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July 31, 2025 11 mins
Brian McTaggart On The Latest With The Astros Trade Deadline 
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Great friend of the show, Brian McTaggart with us here
to talk trade deadline for the next twelve to thirteen minutes.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Normally it's a good ten minutes with him going twelve
or thirteen with him, Wow, overtime. He's gonna want overtime.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
And I know, Brian, he's gonna claim extra money, that's
for sure. He'll be in Boston tomorrow. You're gonna be
meeting a new third basement, Brian. The question will be
will you be meeting anybody else by the time the
Astros in Red Sox played tomorrow at Fenway Park.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, that's a good question, I think so if they
can get there, and you know, I certainly think the
throws a well. I know they're they're working on some
other things here today and I'd be surprised if they
don't get something done. Obviously they still want to get
a starting pitcher, you know, I don't think they're done
looking for offensive upgrades.

Speaker 4 (00:46):
So Aria's trade is just part of it. But this is.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
By no means they're a big move. I think that's
that's still to come. If they can pull it off.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Let's go to Aria's for a second. It feels like
to me, maybe I'm wrong. Is he just in theory
perhaps better Mauricio Dubon or are they one and the
same at this point?

Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah, I mean, it looks like they're a little interchangeable.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
I mean, to me, du Bond's is more valuable because
he can play the outfield. Durius is more of an infielder.
I mean, he played almost exclusively third base this year.
So yeah, I think it just gives them somebody that
can put it third. See what else they can do,
you know, what other kind of bats they can get.
But if you know, if they're not able to pull
off something, at least to have somebody that can put

(01:30):
it third, that plays a go gole off third base,
can handle the bat a little bit, that's you know,
an upgrade over you know, Zach Short and Shay Whitcombe
and and some of the guys have been playing here
in the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
So but I mean, I guess, you.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
Know, is there a chance maybe they moved to Dubond somewhere.
I know they don't want to trade off the major
league roster.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
But he just does so many things. I just I
just don't know if that would be a good move.
For them.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
All right, let's get to another infielder been talked about, Carlos.
Kraaz spoke yesterday in Minneapolis. There the rumors have not
died completely, although the urious move probably slows it down
a little bit. It feels like to me, and we
were talking about this last hour, that there's been consistencies
in Jim Crane's ownership since the team has been relevant. One,

(02:19):
he's not going to give you super lengthy long contracts.
He will give you fair market value, but it will
not be for the eight to nine mega deal. And
number two is if there is a star player that
he has his eyeset on and he really wants him,
he's going to tell his general manager whomever it is,
to go get it, whether it's Verlander, not once but twice,
whether it is Zat Granki, whether it is going to

(02:40):
get Josh Hater in free agency. And in this particular case,
this feels Jim Crane driven. So let me ask you,
why do you think, if you were able to get
into the head of the owner of this baseball team,
why Carlos is so appealing, especially because there's so much
money attached to the remainder of his contract.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
Yeah, First of all, I think the twins would have
to eat a significant amount of the remainder of their contract.
I mean that team's for sale. I think that they're
obviously trying to shed some payroll here. You know, how
much of the remaining three years would they be willing
to eat. Crane's also a business man, and he knows
that the getting Kara and here's gonna provide a boost.
It's gonna provide a spark. You know, remember when they

(03:21):
both times they traded for Verlander, especially the first time,
it was like, wow, you know, Verlander's here or Verlander's.

Speaker 4 (03:27):
Back, and you know, it provided a spark.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
That being said, a lot of times these reunions don't
work out very well. You know, Corey is, you know,
not the player. He was still a good player. I
think he could be a really good third baseman. I
think it would be a popular move in the clubhouse,
certainly with a guy like jose Al Tubay. And you know,
if he's on board, then everyone else is going to
get on board. I mean, he would be a player
that could help them. But it's weird because I still
think their biggest need is a left handed bat. And

(03:52):
you know, you are going to get Pretas back probably
next year. Then you have Korea Urrias a little bit
of a log jam there. So I see why they'd
want to do it. I'm not sure it's the best
fit at this point. Willie Castro, you know, left handed
hitting infielder who you know, can move around a little
bit for the twins and doesn't make all that money
makes a lot more sense. So, but Astros have probably

(04:13):
got a lot of fires, a lot of irons in
the fire, you know, looking at a lot of different things,
and that's just one of them.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
And with the irons in the fire, and we've talked
about this farm system for the Astros, just the deals
you've been kind of seeing around baseball and kind of
relating that to what the Astros have to give up.
Where do you think that puts the Astros as far
as getting impossible bidding wars?

