Apparently looking for a shutdown closer, the Houston Astros whiffed on acquiring Zach Britton. The New York Yankees stepped in and won the Britton lottery, after half a dozen teams (the Astros not the least among them) were rumored to have bought a ticket. The pragmatic Yankees, sensing no guarantees, have kept the receipt.

Former closer Ken Giles, with his inconsistencies and baggage relegated to Houston’s Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, it’s doubtful he’ll see the light of day at Minute Maid Park for the rest of the season. A September expanded-roster call-up may be all he (and fans) can expect.

With numbers as good as the Astros can boast, it’s a bit of a mystery why GM Jeff Luhnow still feels the need to upgrade his team’s ‘pen by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

UPDATE: With rosters expanding, Josh was called up and will make his MLB debut, starting for the Astros, September 1 against the Angels at Minute Maid. Congratulations, Josh! James is the lowest drafted pitcher (34th round) in Astros history to start a game for them. Darryl Kile had been the lowest (30th).

Related: Astros Send James + 3 Other Pitchers to Annual MLB Rookie Program (January, 2019)

In 114.1 innings pitched this season, through August, with AA Corpus Christi and AAA Fresno, James was 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA, with 171 strikeouts and only 79 hits allowed. He carries a remarkable 13.5 K/9 rate to his debut.

Related: Astros Trade Giles For Blue Jays’ Roberto Osuna

Improve on Excellence?

Houston’s bullpen entered Tuesday’s (July 24) game against the Colorado Rockies as one of only three bullpens in MLB with an ERA under 3.00, and one of only two with a sub-3.00 ERA along with more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

With no named closer, manager AJ Hinch has seen fit (and seen success) to flex his matchup muscles, calling upon Brad Peacock, Will Harris, Hector Rondon, Joe Smith, and Collin McHugh to either end games with a multi-inning stint, or classicly close a game in the ninth.

Tony Sipp is greatly improved in his lefty specialist gig, and newly-promoted southpaw, Cionel Perez, is being carefully slotted by Hinch in medium to low-leverage situations in order to guide him to successes. That’s been working, to the 22-year-old’s credit.

But, for some reason, the Astros still think they need a “shutdown closer”……….

…But, Don’t Want to Pay For One?

The Athletic’s Jayson Stark has recently asserted (via Twitter) that executives from teams that have spoken with the Astros in recent trade talks say Houston has been ‘adamant’ about hanging onto its very top tier prospects (in particular Forrest Whitley and Yordan Alvarez).

Now that Kyle Tucker is firmly implanted onto the Houston roster at press time, no longer is there the constant haranguing by other GMs to include him in every trade package.

Nobody Asked Me, But…

No one’s guaranteeing Britton will bring the Yankees instant, flawless success, or even a moderate performance record the next few weeks. Sending a pallet full of prospects (top tier or otherwise) from Houston for a veteran closer doesn’t guarantee squat, either (see the December 2015 five prospects to Philly for Ken Giles trade for verification).

Right-hander Josh James is making virtually every Pacific Coast League batter look silly, as he starts in the rotation of Houston’s AAA Fresno Grizzlies affiliate. Granted, James is a starter, but the Astros’ current bullpen houses Peacock and McHugh, both former starters. Even Perez was groomed as a starter through his Double-A stint prior to his call-up.

While somewhat late to climb the mound, comparatively speaking, Houston’s 34th-round draft pick in 2014 was a part-time infielder well into his college career. But he’s now 25 and has matured to be a reliable ace in the Grizzlies’ starting rotation.

James, 6’3″ and 206 lbs, continues to rack up a dizzying number of strikeouts (101 K in 65 IP for Fresno) as the Grizzlies (59-43) now enjoy a season-high eight-game division lead with 38 games to play, beginning July 25. James has even struck out 10 or more in six of his first 12 Triple-A starts. His fastball now rests comfortably in the mid-90s, with regular forays into the upper 90s.

Nothing, to my ears, says “shutdown closer” like K numbers like these!

Through August 10, Josh James’ combined 2018 numbers for both the Fresno Grizzlies and Corpus Christi Hooks are 20 G (18 GS), 99 IP, 3.18 ERA, 42 BB, 154 SO, 1.071 WHIP.

Related: Josh James Finds Focus, Fire, and Victory

Bottom Line

James appears ready. He’s durably built and has pitched in high-leverage situations for Fresno and AA Corpus Christi for nearly two years.

If Luhnow eschews trading prospects for the “reliable” veteran, known closer, and discovers it’s nigh unto impossible to land one without releasing some prospects, he may find a reliable closer lies right under his nose…. and, he’s a prospect! Granted, he’s leaped from #30 to #6 on Houston’s prospect list (according to MLB Pipeline), but Josh James as Houston’s closer doesn’t sound all that outrageous.

Nervous about the lack of performance guarantee, Mr. Luhnow? No need. There’d be no guarantee of sparkling production from a veteran reliever in exchange for a pile of prospects.

Which is why the Yankees have retained the Britton receipt and might be found sheepishly shuffling their feet at the customer service window by season’s end.