BREAKING: 2 Time GG winner Mauricio Dubon has been traded!

BREAKING: 2 Time GG winner Mauricio Dubon has been traded!

Well, in a move that shocked a lot of Astros fans, Mauricio Duban has been traded. We’re going to talk about why the Astros did this, who they got, and what this means before the non-tender deadline hits on Friday. Jiaz, this is Locked On Astros. Hello and welcome to Locked on Astros, your daily Astros podcast. Here are your hosts, Eric the Man Heisman and Brett Htown Wheelhouse Chansy. [Music] Hey there everybody and welcome in to this edition of Locked on Astros. I’m Htown Wheelhouse myself and Eric Heisman have combined 18 years experience behind the mic um doing podcast radio and such. We thank y’all for tuning in. Thank y’all for being everyday. We can’t wait for the Everydayer Club to hit in December. It’s going to be something else. This is America’s number one sports podcast network. We are your team every single day. Locked on Astros. Whether you’re an Astros fan or not, we’ve got a show for everybody out there. And this episode tonight is brought to you by FanDuel. FanDuel is America’s number one sports book. And it is also the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your $5 bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. download the app today. Now, just 24 hours ago, you and I were talking or we were talking about what was going on and I really in my heart of hearts believe that Mauricio Dubon was going to stay. Now, the things I had not considered and where I think I was a little shortsighted. Yes, I will get a little bit attached to these players, especially when they come on the show and especially when they grace us with their presence and talk to us and share stories. And you know, Mauricio Devon, thank you so much if you catch this episode. I’ll actually be reaching out to him probably tomorrow for us a little late tonight. Um I I still have something to send him. And the the Astros traded away a fan favorite. So, this is what we’re going to talk about today on the show. This was a one for one swap and a salary dump. What is the Brendan Donovan market and what would a move for Brenda Donovan look like and what other moves are expected before Friday? So, those are the three main topics we are going to talk about. Now, if you listen to us on your radio or on your phone, just the audio version of us, we encourage you come to YouTube, subscribe to our YouTube channel, become a part of our audience. Our audience has a great time chatting it up. They go back and forth while we’re talking. So, trust me, no show does more. Um, so let’s get into it. So, the news that I didn’t think would happen today, but it makes more and more sense the more that I look at it and the more that I read about it is that Mauricio Dubon um being traded for Nick Allen makes sense financially speaking. Now, you are not making a trade like this because you’re looking to upgrade the utility position. You don’t upgrade from a twotime gold glover, the guy that’s won two of the first three utility gold gloves ever handed out in Major League history because that is a relatively new three-year-old award. Utility gold glove did not used to be a thing. That is a new thing. And there are a lot of people in this fan base, as you heard on the interview that we had, that love Mauricio Dubon. Now, a lot of people will also point out the guy can’t hit or he doesn’t have a great batting average or he doesn’t hit for power, but Mauricio Dubon, I wouldn’t say was the heart and soul of this team, but man, he had a connection with that clubhouse. He talked to Eric and I about his con about his connection with Michael Brantley and how he just lost it when Brantley announced his retirement back in 2023. So, Dubon has become a big part of this clubhouse. Him and Yordon Alvarez, I think, have a pretty unbreakable bond. But let’s put feelings aside and let’s talk about what happened here. Now, both Nick Allen and Mauricio Dubon were in their arbitration years. Nick Allen was in his he’s in his first arbitration year. Okay. He’s projected to make 1.5 million according to MLB trade rumors in in arbitration this winter. Dubon is projected to make 5.8 million. Now, if you combine Mauricio Dubon’s 5.8 million and then what they let go when they DFAD Roman um Urias, you will see Roman Burius. you will see that they are saving, I believe, $10.2 million from guys that are utility guys. Yes, Mauricio Dubon’s glove is going to be hard to is going to be hard to replace. Now, Nick Allen is not a bad fielder. This guy had 17 outs above average and was a finalist for the Gold Glove. Um, here are some of his peripherals. Okay, 221 batting average, 11 doubles, 32 runs, 22 RBI’s, eight stolen bases, 135 games. He was a finalist again for the National League Gold Glove Award at Shortstop in 2025. So, let me tell you what this is not. This move is not a move to improve. This move is a move to make space to shed salary. This was pretty much a salary dump for the most part. That’s what Ramon’s DFA was for. And I can only assume that Jake Meyers might actually be next in a trade scenario if they’re going to go out there and go after a pitcher or someone like a Brendan Donovan, which we’ll talk about in the next segment in the second segment. But man, I swung and missed big time. No. um on this Marao Duban. I’m going to address a comment, tell y’all what the comment is so those of y’all listening can follow along. Um but this move makes sense. Now we have someone in here says Omar Gutierrez states Crane is being cheap. This has nothing to do with Crane being cheap. This has everything to do with the GM and the club seeing where they are financially and not wanting to pay $10.2 million to two guys as utility guys if they can only pay one guy. I mean, think about it. 1.5 million versus 10 million. Which one would you rather pay? You’re bringing him over for his glove. Again, this is not about the offense. A lot of our fans, a lot of our viewers did nothing but complain about Dubon, about his bat, how he couldn’t hit, and on and on. Well, now that he’s gone, everybody wants him back. It’s