s a different ballgame.”

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Over/under is 3 on how many more starts Corbaw makes before he is sent back down.

I say over.