Wandy/Abercrombie available?

by JoeCoolMan24 on Oct 18, 2008 4:38 PM CDT Comment 11 comments

Hi, I'm from SouthSideSox. Here is a post I made over there, was wondering what some of you thought, and could offer some help on what might be asked in return.

"I was bored so I decided to play some MLB The Show. I signed Roy Oswalt in the 2009 offseason, and I was thinking, what about Wandy Rodriguez in real life? I have heard his name thrown around in all these Jake Peavy trades, so I assume he is expendable. He had a pretty decent year last season. I then figured it would be nice to get a young CF along with Wandy. I see Abercrombie on their roster with an OF that includes Lee, Pence, Bourn, and even grindERSTAD. Since Reggie isn't actually that young anymore (28), he might not be regarded that highly with Houston. "

Is that accurate? And does anyone here know of the status of those 2 players? Can they be traded, or will it be too hard to pry them from Mr. Wade? I really don't follow the Astros at all, you guys know much more than I. What would the 'Stros be looking for in return?

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I would be surprised if the Astros have a strong attachment to Abercrombie.

Reggie Abercrombie is a good defensive centerfielder and he has good speed on the bases. He has HR power. Reportedly he is also well liked in the clubhouse. That’s the good part. The bad part is the high rate at which he strikes out. That tends to keep his batting average down and also makes hjm a poor lead off hitter. Wade picked him up off waivers in one of his first Houston transactions; so there may be some reluctance ot let him go since he is one of “Wade’s guys.” However, I doubt that would make him untradable.

The local sports writers seem to act like the Astros will have “tough decisions” to make about Wandy…as if he might be sent packing. I’m not sure what the basis is for that view, other than a general perception that Wandy is “inconsistent.” Wandy is a No. 3 type starter; yet writers and fans judge him by the standard of someone like Oswalt. Their high expectations lead them to view Wandy as deficient in some way. I think you would find that a lot of the regulars on this blog are big fans of Wandy. I haven’t seen any comments from Cooper, Wade, or the coaches which makes me think they are unhappy with Wandy. And if he was traded, it would leave a pretty big hole in the rotation. So, I doubt that Wade would make him available for a pittance. He probably isn’t untradable, but I think the Astros would need to get a good return for him.

by clack on Oct 18, 2008 6:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The "tough decision" with Wandy will come next winter.

PECOTA projects him as slightly decreasing in performance next year. Not much (only a .1 decrease in WARP), but still there. After that, it predicts his production to decrease substantially.

Anyways, the 2010 season will be his last club-controlled season. He’ll be 31 years old, too. If we’re going to trade him for something, that’s the latest we can really expect anything. Wandy isn’t a bad pitcher, but he might be worth more on the trading block. And if Wade could get something good for the Wand-man, then he should do it.

by Only_A_Lad on Oct 18, 2008 9:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What "Clack" wrote is correct..... to add on

The only way I see the Astros trading Wandy is if we acquire someone like Peavy through trade or sign a Ben Sheets or A.J. Burnett. I doubt we’ll sign Burnett (and I dont think he has any interest in coming here). Who knows what our decision will be on Sheets with his high price and his injury concern. If we trade for Peavy that means Pence will be a Padre and we’ll have a void in RF. We won’t have the money to sign a high priced free agent RF and we won’t want to lose our 1st round draft pick either. I could see the Astros trading Wandy for a cheap …..yet productive right fielder. Therefore I could see a trade of Wandy for Nick Swisher and a productive reliever (Thornton maybe). I know Swisher had a down year last year in Chicago and he wasn’t happy about it, but he’s still a good player and has a high OBP which is what our team needs. He plays good defense and is good in the clubhouse. Houston fans might not see that as a good trade but if the Astros rotation is Oswalt, Peavy, Wolf, Hampton & Moehler we could trade Wandy for a cheap void.

by Rhombus67 on Oct 18, 2008 7:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

As cool as it would be to see Swisher here

I doubt that the White Sox are going to let him go. I think the prevailing opinion amongst the White Sox fans and media is that they’ll be trying to get Younger. Swisher’s only 27, and I suspect he’s a big part of their future plans, even with his poor season.

by Only_A_Lad on Oct 18, 2008 8:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Swisher's what you call...

a bulldog? He seems like one of those guys who always bounce around the club, motivating the players. I’m not sure about his D (can anyone pull out some fielding stats?), but he does have good pop, a pretty good eye in drawing walks (his average was horrible this year, but I’d say he was just unlucky).

Still, we’ve got to get that Peavy deal done before we start talking about anything else.

by jonthefon on Oct 18, 2008 11:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's a question:

where would you put Swisher if you got him? Berkman’s not moving from 1st, but that’s where he’s played the most games. Going by range factor (I know it has its problems, but it’s what we’ve got), he’s a slightly above-average 1B/LF. He’s a below-average CF/RF.

And Swisher doesn’t just have a “pretty good eye” – he’s one of the best. However, the key for him going forward will be developing some skills batting for average. As Baseball Prospectus has remarked about him, “one thing that guys like Adam Dunn and Lance Berkman learned is that it`s worth jumping on the first pitch a little more often.” If Swisher figures that out, he’ll be a monster.

by Only_A_Lad on Oct 18, 2008 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

HT's Revised Zone Rating...

for Swisher is .904 in CF and .926 in LF, which would appear to make him, roughly, an average CFer and above average LFer in the AL.

by clack on Oct 19, 2008 8:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Swisher

You put Swisher in Right Field to take the place of Pence. He’ll be an average right fielder so he won’t hurt you. But the real need for him is on offense. As it has been said, Swisher has a great eye and that’s what this Astros team needs … OBP. You can bat him 2nd or 7th and I think a switch to the NL could only improve his batting average. He could not replace Pence but at least he’s a good defender and is relatively cheap (made 3.5 Mill last year).

Nothing like this would happen though if we don’t trade for Peavy, sign Wolf & sign Hampton (which if we trade for Peavy I think the other signing are a very high posibility) …. but the more I read ….trading for Peavy seems more and more unlikely every day. So this probably is an exercise in futility. But it’s fun to ponder.

by Rhombus67 on Oct 19, 2008 11:39 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So what do you do with Pence?

Or is he involved in the deal for Peavy?

And I wouldn’t say that the odds of trading for Peavy are going down. Trades won’t happen until the winter, anyways. I’d say the odds of getting Peavy are just as monumentally unlikely today as they were yesterday.

by Only_A_Lad on Oct 19, 2008 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trades

The Astros are not likely to improve through a balanced trade. It is just not the case that they have enough strength in one area to be able to give up enough to get a player to improve somewhere else. They are not deep enough to trade two- or three-for-one. And they cannot afford to give up prospects. Therefore, the club should forget about trading as a way to significantly improve. The option is the free agent market (or loading up on prospects and waiting a couple of years.)

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

by Caradoc on Oct 26, 2008 11:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Trades

The problem is we have no minor League prospects that anyone wants. If we sign free agents depending on Type A or B we lose draft picks. I hate to say it but we are going to have to lose to rebuild or trade a Berkman or Oswalt to replenish our farm club. If anyone really thinks we going to be able to beat Red Sox, Yankees, Rays or whoever is coming out of the National League with the current club is drinking the kool aid Drayton is serving.

by wadero on Nov 3, 2008 11:29 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

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