The Tony Plate Recap - New York Mets and Houston Astros Talking Trade

The New York Mets and The Houston Astros are talking trade. The Astros have shown interest in New York Mets relief pitcher Seth Lugo. So, now the Mets are looking at the Astros minor league system. 

This gives Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen a chance to improve the Mets farm system which has needed depth for quite some time since being ranked at a low status and recently being affected with the recent block-buster trade with the Seattle Mariners. 

Lugo has basically been a starter throughout his minor-league career and when he first came to the big leagues. The Astros are impressed with Lugo’s average curve RPM of 3173 and excellent fastball. Also, he is under team control for another four years which does improve his trade value. They are looking to fill a void in their starting rotation for a fifth starter and Lugo possibly can fill that void. 

The Astros recently lost Lance McCullers to surgery and Charlie Morton and possibly Dallas Keuchel to free agency, however McCullers might return towards the latter part of 2019. 

Lugo’s statistics show that he is better in relief so, if he does not do well as a starter, he could be an addition to the Astros superb bullpen. I thought there was a chance they would re-sign Keuchel, but there is now talk of the Philadelphia Phillies being interested in him.

The Mets still have other work to do such as looking for a lefthanded relief pitcher and another outfielder and maybe another infielder. 

There is a possibility that former top prospect and the versatile Dilson Herrera who the Mets signed to a minor-league contract back in November and who is only 24 might make the team as a backup infielder. He also, has good speed and can play the outfield.

In other baseball news, nobody as of yet has signed the two biggest free agents on the market Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, which is surprising. 

Harper rejected a ten-year three hundred million dollar offer from the Washington Nationals. If he does not get an offer from another team that would be willing to go higher perhaps there is a chance, he may return to the Nationals much to the dismay of Met fans. 

As for Machado there is talk that the Phillies, New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox may have an interest in Machado. You would think that the Yankees would stay away from the big free agent contracts for a change and put more money into the farm system to develop starting pitchers since they have put too much money into free agent contact signings in recent years and have not won the World Series since 2009.