29 Trades for 29 Teams: Houston Astros

Hello Yankees fans!

You've got a genuine Houston Astros fan here, checking in to Pinstripe Alley to stir up the rumor mill a bit. I live in Upstate New York, in the Finger Lakes, so I have some familiarity with that little ball club known as the New York Yankees. I swear I'm not a Yankees fan, but I must admit that YES and MSG are the only two baseball channels I get, and I sure as hell am NOT watching the Mets.

My beloved Astros just pulled off a trade (the first for our new GM) with the Red Sox, sending our young, contract-controlled closer, Mark Melancon, in exchange for SS Jed Lowrie and SP Kyle Weiland. Sorry Yankees, you don't get to beat up on Weiland anymore. The Astros need a little wiggle room in the budget, so this (and only this) is what we are looking to part with:

-1B/OF Carlos Lee (1 yr, $18.5 mil, partial NTC)

-SP Wandy Rodriguez (3 yrs, $36 mil)

-SP Brett Myers (2 yrs, $23 mil)

Making an assumption based on the reports of the undoubtable Jon Heyman, the Astros would be willing to eat parts of Lee's and Rodriguez' contracts to receive some decent prospects in return. Fringe prospects, the AAAA type, would probably do the job just fine for any of them, but there has to be strength in numbers. Every Astros fan would trade Lee in a heartbeat for a bag of shiny beads or anything of equal or lesser value. The consensus among fans appears that a Myers trade would result in complete indifference. But Wandy, our beloved Wandy, would have to bring us a significant return. Judging by the obvious, the Yankees need another reliable arm in the rotation, so let's focus on Wandy for a moment.

Rodriguez is the hands-down ace of the Astros staff. He was a solid #2 when Roy Oswalt was leading the rotation in Houston. I'm going to make three simple points that should not only make Yankees fans able to accept a trade for Rodriguez, but make you all overjoyed to be almost stealing Wandy from under our noses.

Why Wandy?

1. 1. 1. His 3 year, $36 million ($12m annual average) contract is more affordable than the contract signed by Mark Buehrle with the Miami Marlins (4 years, $58m, $14.5m annual average)

      2. There are only TWO National League pitchers to have an ERA of 3.60 or lower for all of the past four seasons—Tim Lincecum and Wandy Rodriguez.

      3. He's a lefty.

Who would you prefer? (stats courtesy of Astros County, an Astros blog)

CAREER STATS:

Of course there are detriments, like the fact that he is 32 years old, but so is Buehrle. And don't tell me about the jump to the American League, how it'll negatively effect him. Wandy relies on a crazy, sweeping curveball that few hitters can get a hold of, AL and NL alike. Buehrle's career WAR is significantly better, but he also has five more years of experience over Wandy. Does that mean Wandy has less wear and tear on his belt? Not necessarily. Simply, Rodriguez fits what the Yankees need, and he won't cost much in return.

So, here's the finalized trade:

Houston gives: SP Wandy Rodriguez and cash ($5 million)

New York gives: SP Dellin Betances, C Austin Romine, CF Slade Heathcott

Without sending the cash considerations, the Astros would not receive Heathcott back in the deal. It seems that the Yankees are willing to part with Romine without a problem, being the third best catching prospect in the system. I am surprised to see the disappointment Yankees fans already have for Betances. He still looks good on this end, with just a handful of AAA starts under his belt. The Astros would be enthused to get their hands on Betances.

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Here's a little more about the Hot Stove heating up around Wandy, if you're interested:

http://www.examiner.com/houston-astros-in-houston/astros-getting-more-inquiries-from-teams-interested-lhp-wandy-rodriguez

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Or keep track of the most exciting MLB club, the Houston Astros, at my blog:

http://bayoucityblues.mlblogs.com/