Houston Astros to acquire Francisco Liriano from Blue Jays
By Tim Haberin
The Houston Astros have reportedly swung a deal for veteran lefty Francisco Liriano, and they might have more to come on deadline day.
The Houston Astros addressed their pitching staff in the hours leading up to the trade deadline, agreeing to a deal for left-hander Francisco Liriano with the Toronto Blue Jays. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reported the trade, while MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart adds that outfielder Nori Aoki and a minor leaguer are headed to Toronto in the exchange.
Update: Davidi says 24-year-old outfielder Teoscar Hernandez will also go to the Jays. He is currently ranked as the #9 prospect in Houston’s system by MLB Pipeline.
Per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, this may not be a move to help the Astros’ rotation. Instead, the team likely intends to use Liriano as a reliever. A change of role could be a good thing for the 33-year-old veteran, who has struggled through 18 starts this season to the tune of a 5.88 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 1.72 K/BB ratio. He’ll become a free agent at season’s end.
Liriano has remained rather effective against left-handed hitters this year, which could provide a hint of how Houston would deploy him out of the bullpen. He has kept lefties to a .230/.254/.361 slash line over 63 plate appearances. Righties, meanwhile, are eating good against Liriano: .292/.387/.492 in 312 times at the plate.
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Though he has certainly struggled of late, Liriano is still not too far removed from much more successful days. He enjoyed something of a career resurgence with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2013 to 2015, posting a 3.26 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 2.54 K/BB over that span. The Astros would love to coax some of that form out of their new acquisition during the next few months.
As for the newest Blue Jay, Aoki owns a .272/.323/.371 line with two homers and 19 RBI in 71 contests this year. The 35-year-old will be arbitration-eligible for 2018.
With a 68-36 record and 16-game advantage in the AL West, this Houston club hasn’t exposed many weaknesses this season. However, its bullpen could stand for some improvement: Astros relievers have managed a 4.45 ERA, good for just 22nd in Major League Baseball. Their main lefty, Tony Sipp, has labored through the year with a 6.39 ERA in 31 frames.
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Even after adding Liriano, the Astros don’t appear to be done. The club has been linked to an even bigger fish in Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton. Another southpaw, rumors have swirled around Britton in recent days. According to Rosenthal, Houston is in “serious” pursuit of the reliever and an executive involved believes a deal is “close.”
Stay tuned – we’re not even close to finished.