Speaker 4 (04:37):
Yeah, well, they're probably a little bit.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
They're going after, you know, some of these guys that
a lot of teams are after. I mean we just
you know, we you know, trade went down with the
Padres and A's and uh, you know A's or send them.
Padres are sending one of the best prospects in Baseball
to the as you know, probably a better prospect than
the Astros have. So that's gonna make it a little
bit more difficult. But they do have prospects to get
deals done. You know, they don't want to trade off

(05:03):
the major league roster, but guys like Jacob Melton and
Shaye Whitcomb and you know, Chas McCormick could probably use
a change of scenery at this point. Not that he's
not that he's going to help you get a deal done,
but he could be part of a deal. But it's
going to come down to prospect capital what they have
to offer. You know, they do have a lot of
arms in the upper levels of their prospect rankings that

(05:24):
I'm sure some other teams will allow to get their
hands on.

Speaker 4 (05:26):
So, uh, that's part of it.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
It Probably they're you know, obviously in a dis in
that Tage is Spot and a lot of other teams
just because they just don't have the overall the quality
of upper level prospects that a lot of other teams do,
including the Mariners, who are you know, pulled off the
Suarez trade. And I don't think they you know, give
up one of their their top ten prospects.

Speaker 4 (05:46):
So that was a big coup for them.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Brian McTaggart with us here on Sports Talk seven ninety
and that was gonna be my next question. How much
more urgency do you think there is from Dana Brown
with what the Mariners are doing?

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, I mean I think I think Dana had urgency anyway.
I think you know, he knows that with all the
injuries and you know, Alvarez, I don't think you can
really count on, you know, when he's gonna come back,
if at all this year, pretes looks like he's out.

Speaker 4 (06:12):
There's urgency there to add a left handed bat.

Speaker 3 (06:14):
But you know, the team that's behind you in the
standings has gone out and added Josh Naylor and now Suarez.
They already have put him in a line up with
JP Crawford, cal rally h that is a pretty deep
top of the lineup.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
They already have a really good rotation.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
So they're five games behind the Astros, but right now
their rosters better and significantly better and healthier.

Speaker 4 (06:38):
So yeah, that Dana is aware of that, and that's
why I think they're not done.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
They got to make a move or two for a
starting pitcher and another bat.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
So help me out and maybe you don't have a
contact in San Diego, but just the general baseball. So
they the Padres, go to get Mason Miller, but Dylan
Cees remains out there. Why are they moving some Cease?

Speaker 4 (06:59):
Well, he's a free agent. At the end of the year,
they'll get something for him.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
He's making fourteen million, so it's sort of a matter
of let's get something while we can, and we will
replace him with a series is under control for a
few more years, so sort of just kicking the can
down the road a little bit with a starting pitcher.
But Cease is a guy that a lot of teams
are gonna want, so they're probably gonna be able to
get you know, a couple of prospects for him, and

(07:25):
otherwise they.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
Would lose them, you know, at the end of the
year free agency likely.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
So the fact they went out and got Mason Miller,
you know, a reliever, and got JP Sears a starter,
that makes Cease a little bit more expendable now just
because he is a free agent. He's making a lot
of money, and so they'll give him some payroll flexibility
here for the rest of the year.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
All right, if it's not cease, and clearly they are
still looking for something in terms of pitching. Does that
give you the sign one way or the other that
they're not completely sure the guys that are on the
farm and these rehab guys can come back and help.
Are they wororried about using Ryan Gusto the rest of
the years, maybe a back end guy. Are they worried

(08:04):
about keeping mc colors? Why would? And I've always and
maybe there's this there's age old thought of in baseball,
and we had Jim Bonan last week that backed it up.
You can't have enough starting pitching. So maybe that's just
a simplistic answer. But is there a party that says,
if they're kicking the tires on Dylan Ceees that maybe
they're not sure that what they have Even when the
guys come back, and I'm including arrogating the mix, are

(08:26):
gonna be guys that can go deep into ball games
and they can help you win a September Pennant Race.

