Following Monday's trade deadline, members of the Houston Astros have been outspoken about the front office's failure to bring in reinforcements for the postseason push. However, a new report suggests it might not be all the Astros' fault.
"We thought we had a couple deals done," Astros owner Jim Crane told ESPN 97.5 on Tuesday, "and they got vetoed." Discussing one potential trade in particular, Crane said "medicals were exchanged and then (it) got vetoed at the top," but added that it wasn't in his interest to call out "another owner."
Though Crane didn't name names, sources told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports that the Astros had a deal done for Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton, and the Orioles killed it on deadline day.
There is reportedly some disagreement, however, about how that trade fell apart. Sources connected to the Orioles say it never got to the stage requiring owner Peter Angelos' approval, and Baltimore actually pulled out based on at least one Astros player's medical.
That's not quite what Crane implied in his comments about the Astros' difficulty making moves.
"It wasn't because (general manager Jeff Luhnow) wasn't trying. We realize we could have made some adjustments," Crane said. "People weren't willing to let go of some of the players we wanted."
In the weeks leading up to the deadline, it was reported that Angelos had granted Dan Duquette, the team's long-tenured general manager, permission to trade away Baltimore's top relievers.
The lone deadline deal the Astros pulled off was a swap with the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire left-hander Francisco Liriano, whom they plan to use out of the bullpen.
Conversely, the Orioles toed the line of buying and selling by acquiring Jeremy Hellickson and Tim Beckham in separate deals while maintaining a competitive roster, including the squad's premium late-relief options.
