If Baltimore is interested in Urquidy, does this trade make sense for both sides?

Alright before you crucify me here me out, I love Mancini, and would be sad to see him go, but the best value he provides to us is in a trade.

Now he becomes a FA after this year, so we could potentially sign him back in 2022. Even better, sending him to Houston guarantees him playoff experience, making him even better of a leader when he comes back. He could even win a ring.

So why Houston? Well, as you know, Mike Elias was in the Astros front office when they were up and coming. So he not only has a connection to their FO, but he also knows a lot of their players from the scouting that he did there. Most specifically, Jose Urquidy.

For those who don’t know, Jose Urquidy is a young SP for the Astros with star potential. He pitched lights out in the WS at 19, and has been decent since then. Elias was most definitely involved in bringing him to Houston so it just makes sense to bring him to B-More. He’d be playing in a much better ballpark for pitchers compared to Houston, and be with the same development he was with in Houston. The Astros made the jump from a fringe WC contender to WS champions after trading for guys like Cole and Verlander, so this seems like an Elias version of the move.

But why would Houston want Mancini? The answer is they need a bat to fill in at either the outfield or at first. Trey has been struggling as of late, but he seems to be out of it with his recent heroics. After all, he’s much closer to a .300 hitter than a .250 one. The power is concerning, yes, but remember the wall in left has been stealing home runs from everywhere. According to statcast, Trey would have 22 home runs if he played in Houston the whole season, putting him at a pace better than even 2019.

Now if this all sounds too good too be true, it’s probably because it is. Houston wouldn’t give up a guy like Urquidy for half a year of Trey, and that’s why we include Lopez in the dean. While I get we all love Jorge, he’s only got 1.5 years left with us before free agency, and this is the best time to sell him. The rest of the bullpen can make up for what we lose, especially if Urquidy can eat up innings for us. Not to mention it would open up space for DL Hall to get his feet wet as a reliever.

TL;DR: Trey Mancini would be a perfect fit in Houston, who has the type of pitcher baltimore needs to make a run both short and long term. Although it would probably cost an additional bullpen piece from the Orioles.