July 4, 2024

Houston Astros GM Hints They'll be Aggressive at Trade Deadline - Sports  Illustrated Inside The Astros

Astros GM hints at team’s plan ahead of trade deadline

The Houston Astros have had a down year so far this season. But Astros general manager Dana Brown doesn’t sound ready to take apart the team’s current core just yet.

The Astros entered Monday’s slate of contests 7.5 games out of both the AL West division lead and the final Wild Card spot.

Brown, however, didn’t sound too concerned when he addressed the media before the Astros’ Monday night contest against the St. Louis Cardinals. The second-year GM stated that the team was planning to acquire top-shelf talent rather than let any of their own players go.

Houston Astros GM Hints They'll be Aggressive at Trade Deadline - Sports  Illustrated Inside The Astros

“I don’t see any scenario where we’re sellers,” said Brown, via The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. “I think we’re going to be buyers. … I’ve seen teams blow leads from five games up to seven games up in September. “I don’t foresee us being sellers at all. We’re going to grind it out. I think we’re going to get back to .500 before people know it and we’ll be back in the race.”

Brown, who had previously served as a scouting director for the Atlanta Braves, referenced the 2021 World Series champions as a reason not to sell too early. He stated that the 2021 Braves didn’t get to a .500 record “until Game 100.”

The 2021 Braves closed their season with a 32-17 record to secure the NL East lead late in the campaign. Brown expressed his belief that the Astros could do the same.

 

The Astros took a step in the right direction Monday with a 7-3 win over the Cardinals. But the team didn’t leave Minute Maid Park unscathed as A

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Veteran Triple-A masher is not the answer at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates need some help at first base, but even though this familiar player has solid numbers at Triple-A, there’s a better chance he’s a downgrade before he’s an upgrade over what’s currently on the Major League roster.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jake Lamb to a minor-league deal this past offseason. He’s gotten off to a decent start, and now many fans want him to be Rowdy Tellez’s replacement. Although the Pirates need first base help, and fans have set a low bar to get someone else to replace Tellez and help Connor Joe out, promoting Lamb might end up being a lateral move rather than an upgrade.

Mar 3, 2024; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Jake Lamb (18) bats in the second inning of the spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Some might not agree based solely on how he’s doing at Triple-A. Lamb is batting .331/.416/.468 through 185 plate appearances. He has a strong 17.3% strikeout rate and a 13% walk rate. Lamb hasn’t hit for much power and has just a .136 isolated slugging percentage, but he still has a quality 129 wRC+ at Triple-A. So why not bring him up?

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