A few useless what ifs.
Yesterday was a pretty good day for General Manager Dana Brown. Ok, the losses of Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman have been worst-case scenarios for the Astros GM, but yesterday, the pieces acquired from the Cubs for Tucker won the game. Isaac Paredes hit the go-ahead three-run homer. Hayden Wesneski recorded the win with a quality start. Cam Smith stayed hot with an RBI single.
Of course, these players will be controlled by the Astros for years. No doubt the Astros would have lost Tucker after this year without the trade.
Not that it makes us forget that Kyle Tucker is fifth in MLB in wRC+ at 205, or third in fWAR. He is at an MVP pace. Bregman is hitting 127 wRC+, his fastest start by far since 2019. But after years when his K% and BB% were nearly equal in the low teens, this year he’s striking out at an astonishing (for Bregman) rate of 21% and walking only 5%. What’s going on? Is the new, free-swinging Bregman sustainable? Or is this new approach going to extend his career?
But looking at the leaderboard, this one really hurt. Red Sox Wilyer Abreu, the sacrifice made in 2022 to get back up catcher Cristian Vasquez, is tenth in wRC+ at 195 and fourth at fWAR. He’s even a plus outfield defender.
If Dusty Baker had actually used Vasquez, and if he had been an important part of the 2022 crown, it might have been worth it. Maybe James Click should have asked Dusty Baker before the trade, “if I get a catcher upgrade at the trade deadline, are you still married to Martin Maldonado?” The answer would have been yes. So, why bother with the trade? If he were an Astro today, Wilyer Abreu would be our top-performing superstar.
After signing Astros free agent George Springer, he has been somewhat disappointing to his new team in Toronto. But this year, Springer is also atop the leaderboards, hitting wRC+ 199. Of course, we all know how streaky George can be.
But don’t blame Dana Brown for these last two.
I’m not saying the Astros shouldn’t have made the aforementioned personnel decisions. (OK, I hate the Vasquez trade.) I just thought it would be interesting to see how some former Astros were working out for their new teams.