The Britton trade that did not happen and the Verlander trade that obviously worked out may both factor into any dealing Luhnow does this year before the deadline.
Last year the Orioles owner vetoed the trade at the last minute, and the Astros weren't able to get a top end closer. The Verlander deal literally came down to the last minute. The trade was turned into the league office seconds before the deadline. Without Verlander who knows how things would have ended last year?
So maybe Luhnow will not want to be put in that situation again, running against the clock. That could be a reason the Astros don't get Britton, since there are a lot of teams said to be interested in him. The Orioles could hold everyone hostage while trying to get the best possible deal for Britton, and the Astros might decide to pull the trigger on another deal instead of waiting up to the deadline on Britton.
EDIT - Gandorf basically said the same thing.
Yeah, I don't think Luhnow is going to let his ego or the past get in the way of making a deal he thinks would help the team. If the Orioles are willing to make a deal, and their owner doesn't fuck it up this time, Luhnow won't hesitate to negotiate with them.
On the other hand, Luhnow has already proven he will walk away from the table if the Orioles (or any team) insist on a trade Luhnow doesn't like.
Luhnow is going into trade deals with an open mind and with open eyes.
I don't care about matchups, I want the #1 overall best record and homefield advantage in every playoff series.
I also don't care about whatever stats show that homefield advantage in baseball isn't as significant as in other sports, I want the homefield advantage.
I also don't care that the Astros have been a better team on the road during the regular season, I want the homefield advantage.
The playoffs are a different animal....and the Astros are almost unbeatable at Minute Maid in the playoffs. The Yankees and Red Sox are also much better at home. We can beat them on the road, but I would definitely prefer having more games at home than on the road.
Unbreakable didn't need a sequel.
EDIT----Before posting, I didn't know about Split. I have to revise my statement.
Unbreakable didn't need to be made into a trilogy.
I opened that link in a new tab, but just got around to reading two days later.
We need to bring Beltran back in some way, in whatever limited way he finds acceptable.
If he doesn't want a full-time gig, have him come to Houston for a home stand, join the team on a road trip.....whatever he will accept.
Maybe with Giles they are working on stuff in pregame and bullpen before throwing him in games.
I know they have sent their minor league pitching coordinator to work with Giles.
I definitely like the fact that the Yankees (and others) have to play more games than we do after the break. Regardless of record, those extra innings may help wear down their pitching staff, especially since they are in a race with the Red Sox they can't afford to just bring minor leaguers to soak up those innings.
We're not really tied with the Yankees. They have a better win percentage and are two ahead of us in the loss column.
We have played 4 more games than the Yankees. Two more wins and two more losses. If the Yankees go 3-1 in those extra games and play even in the rest, they finish a game ahead. If they go 2-2 then we are tied.
Sorry to nitpick....I agree that we have hell of a ride ahead of us.
We all had high ceilings for Bregman when he was drafted, we raised those ceilings after last season, and he is already approaching that level.
And we all know he is just going to get better.
But I read somewhere that Martinez gave the veterans on the Tigers like Cabrera a lot of credit for his development.
He definitely got better pitches to hit with those guys in the lineup than he would have gotten with the Astros.
Another factor with JD Martinez......Maybe he doesn't develop like he did if he stayed with the Astros.
The Astros in 2014 had veteran leadership like Dexter Fowler (28), Chris Carter (27), and Jason Castro (27).
The Tigers in 2014 had Miguel Cabrera (31), Ian Kinsler (32), Torri Hunter (38), and Victor Martinez (35).