Bryan Abreu is one of the top arms the Houston Astros have in their bullpen, but they could depart with the 2.28 ERA World Series champion if the right trade offer comes along.
One club in need of bullpen help is the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite signing Edwin Diaz to replace Tanner Scott at closer. The Dodgers are always working to add more, and they have two young pitchers who may be of interest to the Astros.
On Tuesday, Just Baseball's Jay Staph proposed a hypothetical trade idea that would send Abreu to the Dodgers, and Ben Casparius and No. 13 prospect Adam Serwinowski to the Astros.
On paper, this trade favors the Dodgers. Abreu has more overall experience and better stuff than Casparius, and Serwinowski has yet to make his Major League debut. Abreu has four consecutive seasons with a strikeout per nine average of 11.8 or higher.
Why this trade is beneficial for the Astros
The Astros could kill two birds with one stone with this trade, adding a 26-year-old long relief option and a starting pitching prospect who could join the rotation in the next few years.
"Casparius is a fairly interesting piece, despite his 4.64 ERA in 77.2 innings last season. He was elite at limiting hard contact, as his hard-hit rate of 31.9% placed him inside the 97th percentile. He’s an arm the Astros could develop and turn into a reliable bullpen piece," wrote Staph about the University of Connecticut product.
"Serwinowski is the piece of this deal that really stands out, as he has some truly untapped potential. He was traded from the Reds to the Dodgers at the 2025 deadline, and he put up solid numbers between both organizations."
Serwinowski recorded 140 strikeouts in 111.2 combined innings last year in the minors with the Reds and Dodgers, reaching as high as Double-A. Both his fastball and slider are graded a 60 out of 80 on MLB Pipeline.
Losing Abreu may hurt the Astros initially, but this deal could pay off in the long run.
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