Speaker 4 (08:32):
Yeah, I think there's no doubt.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
You know, Aarreghetty was a rookie last year who had
a really good second half of what made two starts
this year.

Speaker 4 (08:39):
Books still very much out on him.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
They're still way better off with him in the rotation
over some of the other guys they have. But Luis
Garcia hasn't pitched in two years, Javier hasn't pitched in
more than a year. JP Franz has it pitched in
since early last year when you know his shoulder was
falling off. Those three guys specifically, and even Harrogetty, Yeah,
you know what you're gonna get. It's Dylan Sez is

(09:02):
a guy who makes thirty three starts every single year.
And granted the Astros get him, they're gonna need him
to make ten or eleven starts, but he's gonna do that.
And he hasn't had a great year, but I mean,
he was a top five cy Young.

Speaker 4 (09:14):
Finisher last year.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
And if you can maybe tweak him a little bit
like they did with Kokuchi, put him.

Speaker 4 (09:18):
Behind Hunter Brown and Franber Valdez.

Speaker 3 (09:22):
Dylan sees those one, two three in a playoff series
that stacks up with anybody, including the Mariners, And I
think they just want a third guy who is a
horse that they know in the playoffs they can trot
out there and match up with other teams. I mean,
last year they had Kakuchi, and I guess he was
going to start Game three of the Wildcard series and
they never got there.

Speaker 4 (09:42):
So obviously the.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
Goal is to get the first or second seed, and
so you don't have to play in that wildcard series,
and they can they can stack up their pitching as
they want for the division series.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
Coup more minutes with Brian McTaggart with us here on
seven Owty, are Jacob Meltin and Bryce Matthews untouchable in
your opinion?

Speaker 4 (10:00):
I don't think Jacob Melton is.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
I would say Bryce Matthews is, just because the way
they talk about him so highly. He's also Dana Brown's
first draft pick. I think it would be hard for
Dana to let go of him at this point. I mean,
he came up and had, you know, a couple of
good games in Arizona, but overall it's been a little
overmatched at times, you know, offensively and defensively.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
So I.

Speaker 3 (10:26):
Guess it just depends, you know, what's your price. But
it would surprise me. I guess if they traded Bryce Matthews.
Would not surprise me if they traded Jacob Melton at
this point.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
All right, Well, this interview has to go in the
natural direction. Trade deadline interviews Go Brian Crystal Ball time.
What do you think happens between now and the deadline
at five PM.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
I do think they'll get a starting pitcher.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
I know, as of last night, Cease was their main
target and things were progressing maybe a little bit towards
something getting.

Speaker 4 (10:55):
Done, So I'm gonna I'm gonna stick with that.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
They do land Dylan Cease, and I'm a little bit
less clear on a bat. There's probably a lot of options,
but I do think they'll also also land a left
handed bat, and so you know how big of an
impact player that will be remains to be seen, but
I think it's safe to save. When we get to
Boston tomorrow, there's gonna be a handful of new faces,

(11:18):
probably including Jeremy Panya, and three or four guys who
took the flight to Boston are going to be flying elsewhere.
So it's you know what, we got about six hours
to go a little less than six hours, so it's.

Speaker 4 (11:30):
Gonna be very interesting.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
I love this conversation.

Speaker 4 (11:32):
Tags.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
Great stuff is always from you.

Speaker 4 (11:34):
And my friend.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
Safe travels to Bean Town and we'll talk again next week.

Speaker 4 (11:37):
All right, sounds good? Thanks guys,
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