kind of funny how that changes. Um, they’re trying to get themselves up under a certain threshold. I still think they are going to go out and swing for the fences and get a big pitching free agent. I think Brendan Donovan makes sense and I will talk about that in our next segment after I talk to y’all about our friends at FanDuel. Let me tell you, FanDuel is the NBA’s official sports betting partner, part of the number one sports podcast network. We know the NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in the action than with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or you want to ride a hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. And plus, you can even combine your live bets with same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your king’s making that late push. So, right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. That’s right. So, head to fanduel.com, sign up today. Play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. That’s right. So, thank y’all for tuning in again. I’m a Willhouse. We are here at Locked on Astros. Remember, we are your team every single day and no show does more. We thank you so much for hanging out with us tonight. And I was going to do a show and I was going to talk about different trade scenarios and I was actually going to talk about is Mauricio Dubon going to get traded before the non-tender deadline comes up on Friday and is Jake Meyers going to be included in that? Are they going to be packaged? What’s going to happen? Well, here you have it. The Braves and the Astros again exchange one for one. So, let’s move forward to the Brendan Donovan sweep stakes. Can we call it the sweep stakes? That’s what I want to know because I don’t think the Astros are the only team looking at Brendan Donovan, but I really think that there are some real possibilities. The problem with Brendan Donovan coming over to the Astros is not what he would add to this team because this guy’s statistics are very good. Um, this guy’s a 285 hitter. He’s done it four years in a row. I mean, you can’t go wrong um with bringing over a Brendan Donovan. The question is, what is it going to cost you? And as I was looking through different trade scenarios, Spottrack, they have a new beta tested or they are beta testing um a trade simulator. It it basically kept spitting out to me that St. Louis wants major league ready players. And unfortunately for Brendan Donovan, because of his value, because of where he is, because of what he’s done in his first four years in the league, he’s going to require a trade with the likes of with the Astros with the Astros having to include someone like a Spencer Arrigetti. I mean, we’re talking not a cheap price to pay to get Brendan Donovan. Okay. Um, I I think a legitimate starting pitcher like Eric Getti is what the Cardinals are looking to add. And and I’m not advocating to sign him. I I I mean, I’m not advocating to trade. I’m just telling you it would take Arrigetti Melton or a a a Colin Barber or even an Ethan Pekco. Okay, that’s where Brendan Donovan in his value is. Now, the good thing about Brendan Donovan is he is 28. The good thing about Brendan Donovan is he’s a lifetime 282 hitter. He’s a lifetime OPS guy of 772. He’s hit double double digit home runs every season he’s played at least 10. Um he hits he hits the ball. He can hit for average. He can get on base. He has a very low swing swing and miss rate. He does not have a very high strikeout rate. Um his K rate is 13%. Sounds a lot like Alex Bregman. I mean this guy is 92nd percentile in K rate, 95th percentile in with percentage, 96th percentile in squared up baseballs, 40.1%. Um, this is a guy that I think would profile as someone who could come in and play multiple positions. Now, he mainly plays second base and we know that. And who who resides at second most of the time? Well, none other than Joseé Altuve. So then the problem becomes with a Brennan Donovan is if you bring him in and if you make a trade St. Louis once, again, I just threw out some names. I’m not advocating for any of those cats to be traded, but if we look at that to be if if we look at that, we could also include maybe maybe you can stay away from an arrogetti. Maybe you can do a Jake Meyers, Ethan Pekco type deal. Um maybe you would have to throw in a Colin Barber as well because this guy’s got controllable years. This guy’s not set to make a whole lot. he is a cheaper option. Um, you know, and what does this mean for one Jose Altuve? Well, Jose Altuve has been a declining second baseman for the last few seasons, and people have chronicled that quite often. Well, you can always put him at DH, you know, but then you’ve got to move someone over. You’ve got to move Yordon Alvarez to left field. Do you want him playing left field? There are a lot of things um I would make that trade for Donovan says Joseph Rivera watching live. Look right now I am just throwing out trade scenarios. I don’t even know if the Cardinals how much they value Jake Meyers, but they’re going to have to also get a they’re probably going to want a pitcher. Do we trade Spencer Arrigetti in his controllable years, in his potential? Do we trade a Colin Barber? Do we trade in Ethan Pekco who has moved through the system pretty rapidly? I mean, yeah, he he hit a couple snags here and there, but I think his upside is is huge. Um, again, these are just names that I’m bringing up that I think would be viable options for the Cardinals to come after because they’re not going to go after a Bryce Matthews. Um, I believe Christian Walker is going to stay here in Houston. I I think his contract’s going to be too tricky um to mess around with. We could trade Parades, but I think they like his plate discipline too much. I think they like Parades ability to hit the ball, and I think they like Parades where he can move around. Okay, so at the end of the day, the Houston Astros are in the Brendan Donovan market. The real question is, what will they have to give up in order to get him again? 