The Astros were dealing Monday, engineering three trades to bolster their playoff and World Series chances.
It took a while for Major League Baseball's trade deadline activity to heat up, but a flurry of deals came down on Monday including three that involved the Astros. The team acquired first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles and pitcher Jayden Murray from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Jose Siri and minor league pitching prospect Chayse McDermott in a three-team deal.
Finally, just as the Astros fell to the Red Sox 3-2, it was announced they would send starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to Atlanta in exchange for veteran lefty reliever Will Smith. Mancini, 30, is a cancer survivor and fan favorite in Baltimore. This season, he's split time between first base, outfield and designated hitter, slashing .268/.347/.404/.751, an upgrade over Yuli Gurriel, who has improved over the last month, and certainly better than any of the platooned outfielders the Astros have put in center field this year.
Vazquez, a veteran catcher, will provide a much needed boost behind the plate. While Martin Maldonado has been outstanding defensively and as a manager on the field, his .173 batting average has been hard to swallow at the bottom of the order. Vazquez is hitting .282 this season and will likely platoon with Maldonado at the position.
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