Should Astros GM Dana Brown Already Regret The Kyle Tucker Trade?

KILT-AM / SportsRadio 610

The Astros have survived previous key departures. Will Kyle Tucker be the one that got away?

Transcript

00:00We've seen over the years, guys, they have lost guys and have been able to sustain it.

00:06They've lost, and you tell me if I'm missing somebody, they've lost Charlie Morton.

00:11That's one that people don't bring up a lot in, but I think Charlie Morton, the loss of Charlie Morton,

00:15was a big, big loss as he was on the mound for important playoff games in that World Series run in 17.

00:23You lose Charlie Morton. They've lost Garrett Cole.

00:27They've decided not to bring back George Springer.

00:30They did the same thing with Correa.

00:32Obviously, this year they've done it with Bregman and Tucker, Verlander,

00:36but then they brought him back for more money for some reason.

00:40They have allowed guys to walk, and it hasn't affected them,

00:44and there hasn't been a deal of which, ooh, we missed this guy, right?

00:48And to be honest, they've been right.

00:49George Springer has had a lot of injuries.

00:52Correa started off this year 0 for 17.

00:55So there have been some things.

00:58But I'm wondering from you all, and Luke, you can start this thing off,

01:04is Kyle Tucker going to be the one they miss?

01:06Is Kyle Tucker going to be the one that they regret?

01:10Kyle Tucker is damn near leading, if not first or second,

01:13in every single category in the National League.

01:18Maybe he's a little bit back when it comes to average,

01:21but he's stolen three bases.

01:24He's got the most runs scored.

01:27He is tied for RBIs.

01:29He is tied for second-at-home runs.

01:31Kyle Tucker was a guy in his prime,

01:34and now you don't really have like a Pena behind Correa.

01:38You don't have a Kyle Tucker behind Springer that kind of fills the void.

01:42Do you think that Kyle Tucker is going to be the one that the Astros regret?

01:48I'll answer it two ways.

01:49We regret, well, you phrased it there, so that's interesting.

01:52Maybe I'm getting bogged down in semantics.

01:54I think of the group of names you listed,

01:57100% he'll be missed the most of that group.

01:59I don't even think it's much of a question in that regard.

02:01I think he has the most left in the tank of any of these players that have left,

02:05and I give credit to the Astros where it's almost been like the Belichick,

02:09Patriots philosophy where it's better to let them go too soon

02:12than hold on to them too long.

02:14And so I think they've taken maybe a little bit of a risk with some of those

02:17other guys.

02:18It's paid out.

02:19For Kyle Tucker, I think he has a lot left in the tank.

02:21I think he's still in his prime, right?

02:23So that wasn't the case with the other guys.

02:24I don't think we've seen the best of Kyle Tucker yet.

02:26That's fair.

02:27So in that regard, I say absolutely 100%.

02:30However, then the way you frame that question of if they'll regret it

02:35or if they'll surely miss him, I think that comes down to Cam Smith,

02:41that if he develops into this top player, you know, the Astros' top prospect

02:47this year, and he can fill that void either right in right field

02:50or if eventually they move him to third and he can be someone you can shape

02:54your lineup around and he plays that position, whichever one it is,

02:57for the next 10 to 15 years, then it's almost like to change sports.

03:02You know, like the Vikings move on, some of Justin Jefferson.

03:05It's like, ah, we let a good player go.

03:07We got a good player.

03:08It's a wash.

03:09And so I think it's dependent on Cam Smith.

03:11But if you want to just look at those players that left, 100%,

03:15he's the guy that is going to have the best career post-Astros

03:20than any of the other guys they let walk.

03:22Tyler, is this one that makes you nervous?

03:24Is this one that makes you nervous?

03:26And you can jump in on this as well, 713-572-416, YouTube and Twitch,

03:30because they have been able to get to a place where there's no regret of Correa.

03:36You love them, but there's no regret.

03:38Garrett Cole, of course, I think most of you hate Garrett Cole.

03:42Turd.

03:42Because he decided to just not be a part of the team.

03:46Not be a part of the team by not wearing any of the paraphernalia

03:49as soon as the game ended.

03:51But Springer, Bregman, I don't even know if Bregman is one that you would not pay

03:56for that one.

03:57But this one feels potentially it could be different.

04:00Hell yeah, bro.

04:01You're starting to get there.

04:02You feel like there might be regret.

04:04Oh, I'm in it right now.

04:05I'm living there right now.

04:07In all seriousness, I'm not saying that's not going to dissipate or fade over time.

04:12Hopefully, like hell, it does.

04:14And he slows down a bit for the Cubs.

