Astros & Rays
Submitted by: Ms. Dajuba
Astros
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Alexander | 30 | Majors | LRP | Medium | 1.5 | 0 | 0.9 | -0.9 | -1.1 | -0.9 | -0.7 | |
| Zach Eflin | 30 | Majors | SP | Medium | 1.5 | 39.3 | 23 | 16.3 | 13.1 | 16.3 | 19.6 | |
| Brandon Lowe | 30 | Majors | 2B | Low | 2.5 | 38.5 | 25.9 | 12.5 | 10 | 12.5 | 15 | |
| Cash | 5 |
Total Value:
32.90
Rays
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Pena | 26 | Majors | SS | Low | 3.5 | 67.2 | 37.1 | 30 | 24 | 30 | 36 | |
| Miguel Ullola | 22 | Minors | SP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
Total Value:
32.5
Comments
3
I don't see this trade working for both teams. If the Astros move Pena, who plays SS for them? Is B.Lowe going to play DH for Houston, because I kinda sorta think 2B is already covered? From the Rays side, I don't think they're in the market for a SS like Pena. Yes, he's a better and more complete SS than their existing options (Walls and Caballero), but with the Rays being 1 year away (or less) from C.Wiliams taking over the position, I can't see the Rays paying $30MM for Pena, particularly when 1/2 that time is the lost 2024 season. Also, any benefit Pena provides the Rays at SS is more than offset by the loss of B.Lowe, who is having a good year now that he's off IL.
NEWSLETTER? SURE, SIGN ME UP!
Lowe plays 1B (where he belongs), they acquire a SS in other moves, C. Williams moves to 2B (or Peña, or 3B, it will work itself out, competition is good)……do you think Lowe finishes the year healthy? Or on the IL? Does he get to 100 games played? If he did it would only be the 3rd time in his 7yr career. If the Rays can find some gullible team to pay 12 in value for him they should be willing to deliver him in person and in luxury and send him on his way. Then Major League Baseball will need to start an investigation into racketeering charges against the Rays because no team is paying 12 in value for him unless there are threats of violence, hostages being held, ransom being payed, favors being done……DFA candidate in ‘25
You wouldn't know this, but Lowe is my favorite player and he gets a lot of Rays hate on team message boards. I've gone to war on his account many times before, and I've heard all the arguments for why he isn't that good a player, including your little ditty (games played in a season). So lets set the record straight here. Lowe was called up in August of 2018. He can't play 100 games in a season when there are less than 100 games remaining at the time of his call up (he played 143 games that season if you include his minor league games). His third season was during the Pandemic, when only 60 games were played. So again, he couldn't play 100 games that season. So if you're going to throw out games played in a season with B.Lowe, you're either missing the big picture when you say "3rd time in his 7 year career" or you're being intentionally disingenuous. But your point is valid none-the-less. Is B.Lowe injury prone or does he have a recurring injury? To be totally fair, he has suffered so many injuries over his career that I don't think anyone can say with a straight face that they have total faith in his ability to stay healthy. So it's a risk for sure. That said, when he does play, there aren't many who perform as well as him. His WAR/game generally is top 1-3 on the team and works out to 4+ WAR per season. Take this year, he has 1.3 fWAR in 46 games, which would give him a 4.5 fWAR season if he stayed healthy all year. As is, he's on track for 3.25 fWAR if he stays healthy. That's the thing about B.Lowe. He is still a really good player when he's on the field. Unlike a lot of players, B.Lowe won't be a negative performer when he's on the field, and despite his injuries, he has put up nearly 2 fWAR in every season of his career except his rookie year and his 2022 injury ravaged season. 2 WAR per season in actual production for his current $8MM salary is pretty fair, particularly when his per game production is more than twice as good. I don't want the Rays to trade him, but if a team offers them a really good trade package, I would understand if they moved him.