Carlos Gomez (left) became a star with the Brewers. Mike Fiers has pitched well. (USATSI)
The Milwaukee Brewers traded outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers to the Houston Astros, CBS MLB Insider Jon Heyman first reported Thursday night.
Lookout Landing, a Seattle Mariners blog, had news of the return first. Heyman confirmed the haul Milwaukee received in exchange for Gomez and Fiers.
A day after another deal involving Gomez failed to be completed with the Mets — much to the embarrassment of all parties involved — Brewers general manager Doug Melvin pivoted and sent him to the upstart Astros.
Gomez, 29, has been one of the premier speed-power outfielders in the majors over the past three-plus seasons. He’s signed through the 2016 season, and is set to make $9 million next season, along with what’s left of the $8 million he’s making in 2015.
Gomez came in batting .262 with a .751 on-base plus slugging percentage, along with eight home runs and seven stolen bases. He has played through minor lower-body injuries this season, and his current health came into question Wednesday night after a trade with the Mets fell through, reportedly because New York didn’t like what it read in medical reports during the final stages of the transaction. Word of the deal had gone public, however, which made for an uncomfortable night for Wilmer Flores of the Mets. It also put Gomez, along with his agent, Scott Boras, on the defensive about his physical condition. The Astros seem to have no concerns.
SIX THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRADE
1. The Astros had pursued Gomez for weeks, and were overjoyed when the deal with the Mets fell apart. They also quickly gave Gomez a passing bill of health.
Boras: “The Brewers’ medical staff is as expert and qualified as its reports. Apparently in New York it is viewed as cheesehead medicine.”
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2015
And how does Gomez feel about his own health?
Asked whether he’s hurt, Carlos Gomez said, “I don’t have no problems. I’m playing, and I feel really sexy about it.”
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 30, 2015
2. Gomez was a top-five player in Major League Baseball in 2013 and 2014.
Only Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen and Josh Donaldson compiled more wins above replacement than Gomez in that span, according to Fangraphs. Gomez’s combination of power and speed on offense, along with great defensive skills, made him more valuable (based on fWAR) than the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Bautista — you name it. Gomez is capable of hitting the game-winning home run, or preventing it. He’s a crowd-pleaser with flair and substance, one of the game’s top showman. Some people are rubbed the wrong way by Gomez’s theatrics, but to his own team, Gomez wins games.
3. You know who’s really not sorry to see Gomez leave the NL Central? Joey Votto.
4. The Mets had valid reasons for having second thoughts — based on some of Gomez’s stats in 2015.
Gomez’s power and speed numbers have dropped for a third straight season. He’s not stealing bases like he used to, and his metrics in center — while good — are not nearly as good as two seasons ago. He has missed time because of nagging injuries. There’s some reason to believe, based on a relatively small sample size, that he already might have hit his peak and is beginning to decline. There’s more reason to believe that he’ll be a better player the rest of this season, and next, than he was in the first half of 2015.
5. The Astros say they could use Fiers as a starter or reliever.
Fiers, 30, has been an effective starter since breaking in full-time in 2012, but he’s also been subject to occasional injuries (though not this season). He has posted a 3.89 ERA with a 121/43 K/BB ratio in 118 innings over 21 starts.
The Astros also recently added Scott Kazmir to their rotation from the Athletics, so Fiers might be rotation depth, in case the team wanted to sub out Scott Feldman or Collin McHugh. Following several heavily-losing seasons, the Astros are in the thick of the pennant chase, posting a 57-45 record in the AL West, good enough to lead the Angels by a game heading into play Thursday.
6. The Brewers got a great return for Gomez and Fiers.
Phillips is the prize of the package, described as a high-ceiling outfielder. He’s 21 years old, and playing in Double-A. He’s perhaps a top-40 prospect in all of baseball. Here’s what Baseball America recently said about Houston’s best prospect:
The Florida prep star grabbed as a sixth-rounder in GM Jeff Luhnow’s first draft in 2012 has certified himself as the organization’s top prospect. Questions about his power have vanished in the wake of 15 first-half homers and evaluators peg his arm as plus. At this point, his ceiling is first-division center fielder who’s at least an average defender, with power, a 70 arm and a grinder mentality. He was recently promoted to Corpus Christi as the Astros try to better gauge his power and offense in general.
As Brew Crew Ball says, a potential five-tool center fielder makes sense as a return for a five-tool ballplayer such as Gomez.
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