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Article this morning said that Kendrick had not hit a homerun on a pitch in that location all year and that he normally pounds it into the ground.Sorry for that post then. I was repeating something I heard Ferrin and Stanton say on radio. Probably shouldn’t do that.
The Springer lineout with runners on in the second was the 'what if' offensively that stands out the most.True, but there were a ton of what if’s regarding our AB’s with runners in scoring position.
He scorched that ball.
Harris was genuinely bad in Game 6, but last night was a brutal break. I'm not even sure the HR pitch was a strike...It wasn’t. Harris actually threw a pretty damn good pitch and Kendrick did a great job to hit it out.
Why did they not walk him?This^
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Cole warming, I'd stay with Greinke for one moreOnly one ball has been hit hard off Greinke tonight. To lift him for a guy who has never pitched out of the pen or on two days rest before would be more than questionable. Even if that pitcher is Cole.
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Well, it comes down to one game. If the players need any additional motivation, other than it's Game FUCKING Seven of the World Series, they need to re-evaluate their career choice. As several people have pointed out, *this* is the reason they went out and got Zach Greinke. *THIS* is the reason you want to win your division, have home field advantage. Regardless of tonight's outcome, I'm proud of this team and proud to be an Astros fan. However, this is the best team the Astros have ever had, and if they don't finish it, I will be disappointed in the outcome. Getting to the Nats pen will be key, I think. They can certainly do it. They just have to go out and do it.Well said HH. Greinke is about to pitch in the biggest game of his life. It may well be the game that defines his tenure in an Astros uniform. This team needs to go out and hit the baseball tonight and put up some crooked numbers. In Washington, it seemed like they were in attack mode at the plate from the first at bat to the last. Last night, it seemed like the first inning was the only time they went up there hacking early in the count, except for Altuve. I could be wrong in that assessment, but that is how it seemed to me. Need to get to Scherzer early and knock his ass out.
I read Scherzer’s interview about his problem. It is hard for me to imagine he’ll pitch again in this series.I agree Jim. Now, I would not be shocked to see him on the mound again, but I would be surprised. He has better doctors than I I’m sure, but from someone who suffers from the same issue, and based on what he is saying and the treatments he says he has received, I think it is unlikely he can go and be effective. We’ll see.
3 and 4 runs, and those two guys I would have thought they'd be 1-1. But with Greinke and Bullpen, I need at least 5-7 runs, minimum. I have to go with offense. Again, I'm desperate.I think I’m with you HH, but man, the way the Nats have been hitting the ball Yordan will be tested out there. We desperately need an offensive explosion to help get this ship sailing in the right direction.
The questions captioned above were, unfortunately, spot on. Firing Taubman addressed his part in it, but the Astros are trying to use one punishment to pay for two crimes.
I’m sure it will go away now, but this remains an open sore and the Astros are leaving it that way in the hope that people will stop picking at it.
Also, the failure to reach out to the targets of Taubman’s rant is terrible. Those calls should have been made the second after Taubman left Luhnow’s office having been fired.
“Hi. This is Jeff Luhnow. I wanted to let you know - before it is announced to the media - that we have terminated Brandon Taubman’s employment with the Astros effective immediately. We are so sorry for what he did and, for our part, in being too slow to take this obvious and necessary action. Blah, blah. Etc, etc.“
Taubman has been FIRED.This was the appropriate response, even if a little late.
op-ed from USA Today:While you can certainly argue that, the Astros themselves paved the road for reporters to drive down with stories like this, due to their tepid, insufficient response to this whole ordeal.
"The Houston Astros are Major League Baseball's worst nightmare"
This may be the stupidest comment ever printed in a newspaper.
If I was Crane and I read that headline, Luhnow would be walking out of my office within the next 10 minutes with a few instructions, the first of which would be to inform Mr Taubman he is now unemployed.
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If he runs hard out of the box instead of skip-to-my-looing, does he have a triple and score on Altuve's fly out to right?Yes, he does. If you go back and look at the replay, by the time the ball is fielded by the cutoff man on the first base side of second, George is already almost a third of the way PAST second base, stopped running and is back into hopping/skipping mode. Based on where he was when the cutoff man fields the ball, if he is running out of the box, it is a standup triple and he probably scores the tying run on the next fly out.
