Astrodomain-Houston Astros
General Astros thought and opinion.Sunday, July 01, 2012
Trade options for Carlos Lee post veto.
After 36 hours of hand-wringing, Carlos Lee has decided to remain with the Houston Astros, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
So what destination makes the most sense for Lee now? Since his unique no-trade provision was made public, he is believed to be adverse to playing on the West Coast and for teams who are regular playoff contenders. The idea behind that is teams not in contention would have less need for his services, giving him a better chance of staying in Houston.
Taking that into consideration, here is who I believe to be on his no-trade list:
Seattle
Oakland
Los Angeles (NL)
Los Angeles (AL)
San Diego
Arizona
Boston
New York (AL)
Philadelphia
Detroit
New York (NL)
Chicago (NL)
Chicago (AL)
According to @RoundRockTim the Rangers are a part of the no-trade also.
That leaves us with:
Miami
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
Milwaukee
St Louis
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
Washington
Kansas City
Cleveland
Toronto
On that list, I believe Cleveland, Miami, Toronto and Pittsburgh to make the most sense.
Cleveland - Their combined OPS for first base is .279, while slugging is .335. Lee checks in at .335 (OBP) and .405 (SLG) and would replace journeyman Casey Kotchman at first.
Potential compensation: Lee and $5 million for catcher Chun Chen or left-handed pitcher Elvis Araujo.
Miami - After a strong 2010-11, Gaby Sanchez has bottomed out this year, batting .194 with only two home runs. Replacements Logan Morrison have fared slightly better.
Potential compensation: Lee and $6 million for left-handed reliever Dan Jennings.
Toronto - Anchored by Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Colby Rasmus, the Blue Jays appear to not be in need of more offense. The designated hitter slot, minus Encarnacion's 43 games, has offered the Jays only one home run and four RBI.
Lee allows the Jays stabilization at DH and at first base. He could also be packaged with Wandy Rodriguez should the Jays find the need to patch their starting rotation.
Potential compensation: Lee and $4 million for third baseman Matthew Dean.
Pittsburgh - The Pirates could use a veteran presence to mesh with the All-Star Andrew McCutchen and a resurgent Pedro Alvarez. Casey McGahee, Garrett Jones and Matt Hague have performed at a level just below what Carlos Lee could provide.
Potential compensation: Lee and $6 million for left-handed starter Colton Cain.
Most likely destination: Cleveland with Toronto a close second.
Some statistical data provided by Fangraphs and cbs.sports.com.
So what destination makes the most sense for Lee now? Since his unique no-trade provision was made public, he is believed to be adverse to playing on the West Coast and for teams who are regular playoff contenders. The idea behind that is teams not in contention would have less need for his services, giving him a better chance of staying in Houston.
Taking that into consideration, here is who I believe to be on his no-trade list:
Seattle
Oakland
Los Angeles (NL)
Los Angeles (AL)
San Diego
Arizona
Boston
New York (AL)
Philadelphia
Detroit
New York (NL)
Chicago (NL)
Chicago (AL)
According to @RoundRockTim the Rangers are a part of the no-trade also.
That leaves us with:
Miami
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
Milwaukee
St Louis
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
Washington
Kansas City
Cleveland
Toronto
On that list, I believe Cleveland, Miami, Toronto and Pittsburgh to make the most sense.
Cleveland - Their combined OPS for first base is .279, while slugging is .335. Lee checks in at .335 (OBP) and .405 (SLG) and would replace journeyman Casey Kotchman at first.
Potential compensation: Lee and $5 million for catcher Chun Chen or left-handed pitcher Elvis Araujo.
Miami - After a strong 2010-11, Gaby Sanchez has bottomed out this year, batting .194 with only two home runs. Replacements Logan Morrison have fared slightly better.
Potential compensation: Lee and $6 million for left-handed reliever Dan Jennings.
Toronto - Anchored by Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Colby Rasmus, the Blue Jays appear to not be in need of more offense. The designated hitter slot, minus Encarnacion's 43 games, has offered the Jays only one home run and four RBI.
Lee allows the Jays stabilization at DH and at first base. He could also be packaged with Wandy Rodriguez should the Jays find the need to patch their starting rotation.
Potential compensation: Lee and $4 million for third baseman Matthew Dean.
Pittsburgh - The Pirates could use a veteran presence to mesh with the All-Star Andrew McCutchen and a resurgent Pedro Alvarez. Casey McGahee, Garrett Jones and Matt Hague have performed at a level just below what Carlos Lee could provide.
Potential compensation: Lee and $6 million for left-handed starter Colton Cain.
Most likely destination: Cleveland with Toronto a close second.
Some statistical data provided by Fangraphs and cbs.sports.com.
Labels: Astros, Blue Jays, Carlos Lee, Indians, Marlins, Pirates.
posted by dirty steve # 8:44 PM 
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