04:17But right now in this moment, dude, it sucks.

04:20It sucks.

04:20I mean, it's not quite the nut punch the Astros got up in Seattle the other day.

04:24But right now watching Kyle Tucker literally doing things he never did as an Astro

04:30for homers in four games.

04:33Well, okay, then.

04:35I mean, he's doing things he's never – it's frustrating as hell.

04:39So, yeah, I mean, it hurts.

04:40It hurts.

04:41I would even throw in another name to mention that list that I think –

04:47because, look, Kyle –

04:47Yeah, if I'm leaving something off.

04:48Yeah, go ahead.

04:49Well, I don't think – well, it's going to be a deep cut that I don't think anybody

04:51would mention.

04:52I think Tucker wasn't coming back.

04:55They're not signing him to that contract in Houston anyways, right?

04:57So, it's almost like –

04:58Because they choose not to.

04:59They could if they wanted to because they choose not to.

05:01Agreed.

05:01But since that was the edict, you know, like Dana Brown, you had to make a move.

05:05He wasn't going to be here beyond this season, I do believe.

05:08So, he might as well get something for him.

05:10For me, again, deep cut.

05:11I would say actually Willier Abreu, who they traded him and Emmanuel Valdez for

05:16to get a half a season from a washed-up catcher in Christian Vasquez a couple years ago.

05:21And Abreu as a rookie last year, should have won Rookie of the Year, won the Gold Glove Award.

05:26And when everyone was tweeting out those graphics, the Player of the Week, most hits in the league

05:32entering this week was Tucker Bregman.

05:34Third was Willier Abreu.

05:36And he's three years younger than Kyle Tucker.

05:38You'd have five more years of control for him.

05:40He plays the outfield, Gold Glove outfield.

05:42His OPS is just much smaller sample size, but just below Tucker.

05:46And he wouldn't break the bank where we know they weren't going to re-sign Tucker.

05:50But Willier Abreu could be on this team for the next five years on a rookie contract

05:54and filling that outfield void.

05:56And then you could have him and Cam Smith.

05:57You could have potentially the Rookie of the Year last year and then a big rookie this year, too.

06:01Yeah, there's some misses there.

06:02I think they had Ty Oscar Hernandez, too, and they lost him in a trade.

06:07But I don't trip with that.

06:08They're trying to win a championship.

06:10I get that.

06:10Just like the Dodgers could have had Jordan Alvarez, but they made that Josh Field straight.

06:15That feels a little bit different from the text line coming through.

06:20Many different thoughts.

06:21Yes, we will miss Tucker the most.

06:25But if Cam's are kind of what you were saying, Luke, it will help not missing him as much.

06:32From the text line, what has Tucker done in the playoffs for us?

06:35Oh, yeah, not.

06:36That's the kind of thing you've got to keep telling yourself if you're going to be on that train.

06:40It's April.

06:41Kyle Tucker will be severely missed at the Astros this year without Kyle Tucker.

06:47I hope we're not revisiting 2010 again.

06:52Listen, I think what the texter said and what Luke said as well as big is how confident are you

07:03that Cam Smith will get anywhere close to the range of Kyle Tucker?

07:08Right.

07:09I think that is where this comes about.

07:13How close do you think that Cam Smith can get to that range?

07:18Obviously, it's a slow start right now, which isn't a shock.

07:20We talked about it the other day.

07:22But that's it, right?

07:23If Cam Smith is anywhere in the ballpark of him and you get to keep him and get him for a lot cheaper,

07:31then that's where it comes about.

07:33But if he – like if this nut keeps doing this, like people like Tyler are going to lose their minds, right?

07:38Because like Springer didn't just exactly go off like that.

07:43But you could maybe see maybe there's some injury stuff that could get that.

07:46Correa didn't completely go off.

07:48Now, Garrett Cole has been pretty good, but I think the hatred of Garrett Cole and the way he left kind of helps this.

07:53This right here, Kyle Tucker, they've decided, no, man, we're good on Kyle Tucker because we don't want to pay money no more.

07:58Tuck, time is coming.

07:59Which is – that should be the conversation, right?

08:02That should be the bigger – I know people – we talk – you focus on Dana Brown with this trade and did he get enough back.

08:08It shouldn't even be about the trade for Kyle Tucker, what you got back.

08:11It should be about the idea that they had to get rid of him because they're unwilling to pay.

08:15They got rid of Ryan Presley because of salary.

08:17I know Montero doesn't deserve a spot on this team, but that was also just a salary dump as well to stay below the luxury tax.

08:23And I don't think that's a conversation the Astros should be having.

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