FWIW, I think Yordan's big problem is the long season. I think he's tired. People used to talk about that. Maybe it isn't true anymore.FWIW, Bowden and Duquette said the same thing on the radio. They think Alvarez is tired.
? Don’t know about that.Alan Porter must have a hard on for Bregman. His zone has been solid except for Alex. He's called 5 off the plate strikes on him.I thought so too. He was pretty solid all night except when Bregman was in the box.
No apology was ever going to be viewed as a real apology, thats why I put "apologized" in quotes. All thats really been accomplished is admitting guilt, especially with regard to now seemingly conflicting statements by the organization. So now everyone gets to yap about what punishment they think everyone involved should get, instead of about what actually happened.Again, they should have fired his ass. We wouldn’t be discussing this now.
I haven't heard anything definitive but my $$ would be on Urquidy.Regardless of who starts, the first inning is going to be so important. Desperately need to get thru it unscathed and we need to score first to keep crowd involved at a high level.
That would make absolutely zero sense. I can't believe Hinch would play it that way.While I agree with you, I’m just repeating what I heard.
Have you considered the signal that demotion in the order sends to a young Yordan Alvarez?I’m not advocating a change in the order. I too think it should be left alone, but I personally would not be worried about Alvarez’s feelings. If I thought there was a way to improve the offensive performance, I’m doing what is best for the team. If Yordon gets his feelings hurt, he’ll just have to get over it. Winning this series is more important. If this was the regular season, I would agree with you.
Yordan is all twisty fucked. He needs to clear his head.He needs to swing at the fastballs and stop letting them go to get down in the count.
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Too close to take. He took a fat pitch and swung at a higher one in that AB.This. He let a perfect pitch go right by earlier in the at bat. Don’t complain about a borderline strike with runners on. Hit the DAMN ball. We don’t need a walk there.
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Greinke career vs NYY:Thanks for crunching the numbers Phillips had mentioned. As I said, it may be good fortune that Grienke gets to go game 1 rather than game 3.
15 G, 12 GS, 4-4, 5.05, 71.1 IP, 68 H, 40 ER, 55 K, 27 BB
At old Yankee Stadium:
4 G, 3 GS, 0-2, 8.82, 16.1 IP, 26 H, 16 ER, 13 K, 10 BB
At new Yankee Stadium:
2 G, 2 GS, 0-1, 11.57, 7.0 IP, 7 H, 9 ER, 7 K, 6 BB
Assuming my math is good, his numbers then vs the Yankees away from NY:
9 G, 7 GS, 4-1, 2.81, 48 IP, 35 H, 15 ER, 35 K, 11 BB
His last outing in Yankee stadium was the day he was traded. 5IP, 2H, 2ER, 3BB, 7K. That would be getting it done.You are correct. I had forgot about that. If he could duplicate that again I would take it for sure. I wish I could remember that exact lifetime numbers Phillips was quoting but they were not good. As far as I’m concerned, the last outing is the most important. Hopefully Zack can build off of that outing.
My guess is the rotation after game 4 is subject to change for the same reasons JV pitched on short rest. This team will get a huge boost if Greinke can step up and beat the damn Yankees.Grienke and how he performs against the Yankees may be the key to the series. I don’t know about his numbers all-time against the Yankees, but his numbers in Yankee Stadium all-time are horrendous. Like, lifetime ERA in Yankee Stadium is over 10 or some crazy number like that. There was a big discussion about this on MLB Radio last week when they were pondering Grienke throwing against the Yankees in game 3 and how bad he’s pitched in that stadium. We may end up being fortunate that he is going game one, but that still potentially leaves him throwing Game 5 in Yankee Stadium.
Freeman with a high school mistake at 1B just cost the Braves a chance to end the 9th in St Louis.Yep. That error should be his, not the RF’s.
The 2017 Series MVP is AWOL. Waiting for someone to say “move him out of leadoff.”I’ll be the one Jim!
Rocco Baldelli wins in my fucked up alternate reality.^^^This!