28 years old. Okay. Um, hits left-handed. The Astros don’t have left-handed bats. All their infielders, they’re right-handed. That’s right. Their only lefties are outfielders. I I mean, they need a left-handed hitting infielder. And Brendan Nonovan fits that bill. Not only does he fit that bill, but he hits the ball really well. And not only that, he’s done it for four years in a row. So, Brennan Donovan is who he is. He’s not changing. He’s not declining. And that may be something that prices the Astros out of that market unless they want him bad enough. And um again, it’s funny as I’m doing the show here, I’ve got multiple people texting me, “What’s going on? Why do they trade Dubon?” Everybody loves Mauricio Dubon to talk about our first point from the show. But again, this is a one forone swamp. But is this also clearing room to bring on someone like a Brennan Donovan? Is this clearing room to bring on someone like a Ranger Suarez, a Dylan CE, a bigger name, a Michael King? It could mean that. Okay, Euola could be traded. He is on the 40man roster, so he could be someone they could trade, but Ulola has not even really has not sniffed the major leagues. I think the Cardinals, if we’re talking Brendan Donovan, want major league ready players. That’s what I believe that they will be going after. Um, so what other moves can we expect before Friday to happen? Um, we’re going to talk about that in this last segment. I’m going to take your questions and I will do my best to answer them while I’m here solo. So, if you’re listening, what I’ll do is someone gives me a question, I’ll read it and then I will answer it. That way, I’m not just giving a rebuttal to something that’s on the screen. You follow along and know exactly what’s going on. We’ll be back here in a second. All right, welcome back and thank you all for tuning in to Locked on Astros. Remember, we are your team every single day. And let me tell you about making us your first listen every single day. That’s right. And then why don’t you make Lockdown Mo your second listen because why we’re both a part of the number one sports podcast network in America. That is right. Nobody has more channels. Nobody has more shows. Nobody covers more leagues than Locked on Astros. I want to tip our hat tip my hat to our um Fearless CEO. Um, if you guys have not heard David Lock’s calls for the Utah Jazz, and I know I’m talking to a Houston crowd, go listen to the Utah Jazz playbyplay calls postgame. David Lockach does a phenomenal job. He is the one that created this entire network and what allow this is what allows us to come to you on a daily basis. Tonight, nearly 300 of y’all joining us. I feel like it’s midseason. Now, I will tell you this, okay, tonight that it has been shared with me that one Justin Verlander was actually seen today in Houston. Not just in Houston, but with Joe Espada. So, what does that mean? Maybe he’s down for a visit. I don’t know. I’m just telling you. I think that’s one of the moves you can expect. Now, I do think that Justin Verlander, if he comes here or when they sign him, it is going to also be in conjunction with another larger move. Okay. So, the Astros don’t just bring in Justin Verlander. They bring in Justin Verlander, I believe, after bringing on another starting pitcher. Michael King really fits the bill. I think he’s a well, I know he’s a cheaper option than Dylan CE. Um, Ranger Suarez, a pretty expensive option. It’s funny. Some people on here talk about how cheap Crane is, but in the same breath they want the Astros to sign Ranger Suarez. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. But going to get Verlander is something I think they do to complement and to move them forward in bolstering the Astros rotation. It’s not a move that is separate of itself. You go out and get that. Now, the Nationals have guys like McKenzie Gore and JJ Abrams. They want to put together in a package. Well, the Astros have a log jam infield. I don’t think McKenzie Gore is an ideal candidate for the Houston Astros to go get just because if they’re wanting to package those two, it makes no sense to bring those two on. Now, if you go get a Ranger Suarez, you’re going to be paying a lot of money. And why is it that Frober Valdez walked? Because you didn’t want to offer him the money. So right now the Astros rotation if it were to be set right now and Ben thank you for putting this visual up um with the question mark there by you’s name but I see Hunter Brown I see Christian Javier I see Spencer Arrigetti Jason Alexander guys like AJ Blue Ball other guys stepping stepping in. If you bring in Justin Verlander, you bring in you bring him in. Now, Yola, I believe added to the 40man roster means that they believe in him, but he’s got to get his control down. Okay. So, what moves are expected by Friday or be or by the end of the day Friday? I just think that someone like Jake Myers could be moved. I mean, he’s got value. He’s never going to have more value than he has right now. You might as well you might as well trade him, but the deal has to be right for the team. Um, the hot stove is getting hotter and hotter and it is, I think, going to continue to rise in temperature. Now, you may sit there and say as an Astros fan, well, the Astros downgraded just to save three and a half or$4 million dollars. Not really a downgrade. A lot of people didn’t even want Dubon coming back. There were I think even more people that wanted him back. And after that interview, if you follow our show, you’re like, man, I love this guy. This guy is a vibe. Him and Yordon are tight. Your Don’s probably crushed. Your Don is probably like, “Whoa, what is going on with my team?” But at the end of the day, it’s about dollars and cents. So, what I think we can expect before Friday is if if Jake Myers is traded, I believe he is traded with somebody else, but I don’t know where to. Maybe Jake Myers is the trade piece for Brendan Donovan. I mean, you’ve got, think about it, Jacob Melton, you’ve got Zack Cole. Cam Smith has got to prove himself again. So, I could see Cam Smith a very toolsy player, a very fivetool guy, a speedster, a tall, big, long reach out in the outfield. a guy that could probably snag some home runs, hit off of