The Astros may have overpaid, sending two talented young players with major league experience and one top minor league prospect to Toronto for soon-to-be free agent rental starter Yusei Kikuchi, a bit too much considering how the market has moved up to this season’s deadline.
Let’s be honest here: the Astros should give it their all. That’s not the issue. Houston entered Monday’s game tied with the Mariners for first place in the American League West. After a sluggish start to 2024, they’ve risen from the depths in style. With guys like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez, the World Series is always a reality. There’s a reason this team has been to the ALCS seven years in a row.
The Astros also neatly addressed a gap in their rotation: starting pitching. Houston’s starting pitching staff is seriously lacking due to a rash of injuries. But the question is (1) who they got and (2) how much they paid.
Yusei Kikuchi is a quality MLB starting pitcher who should slot comfortably into Houston’s rotation and get some late innings. But will he start a postseason game for the Astros? Probably not, unless the still-rested Justin Verlander is healthy in October. Verlander, Framber Valdez, and two breakout pitchers in Ronel Blanco and Hunter Brown will all rank above Kikuchi. The 33-year-old Japanese left-hander started the season well, but his second-string pitching has been badly hurt this year, and considering he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season, the price Houston paid seems too high.
Jake Bross, Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner are all in Triple-A or in the major leagues, suggesting Toronto is more interested in refreshing than rebuilding, which makes sense considering Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are both under contract for next season. So who are these three?
Bross struggled in his three debut appearances with Houston this season, but don’t take his numbers with a pinch of salt. The 23-year-old right-hander was drafted out of Georgetown last season and was rushed to the big leagues due to Houston’s injury problems. Bross has a mid-90s fastball and good carry, making him a rotation option down the line. He still has work to do, but he’s under the team’s control until the sun melts.
Physically, Loperfido looks a bit like Cody Bellinger. Sure, he’s not as good, but he has the athleticism to be a strong-swinging outfielder/first baseman. The former Duke Blue Devil also debuted this year and was more mediocre than terrible, although his strikeout rate was awful. If he can cut down on his whiffs in the zone, he could be an everyday player.
Wagner, the son of former MLB closer Billy Wagner, is more of an up-and-down utility bench player with good swing judgment but limited power.
Given that Kikuchi will become a free agent at the end of the season, Toronto’s acquisition price and The White Sox acquired the more popular starting pitcher, Erick Fedde, but got a disappointing return.it’s hard not to see this as Houston overpaying.
