Luhnow says he would have be "overwhelmed" by the trade return in order to consider trading Lowrie. That's an appropriate response, in my view. Don't give him up in a buy low scenario. If someone is willing to pay a huge return, then do it. But Lowrie continues to have value for the Astros, as one of the few good major league players on the team.

I like the waiver claim on Elmore, and I'm all for letting him compete with Greene and MarGo for a utility infielder position. But I don't totally trust his minor league hitting stats in the PCL. Elmore played in a hitter friendly ballpark in a hitter friendly league. His .908 OPS in AAA screams aberration. His typical OPS at the A and AA level was in the low .700's. Elmore probably has an offensive advantage over Marwin Gonzalez due to his speed and base stealing, but it's not clear to me that he is a better hitter than Gonzalez. Again, I'm all for letting him compete in the spring and find out if his offense is for real. But I wouldn't trade Lowrie based on the availability of Elmore.