The Astros had a “very excessive” quantity of curiosity in Nick Pivetta previous to the commerce deadline, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reviews. No deal was labored out between Houston and Boston, naturally, because the Crimson Sox had been nonetheless in rivalry and opted in opposition to transferring Pivetta or every other impending free brokers. The Astros as an alternative pivoted to touchdown Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays in what was arguably essentially the most impactful commerce of deadline season, as Kikuchi’s dominance dominance since coming to Houston has been a key issue within the Astros’ run to the AL West crown.
Pivetta made his ultimate begin of the 2024 marketing campaign yesterday, and the right-hander finishes his eighth MLB season with a 4.14 ERA over 145 2/3 innings, in addition to very robust strikeout (28.9%) and stroll (6.1) charges. Pivetta’s success was restricted by a propensity for permitting onerous contact and plenty of residence runs, however all in all, he has made a strong case for himself as he enters free company upfront of his age-32 season. On paper, the Astros’ mixture of youthful arms and veteran starters getting back from harm ought to assist the crew make up for the attainable departures of Kikuchi and Justin Verlander in free company, but the “you possibly can by no means have sufficient pitching” cliche is a persuasive counter-argument. Bolstering the group with a mid-tier possibility like Pivetta could possibly be a sexy choice to the Astros this winter.
Another gadgets from the AL West…
- A CT scan on Josh Jung’s surgically-repaired proper wrist revealed no structural harm, Rangers supervisor Bruce Bochy instructed reporters (together with Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Information). Jung missed a lot of the season after present process the surgical procedure in early April, and was nonetheless bothered by some discomfort in his wrist after returning to the sector in late July. The Rangers ended Jung’s season with an IL placement earlier this week, and Bochy mentioned that the third baseman’s shutdown interval will contain “full relaxation for a few weeks after which we’ll take a look at it and see the place he’s at.” Jung hit solely .248/.278/.367 in 169 plate appearances following his surgical procedure.
- The Mariners’ offense has been the most effective in baseball since Edgar Martinez assumed hitting coach duties on August 23, but it isn’t clear if Martinez will likely be again within the job subsequent season. The Seattle Occasions’ Adam Jude writes that the membership has already began in search of a brand new hitting coach, although the M’s would seemingly love having Martinez return, if he’s keen to tackle the every day grind of a training function over a full season. The likelihood exists that the Mariners may each rent a brand new prime hitting coach and nonetheless retain Martinez, as Jude means that Martinez may keep on as a coach for simply residence video games, to be able to minimize down on the journey.
