Astros trade for MIA reliever Yimi Garc¨ªa
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SEATTLE -- The desire to add more pitchers with swing-and-miss ability in the strike zone led the Astros to acquiring another hard-throwing reliever on Wednesday when they swung a trade with the Marlins for right-hander Yimi García in exchange for right-hander Austin Pruitt and Triple-A outfielder Bryan De La Cruz.
The move came a day after the Astros added relief pitchers Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero from the Mariners, giving Houston¡¯s beleaguered bullpen three fresh faces. Garc¨ªa is expected to join the team in time for Friday¡¯s series opener in San Francisco.
¡°One thing that we¡¯ve learned about pitching over the past few years is there¡¯s a lot of different ways to get batters out,¡± Astros general manager James Click said. ¡°And getting a swing and miss in the zone is something that I think the guys that we¡¯ve acquired the past couple of days have in common. I think it¡¯s something we¡¯re going to need hopefully going forward and in the playoffs. These guys have power stuff, they have high velocity, they have good movement and we¡¯ve seen the ability for them to get the ball in the zone.¡±
Garc¨ªa, 30, has 15 saves and a 3.47 ERA in 39 relief appearances this season, with 35 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. Garc¨ªa¡¯s arsenal features a 96-mph fastball and a hard slider to go along with a curve and a changeup. Click said he can overpower hitters.
¡°Yimi was a guy that we identified early in the process,¡± Click said. ¡°This is somebody we thought could help us out in the bullpen, and the conversations with Miami moved along in such a way we felt we could acquire him for a price that made sense.¡±
Click didn¡¯t rule out making additional trades before Friday¡¯s 3 p.m. CT deadline.
¡°We¡¯re going to use all of those hours to continue to try to improve the roster,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m happy with the options we¡¯ve been able to provide for Dusty [Baker] so far, but our job is not going to be done until 3:01 on Friday. We¡¯re going to continue to look for more ways to improve the team. I don¡¯t know where that¡¯s going to come from. That will depend on conversations and how they go over the [remaining] hours, but we¡¯re open to anything and we will continue to be aggressive.¡±
In addition to Graveman, Montero and Garc¨ªa, the Astros have veteran reliever Pedro B¨¢ez. B¨¢ez, who signed with the club in the winter and has battled health problems all season, is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land and could return soon.