Houston aiming for World Series with trade for Carlos Gomez
The Houston Astros are World Series contenders. It would have been crazy to read that sentence four months ago, but things have changed drastically in that period.
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With the team’s offseason additions, there was no doubt the club would be better. Still, few were willing to project a division title for a team that had lost 416 in the last four seasons.
Those people, myself included, look foolish now. The Astros jumped out to a strong start, quieted some doubters. There may have been some question about whether the team could sustain their success, but the addition of Scott Kazmir confirmed that Houston was ready to compete.
Thursday’s trade for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers takes that decree a step further. Houston isn’t just looking to stay in the race, they are looking to win the World Series.
In return, the Astros had to give up four of their top 30 prospects according to Baseball America, but this isn’t a do or die deal for them.
That’s because both Gomez and Fiers are under team control a bit longer. Gomez is signed for just $9 million next season, a small price to pay for a player of his caliber. He’ll be 30 next season, so the team shouldn’t expect to see a lot of decline. Gomez is hitting .262/.328/.423 over 314 plate appearances this season.
That’s a slight drop from his previous offensive heights, but it’s still strong. Combine that with the fact that he’s considered an elite defensive center fielder, and the Astros got one heck of a player for the next year and a half.
Fiers is under control through 2019. He’s a soft-tosser with elite strikeout numbers, but tends to give up a ton of home runs when he misses his spot. Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh aren’t exactly known for their velocity, either, so perhaps the Astros see something the believe they can fix with Fiers.
Through 118 innings, Fiers has a 3.89 ERA and a 3.79 FIP. He’s not always the most efficient pitcher, but he’ll put up solid numbers. He’s a useful mid to back end starter as is, and that’s good enough for Houston right now.
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Once George Springer is able to return, Houston should be able to trot out a pretty impressive lineup. Jose Altuve should stick at the top, with Carlos Correa, Gomez, Springer and Evan Gattis in the middle. That doesn’t include Luis Valbuena or Chris Carter, both of who have shown big-time power, or Jed Lowrie, who the team just got back from injury. There’s still risk in that lineup, particularly with strikeouts, but there’s also a ton of power.
All of those guys will be on the team next season as well. In fact, the only major player Houston stands to lose is Kazmir. Other than that, only Colby Rasmus and Tony Sipp are set to be free agents. Houston will be fine if they lose all three players to other teams in the offseason.
Trading for Gomez and Fiers not only makes the team stronger this season, but announces that Houston needs to be taken seriously moving forward. The first sign that the rebuild had finished was the Kazmir deal, the Gomez trade signifies this team has much larger goals than simply staying in the race.
By bringing in Gomez and Fiers, the Astros have turned themselves into a legitimate World Series contender. It’s crazy how things can change in just a few months.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
