DAT 8/2: Rays (Pruitt) @ Astros (Keuchel), 7:10 CDT

Hey Yankee Lurkers...

You are welcome.

LINK

Why Yankees can thank the Astros — and their lack of deadline deals — if they win the World Series

If their newly executed plan leads to a championship this season, the Yankees will look back at the trade deadline as a turning point, but not just because they acquired Sonny Gray and bulked up the bullpen.

No, they’ll almost surely have the Astros to thank as well, for prioritizing prospects over winning their first-ever title and doing nothing of significance to improve their chances.

Sure the ’Stros will coast into October, flexing their muscles as the highest scoring team in baseball, but there are major injury questions surrounding their top two starting pitchers, and their bullpen ERA is rising faster than Jose Altuve’s batting average.

As such it can be awfully tough to win in the postseason without dominant pitching, simply because runs are usually tough to come by even with an explosive offense.

All of which earns the Astros the award as the biggest losers at the trade deadline, refusing to give up prospects that could have landed a starter like Gray, Jose Quintana, or Yu Darvish, or a game-changer in reliever Zach Britton.

How does that make sense? They completely tanked for five years to get into a position like this and GM Jeff Luhnow still won’t go all-in?

“I’m stunned,” an AL executive said on Tuesday. “They had the prospects to get a big piece. There’s a time when you just have to go for it, and this is their time.”

Sounds like Astros players feel the same way. Dallas Keuchel told a TV reporter before Tuesday night’s game with the Rays that he is “extremely disappointed” that the front office didn’t make a move.

As Cubs president Theo Epstein rather famously a year ago when he gave up Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Chapman, asking: “If not now, when?”

Brian Cashman is hardly in that position. In fact, he had much more justification than Luhnow for holding tight to his prospects at the deadline, yet he couldn’t let an unexpected opportunity at winning pass.

It might cost him a few spots in Baseball America’s next farm-system rankings, but the deal for Gray might also help the Yankees win their 28th world championship.

How would that go over with folks in Houston?

And don’t think the Rangers wouldn’t have traded Darvish to their in-state, intra-division rivals. He’s a rental heading for free agency so they weren’t worried about a long-term impact, and Rangers GM Jon Daniels was looking for any sort of return on Darvish until the Dodgers came calling 20 minutes before the deadline.

As a result, with no other team in the hunt, the Dodgers got exactly what they need to make the most of their postseason, which is a No. 2 starter to ride shotgun with Clayton Kershaw.

Meanwhile, the Astros are left to hope that Keuchel and Lance McCullers are healthy and at the top of their game come October.

If they are then perhaps Luhnow will have the last laugh, but right now you’d have to say that’s a dicey proposition.

Keuchel is just back from a second stint on the disabled list due to a neck injury, and didn’t have anything resembling his precision command in his start last Friday, giving up six hits and three walks while lasting only three innings against the Tigers.

And No. 2 starter McCullers on Monday was put on the disabled for a second time this season, this time with a back injury that the Astros hope explains his lousy July, which saw him pitch to a 9.64 ERA.

The injuries to their top starters haven’t slowed the Astros at all, mostly because they’ve steamrolled teams with offense: their 623 runs scored is 66 more than the second-highest total in the AL, which belongs to the Yankees.

And the rest of their rotation, featuring the likes of Charlie Morton, Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers, has pitched well, which is why the Astros’ starters lead the league with a 3.96 ERA.

Still, the feeling among some scouts is that the combination of a high-scoring offense and the Astros’ big lead has taken loads of pressure off such pitchers who will be entering uncharted territory in the postseason.

Meanwhile, after a strong start to the season, Houston’s bullpen has become a concern due to injuries and ineffectiveness. It ranks 12th in the AL with a 4.58 ERA, and adding starter Francisco Liriano to be used as a lefty reliever, which was Luhnow’s only trade on Monday, isn’t likely to have a significant impact.

All of which is why it’s hard to believe the Houston GM wasn’t willing to go the extra mile to get top-shelf pitching help. And while there is always a chance Luhnow could still do so via a waiver trade in August, no one believes they’re going to take on Justin Verlander’s salary, for example.

Still, none of this means the Astros won’t be the team to beat come October, depending on the health of their starters. And obviously the Yankees have a tough road ahead before any potential meeting with the Astros, either as a wild-card team in the ALDS or the AL East champs in the ALCS.

One way or another, however, they probably would have to go through Houston to win a championship. And if it gets to that point in October, the Yankees will have a better chance of matching up with the Astros because of what the respective GMs did or didn’t do at the trade deadline.

I hope Dallas doesn't give a performance where disappointment is an understatement

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I do not fear the Yankees.

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Nope.

The Indians or the Red Sox (unless they have to pitch Sale in a WC game) are a tougher matchup. If the Red Sox have to pitch Sale in a WC game, then I like the Astros' chances.

KC is currently the WC2... would prefer not to see them. Seattle and Tampa Bay are both 1.5 back of the second WC... neither scare me.

I'll take the blame for last night's loss fellas. I was undefeated at my attended games this season. Wear the same shirt and get same shake shack pregame meal when I get there. Did everything the same, EXCEPT I went with the double shack burger instead of just the single

as Crash Davis once said "never frick with a winning streak"

i really think you guys are going to make a huge waiver deadline deal and get verlander

Would the Red Sox or Yankees put in a claim for him in order to block the Astros from getting him?

They might end up stuck with his salary, but those are two teams that can afford it. Plus, they get Verlander.

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dont think the tigers would let that happen

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Yeah no way they would. They couldn't even do it if they just wanted to dump the whole salary. Verlander is a legend in DET, and those fans would turn on the team if they just gave him away.

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If he thinks there is value in a Verlander trade then it might happen.

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I wonder if LMJ's status changes things. Let's say they have to shut him down for the season before the end of the month. Does Crane sign off on adding Verlander if Luhnow recommends it?