that bullpin fence or off of that padded wall or reach over the wall in center field where the Angels play and Cam Smith I think could garner a center field position while you move someone like a Zack Cole or Jacob Melton to right. So there are some definite um ways to move the puzzle pieces around there. Now, before we wrap up, I want to see what questions you all have specifically. What I’ll do is I’ll I’ll pull the question up on the screen. I’ll read it so those that are listening and not able to view can follow along with what is going on. Um, some people are are are talking about resigning Phil Maton. I don’t think he’s a guy that the Astros are going to be looking at. Um, so someone just came in and said was asking who um, Mauricio Dubon was traded for. Well, he was traded for Nick Allen, a utility infielder from the Atlanta Braves. It was basically a salary dump. And Duncan Donuts, he spells it differently. I love it. He says, “I just got here. Dubon question mark. Yes, sir. Dubon is um is gone. Now, the allimp important question for the Houston area, the Houston um metro area. Joseph Nunees says, “What about the HB commercials?” Hey, Doobie was great in the HB commercials, but they’ll find somebody. I mean, when George left, when Carlos left, when Bregman left. Now, one of the things I can’t wait for is I can’t wait to see Carlos Korea back in the HB commercials and how they play that into the commercials. That would be fun. Who would you say is better? I don’t know anything about Nick Allen. Okay, Nick Allen. Um, I showed this earlier and I will repeat the stats for those of y’all listening so you’re you’re not I’m just like, well, here’s his stats. This is what he did last year, okay? He batted 221, 11 doubles, 32 runs, 22 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Now, he was a gold glove finalist in the National League for shortstop this last year. This is not about his hitting. This is about trading one for one. A guy that is a solid glove, not Dubon level glove, but someone that if he’s on this roster come opening day, he’s a guy you can depend on to have to have you play um to to help you with playing defense in the field. And so at the end of the day, that’s what it looks like he’s here for. and who knows how long he will be here. He does have more controllable years than Mauricio Dubon. Um, so look, at the end of the day, the Houston Astros have got more moves to make and if nobody has any questions, we are going to move forward. Um, so last season he was a finalist for the gold glove. I don’t know that he won a gold glove. Um, why are they keeping a hold of LMJ? That’s Lance McCullers Jr. for those of y’all listening on the roster because he was just bad last year. They’re paying him. They’re tired of releasing guys and paying them money for not playing. So, they’re going to pay him. They’re going to play him as much as they can and they’re going to hope for the best. They’re going to hope to get lemon lemonade out of lemons. And because for all intents and purposes, he has been a lemon. Edwin asks, “What do you think about a change to Alcantara?” I don’t think Sandy Alcantara is going to be allowed out of Miami. I don’t think the Marlins are going to allow him to go. They’ve already spoken a very definitive, he’s our guy. We can build around him. He’s our franchise guy. I don’t see him going anywhere. Um, Omega says they will bring a big name. I guess Bellinger, I highly doubt Cody Bellinger comes here. Brendan Donovan, I can see that. Ranger Suarez, I can see that as well. Dylan CE and Alcantara a little less likely for me on the probability chart for bringing the Astros or bringing people to the Astros. I’ll take a couple more questions and then I’m going to head out. Um, someone on here mentioned, “How about go to the Tigers for Scooble?” That’s not going to happen. Did y’all see the horrible contract that they offered TK Scubble as an extension? It was really an insult to him and he just won his second straight Sai Young. That guy’s going to make so much money. Would you, this is from Nick B. Would you rather see a big picture signing or an extension to Hunter Brown? That’s a good question because I think you can do a big signing and then you can extend Hunter Brown in a year or two, but then again, can you have your cake and eat it too? I just really I don’t know. Um, it depends on who the pitcher is and it depends on you would have to you would have to talk to me after several years of this contract. Okay. To see what Hunter Brown does as well. Okay. Yellow 283 says, “Brett, I’m wondering if you were GM, what would you do this off season and let us know who you’d like the final roster rotation to be?” Well, here’s the deal. I’m not going to break down all the final position and roster um my idea for that right now. I would rather wait till we get closer to spring training or into spring training to tell you that I do think and my bold prediction is I do think we get a player like Brendan Donovan. I do think that we go out and get a pitcher and I do think that Justin Verlander does come back to Houston. That’s what I believe will happen. Now, last night I thought Mauricio Dubon wasn’t going to be traded. Boy, was I wrong. And of course, when I said that, it was on the fly and I hadn’t really given it a whole lot of thought. I hadn’t really looked into everything and all the implications of his contract. so on and so forth what he was do. He was in his fourth arbitration year which meant one more year and he was probably going to walk. But thank you so much for tuning in. One last thing as we go on. Um do you think losing the pick they got for Framber will keep them from signing a bigname pitcher that also declined an offer? No. They gain a pick that they got that they will get from Framber. They will gain a pick. They will not lose a pick. Look, your guess is as good as mine. And from myself, from Eric the Manheisman and everybody at Locked on Astros, don’t forget to tune in to us. We’re the number one sports podcast network in America. And we are the number one Astros podcast. Remember, we’re your team every day. Ghost Bros.

