Astros Acquire Marisnick, Moran, Martes, 2015 Comp Pick as Jarred Cosart Headlines Trio Taking Their Talents to South Beach

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Minutes before the 2014 MLB trade deadline, Jeff Luhnow and co. finalized a deal with the Miami Marlins, sending Jarred Cosart, Kike Hernandez, and Austin Wates in exchange for Jake Marisnick, Colin Moran, Francis Martes, and a 2015 competitive balance pick. At first glance, it's tough to see hometown product Jarred Cosart and recent fan favorite Kike Hernandez leave town, but the Marlins offer was truly one that could not be passed up. My first impression to the trade was one of confusion, as I felt it moving a young, cost controlled starting pitcher, who's been sold as a future cornerstone was conflicting with the regimes plan, but the more I looked at the return the more I liked the deal. Although there are irrational attachments to Cosart and Kike the reality of the deal is that although both have upside, and considerable upside in Cosart's case, The Astros were able to net two top 100 prospects, one of which in Marisnick whom is major league ready, one not but a year or so off in Moran, an intriguing 18 year old righty who's been rumored to have bumped it up to 97, and last but certainly not least the 2015 Comp pick that will push the draft pool in excess of 20 million. It's important to keep in mind that the Astros obtained this haul for in essence a starting pitcher with a BB/9 of 4, and a K/9 under 6, and a super utility guy that would have gathered little to no traction in any offer months ago. Not to knock the newest members of the Miami Marlins as Jarred Cosart is already a reliable, young, cost controlled major league starting pitcher with front of the rotation stuff, and Kike has been swinging a heck of a stick and may have turned a corner in that respect of his game, and his versatility provides immense value. It's also important to note that although for whatever reason he never made it to Houston, Austin Wates could prove to be a steady fourth outfielder and table setter with an above average on base tool. It's nice to see this deal made just in time to restore faith in the front office after the way the Aiken situation went down, and the toll the struggles of the season have taken. This may very well be Jeff Luhnow's best work yet.

Jake Marisnick:

 Jake Marisnick is an absolute tool shed. The plus defender has been the centerpiece of two large deals and comes with considerable pop, and a quality speed tool. He will immediately be penciled into the major league lineup, and when Dex and George are healthy yet again, the Astros will boast one hell of a defensive outfield. There are wholes in the righty's swing, but previous scouting reports have stated that he has shown the ability to adjust, and he still has power to grow into. Marisnick is a heavy pull guy, especially balls in the air, so the Crawford boxes should do him well. Below are spray charts and his minor league numbers via mlbfarm.com and baseball-reference.com..

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lev	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2010	19	-1.6	2 Teams	A-Rk	69	249	33	63	20	2	4	26	23	3	22	55	.253	.336	.398	.733
2010	19	-0.7	Blue Jays	Rk	35	122	17	35	12	0	3	14	14	1	13	18	.287	.373	.459	.832
2010	19	-2.4	Lansing	A	34	127	16	28	8	2	1	12	9	2	9	37	.220	.298	.339	.636
2011	20	-1.6	Lansing	A	118	462	68	148	27	6	14	77	37	8	43	91	.320	.392	.496	.888
2012	21	-2.5	2 Teams	A+-AA	120	489	66	122	29	10	8	50	24	9	37	100	.249	.321	.399	.719
2012	21	-1.8	Dunedin	A+	65	266	41	70	18	7	6	35	10	5	26	55	.263	.349	.451	.800
2012	21	-3.4	New Hampshire	AA	55	223	25	52	11	3	2	15	14	4	11	45	.233	.286	.336	.622
2013	22	-2.1	2 Teams	AA-A+	70	280	45	81	14	3	12	46	11	6	17	69	.289	.350	.489	.840
2013	22	-0.8	Jupiter	A+	3	15	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.200	.200	.267	.467
2013	22	-2.2	Jacksonville	AA	67	265	43	78	13	3	12	46	11	6	17	68	.294	.358	.502	.860
2014	23	-3.6	New Orleans	AAA	89	343	50	95	16	4	10	40	24	6	17	64	.277	.326	.434	.761
5 Seasons					466	1823	262	509	106	25	48	239	119	32	136	379	.279	.347	.444	.790

Colin Moran:
Colin Moran, the sixth overall pick of the 2013 draft. The nephew of BJ Surhoff was highly touted by the Astros front office, and was considered for the first overall pick last year. Moran is a seasoned bat with an advanced hit tool. Although he likely wont grow into a power tool, he's received comps to Wade Boggs, and some scouts do believe he could be a 20 HR guy at some point. He is an average defender at the hot corner, with a good arm, and should be able to stick at third. Moran was a crucial cog to the deal, and it's apparent Jeff Luhnow and the remainder of the front office are very high on him. Given his pedigree and his AA placement, we will very likely see him in major league spring training come next year. Below are spray charts and his minor league numbers via mlbfarm.com and baseball-reference.com..

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lev	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2013	20	-1.6	Greensboro	A	42	154	19	46	8	1	4	23	1	0	15	25	.299	.354	.442	.796
2014	21	-1.6	Jupiter	A+	89	361	34	106	21	0	5	33	1	2	28	53	.294	.342	.393	.735
2 Seasons					131	515	53	152	29	1	9	56	2	2	43	78	.295	.346	.408	.753

Francis Martes:
Although I haven't found much on Martes, he is an intriguing piece of the trade. There are rumors that he's been up to 97 on the radar gun, and I do know that he has been in some DSL top 20 prospect lists. At this point, that's enough to garner my atention. There isn't to much to read in his numbers, but I would imagine he will see some affiliate of A ball come next year. Below are his minor league numbers via baseball-reference.com..

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lev	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	H9	BB9	SO9
2013	17	-1.8	Marlins	FRk	3	3	3.04	12	6	50.1	51	21	17	1	14	33	1.291	9.1	2.5	5.9
2014	18	-2.4	Marlins	Rk	2	2	5.18	8	6	33.0	29	21	19	0	20	33	1.485	7.9	5.5	9.0
2 Seasons					5	5	3.89	20	12	83.1	80	42	36	1	34	66	1.368	8.6	3.7	7.1