Just as I'm getting out of church, I check Twitter, only to find the Astros have done something that immediately makes me curse. Sorry, God. A deal that many thought dead seemed to come together quickly this morning, as the Atlanta Braves added Astros center fielder Michael Bourn for four minor leaguers.
Who did the Astros get? Center fielder Jordan Schaefer (who's already failed in a couple big league trials), left-handed pitcher Brett Oberhelzer and right-handers Juan Abreu and Paul Clemens. That's right, none of the big four pitchers from the Braves were included. Not even Randall Delgado, who ranks at the bottom of those top 4.
This is ridiculous and should cost Ed Wade his job. Granted, I'm reacting in the heat of the moment when I say that, but if the Astros were going to trade their best player (Bourn) to a team that desperately needed him (Braves) AND they had the leverage of having Bourn under team control for another year, why make a deal when you don't get an impact prospect? It's mind-boggling. Wade had leverage and basically wasted it.
Some of you will argue that this return isn't bad, that the Astros got some interesting arms, etc., etc. I'm sure they did. Oberhelzer in particular looks like a nice addition and the other guys throw hard. I'd counter that by bringing up the impact player scenario. The Braves got the best player in this deal and they may have gotten the player with the highest ceiling too.
I'll have a little more detailed reaction after I digest things, but for right now, I'm going on record with my anger. The Astros got a terrible deal here. Terrible. Whoever takes over this team is going to be in an even worse situation than the Astros were in at the beginning of 2011, because they now have only one or two legitimate big leaguers in their lineup every day (sorry, Jose and J.D).
You know what this trade reminds me of? The Miguel Tejada deal Wade did with the Orioles. Houston gave up a bunch of prospects for Tejada, but none of those guys really panned out, with the exception of Luke Scott to an extent. I don't even think Schafer can be as good as Scott has been for the O's. This is what we're supposed to get excited about?
Since I've now lost all objectivity, let's throw it to you guys and gals. Is this the worst trade Ed Wade has pulled off with the Astros? Is this one of the worst five trades in the past 10 years for the franchise? Can I be any more over-the-top? (Yes, yes and yes are my answers).