Huff traded to Astros?

Question

.. Ay what u think about this trade did the Rays get a good deal .. is either one of these prospects good .. can anyone give me some info on these guys ..
Huff was heating up .. i didnt really want the rays to trade him unless they got a good pitcher .. but if this prospect is anything like Kazmir .. im happy ..
oh and wil huff start in houston because i just traded Blaylock for him ,in my fantasy team, and it will really suck if he does not start ..

by the way .. i could cae less about the astro's .. im asking about the rays part of the deal

Answer 1

Huff was eventually going to be traded since it is soon arbitration time.
But I doubt the 2 prospects are Scott Kazmir types.
Kazmir was ranked top 5 when rays got him.
The Kazmir for Zambrano trade will be rated one of the most loopsided trades ever for years to come.

Answer 2

The Devil Rays got right-hander Mitch Talbot and infielder Ben Zobrist from the Astros' system. Both were playing at Corpus Christi (AA-Texas League)

"In 18 games (17 starts) at Corpus Christi, (Talbot) went 6-4, 3.39. He had a 96-29 K-BB ratio in 90 innings, while opponents batted .269 with four homers against him." - Baseball America

"Zobrist, 25, has been old for his leagues but never has hit less than .304 at any of his four minor league stops. ... he was hitting .327/.434/.473 with thee homers, 30 RBIs and nine steals in 83 games at Corpus Christi (this year)" - Baseball America

Talbot was a second round pick in the 2002 draft. He is projected to be anywhere from a number 3 starter to a middle reliever. He was more highly regarded, but supposedly some in the Astros organization were frustrated with him.

Zobrist is 25, which IS pretty old for AA, and seems to project as a utility-type player.

Huff is eligible for free agency after this season, and I doubt TB was interested in keeping him. I think Houston gave up very little to get Huff. This trade, on the plus side for the Rays though, may get B.J. Upton into the lineup.

Answer 3

ESPN News just had an expert on that said the Rays did not get a top prospect for Huff. It was more like B and C level guys, not an A type guy like Kazmir.

Answer 4

Houston needs hitting and Tampa Bay needs prospects. It was a good deal because the Rays aren't about sinking a bulk of their payroll on one player.

Answer 5

i don't know what are ya talking about but huff made a homerun on thursday july 13,2006. put that in mind and just think about what you were talking about

Answer 6

The Devil Rays' makeover continued Wednesday when the team traded Aubrey Huff to the Astros for a pair of Minor League prospects.
The Devil Rays acquired right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot and switch-hitting shortstop Ben Zobrist in exchange for Huff and $1.65 million in cash considerations.

"This is a baseball trade," said Andrew Friedman, Rays executive vice president of baseball operations. "We used some money and a player, in Aubrey Huff, to get two players who add depth to our system, which we've talked about is our lifeblood."

The Rays also traded catcher Toby Hall, left-hander Mark Hendrickson and $1 million to the Dodgers for catcher Dioner Navarro and right-hander Jae Seo on June 27.

"Our goal is to build a competitive team that we can sustain," Friedman said. "There's a lot of positive things we can take out of the first half, and it's important for us to build on that. That being said, to accept where we are right now is to accept mediocrity. There's nobody in that clubhouse or front office whose goal is to win 71 games or 'X' amount of games. The goal is to build a competitive team that we can sustain for many years, and we think that this move helps us in that pursuit."

Ty Wigginton and Russ Branyan will split time at third for the time being and the Rays will go with 12 pitchers. Right-hander Ruddy Lugo will be activated Friday to fill Huff's roster spot.

Huff, 29, hit a crucial three-run home run for the Rays in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Yankees. He batted .283 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs this season. He is the Rays' all-time career leader in games (798), at-bats (3,016), runs (399), hits (868), doubles (173), home runs (128), extra-base hits (307) and RBIs (449). Huff has played in 631 of 697 Rays games since his permanent arrival May 28, 2002, including a club-record 398 consecutive games.

"Tampa Bay is always going to have a special place in my heart," said Huff, who wished the organization well while speaking highly of the new ownership and the direction the team is headed. "I grew up with the organization and made a bunch of special relationships there."

Zobrist, 25, will report to Triple-A Durham. He batted .328 with a team-high 25 doubles and a league-best six triples in 82 games for Corpus Christi this season. Named the Texas League's South Division All-Star starting shortstop, his average ranks second in the league while his 102 hits are ranks fourth.

"[Zobrist] kind of profiles as a super utility guy who can play a lot of positions," Friedman said. "He has a lot of positional flexibility. And I wouldn't count him out [from] being an everyday player, but he's an above-average super utility guy who can help a team win."

Talbot, 22, will be assigned to Double-A Montgomery. He has appeared in 18 games -- making 17 starts -- with Double-A Corpus Christi of the Texas League this season, going 6-4 with a team-best 3.39 ERA. He walked just 29 batters while striking out 98. He owns a record of 28-29 and a 3.79 ERA in his four-year professional career, holding opponents to a .262 batting average.

Talbot was originally selected by the Astros in the second round (70th overall) of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Baseball America tabbed him as having the best changeup in the Houston organization following last season.

Talbot is "someone that we like a lot," Friedman said. "Someone that we're excited about adding to the inventory of arms we have in Double-A and Triple-A right now. He's had a lot of success this year and someone we're anxious to get a look at and figure out from there the right development path for him."

On the speculative side regarding the Rays' future, any talk begins with shortstop Julio Lugo, who currently makes $4.95 million and will be eligible for free agency at the end of the season. Will the Rays elect to trade Lugo or will they decide he is a component they must keep on the team to find success?

"As we've talked about on Lugo, last year and this year, he's someone who is very important to the team," Friedman said. "He's kind of one of the energy guys on our ballclub and he's meant a lot. It's something that's hard to say right now, where the market will be and where our positional needs will be and all those things we need to figure out. But he's a big part of our team."

Speculation is also running rampant that highly-touted Triple-A Durham shortstop B.J. Upton might get called to the Rays to play third base. Friedman called that a possibility.

"I wouldn't rule out anything right now," Friedman said. "Again, with everything going on this morning we haven't had a chance to talk with all parties involved yet. We're just trying to figure out the right course of action for the immediate needs and then longer term."

If Upton doesn't become the team's third baseman, he is the heir apparent at shortstop, where his fielding remains a question mark -- he already has 28 errors for the season. If Lugo is traded and Upton's fielding requires a change of positions as some of speculated, Zobrist's acquisition could give the Rays a stopgap at shortstop.

"I would say the potential is there [for Zobrist to become a Major League shortstop]," Friedman said. "There's a little bit of mixed thoughts on that. And we're anxious to get him into our system and know him better. But we think in looking at it, we feel he'll be a productive Major League player who will help us win."

The Rays' future should become more clear once Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline passes.

Answer 7

Houston still has no chance of making the playoffs! They cant catch the Cardinals!

Answer 8

they got no one good. it was a good trade for the astros.

Answer 9

who cares

Answer 10

maybe!