The Astros have moved one of their best utility infielders, does this open up room for Brendan Donavan. He was traded to the Braves. Nick Allen will be coming over from the Braves. Wheelhouse will break it down
Houston Astros shake up the roster with a surprising one-for-one trade—Mauricio Dubón, two-time Utility Gold Glove winner and clubhouse favorite, heads to Atlanta for Nick Allen just days before the non-tender deadline. Can this salary-saving move pay off, or have the Astros sacrificed defensive reliability for financial flexibility?
Brett Chancey breaks down the implications for the Astros’ utility position, the potential impact on clubhouse chemistry, and the outlook for Nick Allen, a Gold Glove finalist. The discussion highlights the looming Brendan Donovan sweepstakes, possible trade scenarios involving Jake Myers, and pressing questions about future moves—including whether Justin Verlander’s Houston appearance hints at an even bigger rotation upgrade. Astros fans join the conversation on who should fill the hole left by Dubón, future commercial stars, and if the front office will make another splash before Friday’s deadline. Will Houston land the left-handed bat it desperately needs?
00:00 “Locked On Astros Daily”

03:44 Mauricio Dubon: Clubhouse Connection

08:08 “Big Plans & FanDuel Deals”

10:41 “Brendan Donovan Trade Cost”

14:23 Potential Astros-Cardinals Trade Scenarios

19:06 “David Locke & Justin Verlander Updates”

21:31 Astros’ Infield & Rotation Dilemma

24:03 Jake Myers Trade Speculation

27:17 Astros’ Shortstop Trade Analysis

31:28 “Verlander Back to Houston?”
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