OnlyBucs

Moran will platoon at 3b with the guy we've already got. Musgrove will make the rotation in a lower slot than Cole had with us, or will have with Houston. Feliz is a righthanded relief pitcher. We also got AA outfielder who was not among the Astros top prospects.

I will now officially drop my plea to sign Moustakas. Moran will be our lefty batting 3rd baseman. I expect that Cutch will be gone by the end of the month.

Curious about who we will drop off the 40-man. Their value, however slight, will further tilt the scales out o our favor.

I am so disappointed. :-/

Sure looks like NH traded a pound of tenderloin for four pounds of ground round. I hope at least a couple of the burgers turn out lean and juicy.

436962526573737F100 wrote: Moran will platoon at 3b with the guy we've already got. M


I think he'll just be the starter (though I'm not arguing with your general feeling of an underwhelming trade).

1E343F0F382E2E224D0 wrote: Moran will platoon at 3b with the guy we've already got. Musgrove will make the rotation in a lower slot than Cole had with us, or will have with Houston. Feliz is a righthanded relief pitcher. We also got AA outfielder who was not among the Astros top prospects.

I will now officially drop my plea to sign Moustakas. Moran will be our lefty batting 3rd baseman. I expect that Cutch will be gone by the end of the month.

Curious about who we will drop off the 40-man. Their value,  however slight, will further tilt the scales out o our favor.

I am so disappointed.  :-/
We need to cut 2 players from our 40-man. Best candidates seem to be Engelb Vielma and Nik Turley. Maybe we'll sneak em through, but the trade still sucks.

OK...how is this a horrible trade? Admittedly, I don't know squat about these players. I've been very vocal in my frustration with NH and the rest of this loser organization. But, two days ago, people on this board were screaming to get Moran. I'm sure I could pull up posts from a couple of days ago saying something along the lines of, "If the Bucs deal Cole and don't get Moran back, NH is an idiot." Well, NH got Moran back, plus three other guys who may or may not help. I'm as frustrated with NH as anybody. But, how exactly did he lose this trade?

4C616C7D7A6B7C3C3F0E0 wrote: I have no problem with the trade. I was not enamored with Cole. They weren't trading Kershaw. Cole was a huge disappointment these last 2 years yet still netted four decent players or prospects in exchanged for the potential he demonstrated in 2015 but not since. Moran and Musgrove were 1st round picks. Both are 25. Moran could be a quality bat at 3B. Too soon to tell about Musgrove. Feliz has not had success and may just be a throw in. But the Pirates are usually satisfied with older reclamation projects like Hudson so Feliz won't be worse and might turn out better. Martin is just 22 and looks like he could become a quality bat in the OF. Pretty apparent the Bucs don't plan to contend in 2018 so another year of Cole wouldn't accomplish much. Especially if he has another declining year coming up. These 4 players need seasoning but could make an impact in a year or two. IMHO, not a bad haul for a pitcher who's supposed to be a lot better than he's shown in the past 2 seasons.   


While Cole hasn't been good the past two years, I think there is a greater chance of him having a couple more very good years than any of the players acquired. 



If Moran's bat comes through (let's say 270 with 25 homers) then it will be a good deal. 



However, Bucs Dugout includes this in its story about the deal:





[highlight]His approach leans more average than power, though his defense his reportedly improved to the point he’s passable at third base, where he’ll be of use to the Pirates. He’d fallen all the way to 30th in the Houston organization in Baseball America’s rankings going into 2018.[/highlight]



That makes him sound more like an Alen Hanson than someone to expect to do well.

Here is what the editor of Baseball America tweeted:



This is the kinda deal fans always love to propose....the kind where your team doesn't give up anyone that is really going to hurt your team to give up....in this case it happened. Great work by the Astros

Now he is Houston's 30th best prospect? Funny.



The Astros have a good team. They traded from depth. Musgrove and Moran aren't needed by the Astros. They were smart in trading those guys for a legit starter. The Pirates have depth at starting pitching too.



That doesn't mean it wasn't a good trade for the Pirates. They got a need at 3B and the bullpen. Someone who could replace Cole in the rotation. And a future outfielder who is few years away.

IDK...maybe Cole will figure something out in Houston, but I'm at best skeptical. That park is a bandbox, and with now having to pitch to a DH, I could see Cole giving up a bunch of homers next year. I'm surprised he didn't have whiplash last year as often as his head was spinning around watching his latest gopher ball fly out of the park. I wish the Bucs could have gotten more, but all in all, I'm OK with this trade. It's a great deal for the Astros on paper, as they didn't give up anything that will hurt them. But, that could be as much a testament to how strong their MLB team and organization as a whole are. My preliminary grade on this deal is a B+, not great, but not terrible either. Watching these four guys for a year may change my opinion this time next year, but for now, B+.

240203140212610 wrote:



Here is what the editor of Baseball America tweeted:



This is the kinda deal fans always love to propose....the kind where your team doesn't give up anyone that is really going to hurt your team to give up....in this case it happened. Great work by the Astros


Did this editor person take into account the improved Pirate Payroll Flexibility? I wonder how Neal’s gonna spend the extra money!?