The Milwaukee Brewers will hire Houston Astros assistant GM David Stearns to become their new general manager, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported on Sunday.
Stearns will be replacing Doug Melvin, who spent almost thirteen years in the GM position in Milwaukee. The club announced that he transitioned to an advisory role on August 11, ending his tenure and opening up the spot that Stearns will now fill. The 30-year-old Stearns brings to the table what the Brewers reportedly wanted in their new GM. First off, he is from an Ivy League alma mater, graduating from Harvard in 2007. Secondly, he is big in analytics, having worked for the Astros for three years. And finally, Stearns is young and should be able to hold the position for awhile if he does well. Stearns has worked within baseball virtually since he graduated. He spent 2008 to 2011 working within the MLB's office of the commissioner, assisting with the salary arbitration process and uniform player contracts, as well as being a member for the MLB's negotiating team for the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He served as the Indians' Director of Baseball Operations from 2011 to 2012. Since, he's been with Houston and "assists General Manager Jeff Luhnow in all baseball operations capacities including player evaluations, player transactions, and contract negotiations and helps oversee the Astros' scouting, player development, and analytics departments," according to the team website. --Devan Fink
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The Houston Astros and left-hander Dallas Keuchel are interested in a possible extension, he told Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle.
The team and Keuchel's representatives at Frontline Sports Management, headed by Darek Braunecker, have discussed a multi-year deal, he said: “[Houston] is all I’ve known, and it’s where I want to be. I know we’re in a great position for the next probably five, 10 years… it’s all about winning. Me personally, it’s not about the dollar amount. … With that being said, it’s got to be something that’s fair and that’s right for both parties. I’m not trying to break the bank. I’m just out here to have fun and pitch and do the best I can.” Keuchel is first-time arbitration eligible this offseason and is under team control through 2018. It's not known if the Astros will try to work out a deal to try and buy out a couple of his free agent years with the new deal. It is possible, however, that the two sides try and work out a deal that buys out his arbitration years, while also adding team options for his potential free agent seasons. A benefit for Keuchel in signing an extension is that it provides some financial stability through arbitration, especially if he does not perform as well as he is right now or gets injured. A benefit for the team, however, is that they might be able to get a reduced arbitration-year rate for Keuchel if in fact he does continue on the same pace he's currently on. As noted by Drellich, Wade Miley and Lance Lynn were two pitchers that were in comparable situations to Keuchel's last offseason that both signed extensions. Miley and Lynn both signed away their three arbitration seasons for $19.25 and $22 million, respectively. Keuchel, however, could figure to get more than Miley and Lynn, due to a strong past two seasons where he established himself amongst the best pitchers in the American League. Keuchel's arbitration seasons could be valued at about $25 million. It's possible an extension could be reached in the $22-25 million range. As stated above, Keuchel is among the best pitchers in the American League. This season, he's led the Astros staff with a 14-6 record with a 2.37 ERA (2.74 FIP), working to 7.9 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over his 178 2/3 innings pitched. --Devan Fink
The Philadelphia Phillies appear motivated to move second baseman Chase Utley before the August 31 waiver trade deadline. Many rumors have circulated as to which teams are interested in trading for him. Here is the latest regarding Utley.
According to multiple reports, the Cubs, Angels, Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers have been mentioned as the likeliest destinations for Utley. The Astros are also receiving "credible buzz" about being in on him, as Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reported this evening. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that executives involved in discussions for Utley believe that he will choose to go to either the Cubs or the Angels. Utley has 10-and-5 no-trade rights, meaning that because he has spent at least 10 years in the Major Leagues and at least five with the same team (Philadelphia), he can block a trade to any team. Therefore, the Phillies and Utley must come to a consensus as to where he will go before he is ultimately dealt. Utley has drawn appeal from more teams than just those in need for a second baseman. The Astros, for instance, are definitely fine out at second, but could use an upgrade out at first base. Utley can play first or possibly designated hitter, which has allowed more clubs to come into play for trade discussion. The 36-year-old Utley is signed just through this season, but has a vesting option for 2016 if he reaches 500 plate appearances this year (which is pretty much guaranteed not to vest due to disabled list time). On the season, Utley is hitting .208/.276/.313 in 272 plate appearances. Since coming off the disabled list on August 7, he's hitting .500/.478/.682 in six games. --Devan Fink
The Houston Astros acquired lefty reliever Oliver Perez from the Arizona Diamondbacks, they announced early Saturday morning.
The Diamondbacks received Low Single-A left-hander Junior Garcia in return. The soon-to-be 34-year-old Perez will serve as the second southpaw out of Houston's bullpen, along with Tony Sipp. As a whole, the bullpen has been a strength for the Astros, as their 2.70 ERA is second in the American League and third in baseball overall. They have a 3.0 fWAR, which is eighth in the Majors. The Astros continue to show that they are ready to contend this season, acquiring Carlos Gomez, Scott Kazmir, and now Perez over the past few weeks to bolster their team with proven veterans down the stretch to hopefully bring them to the playoffs. On the season, the impending free agent Perez is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA (2.99 FIP) and 11.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 ratios in 29 innings pitched on the season. --Devan Fink
The Houston Astros have acquired Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers from the Milwaukee Brewers, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.
In return, the Brewers received an impressive haul of Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana, right-hander Adrian Houser, and lefty Josh Hader, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Gomez was reportedly heading to the Mets last night, but did not officially head there due to medical issues, when the Mets backed out after seeing his hip medicals. When the Mets backed out, it became no secret that the Brewers wanted to move Gomez. The Astros swooped in today and offered a huge return for him, in hopes that they'll contend and perhaps make a deep playoff run. The 29-year-old Gomez is signed to a team-friendly deal through next season and is slashing .262/.328/.423/.751 in 314 plate appearances this season. He is a two-time All-Star center fielder and possesses a lot of power and ability to hit. The Astros do have a solid outfield, but with the injury to George Springer, they have been somewhat limited. Gomez still is an upgrade to their other options. Coming with Gomez is 30-year-old righty Mike Fiers, who is under team control through the 2019 season. This year, Fiers is 5-9 with a 3.89 ERA (3.79 FIP) in 21 starts. He has a 121 to 43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 118 innings pitched. --Devan Fink |
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