In case you missed it, earlier this week, one of the few Major-Leaguers the Astros had left, was dealt to the Miami Marlins, making lives easier for those in the NL Central (next year the AL West), and lives harder for those in the NL East.
The deal was made after The Astros attempted to trade Lee to the Dodgers, a trade he declined, only to end up in a stadium where a mechanized flamingo-flapping monstrosity goes off, if you can manage to hit the longest Home Run of one's life.
The deal seemed to be a salary dump one would assume, however it appears the Astros will be covering most of the salary, reports MLBTRADERUMORS.COM . Therefore, the Astros must have found some value in the prospects they received, so lets take a look at which lucky contestants have escaped from Miami
Carlos Lee in his debut with the Miami Marlins
The Astros received 3rd Baseman, Matt Dominguez, and LHP Rob Rasmussen.
Dominguez was the 12th Overall pick in the 2007 Draft, and has not quite lived up to the hype of being drafted that early. In 6 seasons in the minors, he's hit for a whopping .252 across all levels of the minors, but has shown glimpses of power, however not nearly as much as power as Draft-Class-mate Giancarlo Stanton, who was chosen in the same draft as Dominguez, but in the 2nd round.
Matt Dominguez, in what is now, a 'throwback' Marlins jersey.
In 2008, as a member of class-A Greensboro, he had a career year, with 18 HRs and 70RBI, while hitting .296, with an on base percentage of .354, then in 2010, with AA Jacksonville, he had 14 HRs and 81 RBI, but batting a mediocre .252 , those two seasons being the only noteworthy seasons. The remaining four seasons being, for the most part, mediocre. He has had a cup of coffee in the Majors, hitting only .231 in 20 games, with an on base percentage of .273.
A right hand-hitting third baseman, standing 6'1' and weighing 215 lbs, everything about him screams average. He has an average swing, and has some pop, but if your neighbor put on an Astros uniform, and stood next to Dominguez, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the two apart.
In my opinion, he's possibly a Right Handed power bat off the bench, at best, used only against lefties.
The other part of the deal is LHP Rob Rasmussen. The good news is, he's a lefty, and the old adage of a left handed pitcher in the majors always being able to find work applies, the bad news is, he's not a good lefty. In 3 seasons in the minors, used primarily as a starter, he's pitched to a 3.67 ERA in 242.2 innings pitched, with 197 Strikeouts, and a 16-17 record.
LHP Rob Rasmussen
His delivery reminds me a lot of Oliver Perez, which can not be good. His arm angle seems inconsistent, and he does not have much control. Also, he's only 5'9''. I've heard he has "the best slider" in the Miami system, but I don't know how much that is worth. He could possibly make it as a left-handed specialist, and the only reason I say that, is because he's left-handed.
Overall this was a huge win for the Miami Marlins, who now have a real First Baseman, no-offense Gaby Sanchez, but seriously come on, you're not fooling anyone. Lee could also provide some more pop in the Marlins lineup, if Lee can turn his season around.
The only way I could explain this deal from the Astro's standpoint, is if the team was purchased by Rachel Phelps, and she plans to re-locate the team, after first destroying it. If that is case, I would suggest they seek out the former Front office of the Expos.
-MJ
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