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When the Houston Astros sent out a memo at the beginning of the season that the team might need to change the date of a mid-October Taylor Swift concert due to their pending playoff run, people laughed off the notion that the warning was necessary. Little did we know that the Astros knew what they were doing, not just in sending out the memo, but in the offseason gearing up for a postseason run. Now after a trade deadline where general manager Jeff Luhnow bolstered his starting rotation with the acquisitions of Scott Kazmir and Mike Fiers and strengthened his lineup with the addition of the dynamic outfielder Carlos Gomez, the Houston Astros firmly placed themselves to do something they haven't done since 2005: compete in the playoffs.
The Astros lost and lost and lost for so many years to accumulate seemingly endless death in the farm system. While a lot of that prospect depth is now finally culminating in major league success for players such as Dallas Keuchel and Carlos Correa, the team’s minor league depth gave the organization the personnel flexibility to acquire big assets to prime themselves for a competitive run at the playoffs. Even after the team’s trades for Gomez, Kazmir and Fiers, the Astros still possess 14 prospects graded 50 or better (on a 20-80 prospect scale) according to MLB.com. The Astros’ prospect depth allowed them to not only position themselves to succeed in the short term, but also to continue to build towards the future.
But Houston is not in the position to buy at the deadline without the team’s moves in the offseason: the signings of Luke Gregerson, Pat Neshek and Colby Rasmus, the trades for Evan Gattis and Hank Conger and the waiver claim of Will Harris. The moves allowed Luhnow to balance future financial flexibility while positioning the team to compete in 2015. While many did not recognize it at the team, the Houston Astros had one of the best offseasons in years.
- A lot went down at the trade deadline. Lucky for you, we broke down who won and lost amidst the flurry of transactions.
- For some, unknown reason, the San Diego Padres, equipped with Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel, did not do anything at the trade deadline.
- Yoenis Cespedes will be putting on his fourth new jersey in a year. The outfielder was traded from the Tigers to the Mets.
- The Blue Jays are definitely going for it this year and the team isn't afraid of taking risks.
- Reports suggest that Aroldis Chapman may want to become a starter again, and while many teams were interested in his services at the deadline, Chapman was not dealt by the Reds.
- Some things in baseball, if scripted, would be considered incredibly corny. Wilmer Flores' walkoff home run was anything but.
- It took a while for the trade deadline to fully kick off, but last-minute fireworks certainly created drama.
- Kendrys Morales is a ninja. He somehow avoided a sure out with a ridiculous slide to avoid a tag at home plate.
- With the trade for Cespedes, the Mets finally got the big bat that everyone thought they were getting when they blew up their own trade for Carlos Gomez.
- The Cardinals gave up a pretty decent haul to acquire Brandon Moss. The franchise has a long track record of success, but are we just supposed to trust them?
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