Correa is to ask for Machado/Harper money, and is not going to settle for less than Bregman money.I’d keep Springer over Cole. And the next time Correa is feeling good and producing, I’m dealing him for the best package I can get while the getting is good.
I'm extremely jealous guys. I'm just finishing up my man cave and started searching the internet for some Dome seats. Almost nothing out there. Living in GA, there was just no good way to pick up seats years ago when they finally decided to sell them. Enjoy guys, you are lucky to have them.Just curious, what part of GA?
Clark, disappointing rookie, veteran role player, 500 posts ago, Pope, high order of the ferret.Ok. I stand corrected. Thanks!
Not exhaustive or even in the right order, but all triggered by post counts, not the content therein.
“You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”Actually, I don’t care. If I did, a select one or two would have driven me away a long time ago. I stick around though because I love this place for the news, information, education and friendship of some. Even from the few intolerant posters.
It is a stock setting based on post count, been there for ages.
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I do, but also don't like wordy posts.Don’t worry Snuffy, your are not truly on the shit list here until some mature moderator/administrator puts in your profile that you “should have quit 500 posts ago.” How hilarious!!! Tolerant bunch to varying opinions some of our fellow Astro fans are.
Will work on shorter ones.
Injuries are disappointing, for sure, but I would not try to trade him, especially not now. He is ARod talent when healthy. I’d be patient with him.While I agree with you, it wouldn’t stop me from seeing what I could get for him in the off-season. If some team was willing to give me 2 top prospects, by top I mean a Whitley and Alvarez/Tucker type of duo, I’d have to consider making that deal.
I like Popeye’s also.No one has mentioned it, but I like the shrimp from there.
Anybody else worried about Osuna?Well, of pitchers who have 25 or more saves, Osuna, Chapman, Doolittle and Jansen are tied for having blown the most saves with 5 each. Hader has blown 4. Will Smith is the best having only blown 2 and Brad Hand and Kirby Yates have blown 3. To me, this means Osuna could stand to tighten it up a little, but in the big picture, they all blow it sometimes. No need to panic.
Was watching the White Sox / A's today and they showed that the top five best ERAs among AL starters since April 26th are Cole, Morton, Fiers, Verlander, Miley.Fiers has had 19 straight starts where he has given up 3 runs or less. That is the longest such streak in the majors. In that time he’s averaged almost 7 innings per start and in 7 of those 19 games he gave up one run or less.
What's the deal with Fiers? Seems Oakland fixed him as much as we fixed those other guys.
On a related note... I just realized what a nice year J.D. Davis is having for the Mets -- hitting .297/.366/.483 in 259 AB for the Mets.Yeah, I saw his stats yesterday and was impressed. HH always thought he would hit and he was right. He has been somewhat of a defensive liability however. I think ultimately, JD is a DH.
Went to Dell Diamond last night for the game against Omaha. With the exception of Mayfield, I don't think there's anybody left in Round Rock who will be useful to the big club this year. Specific observations:
2. Tucker was at 1st base, hopefully showcasing his versatility for a trade. Except that he's pretty awkward over there. And this is probably unfair and a function of my preexisting prejudices, but he just seems to exude a teenager's sense of "It's not fair! i should be in Houston!" Jogging here, shuffling there, just lousy body language. He went 0-4, and on a couple of ground ball outs he didn't even make it half-way to 1st before he was thrown out, just shuffling along like Festus or something. If he can be traded for a real pitcher, I'll be ecstatic.
Chirinos has a sore shoulder and won't play for a few days. Stubbs called up and Sneed optioned. They don't think it'll require an IL stintRobinson is back in the lineup today.
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Nice short hop pickup by Maldonado for the tag. So great to have him back on the team.It was an excellent part of that play that wasn’t talked about enough.
Lucroy DFA to make room for Stassi.This is pretty stunning....
I don’t follow these things closely, any idea what’s behind Sanchez’ troubles?Listening on radio and they just said they spotted Maldonado in the dugout. They didn’t say if he was in uniform.
Also, as a side note, is Maldonado there tonight or is it only Chirinos?
Could have said this about JV also. If we do not, I will be completely incredulous.Me too. And it will be a mistake.
Tanner Roark to the A's. Good move for them.Yep, good move.
Agreed. But it was so surprising that it felt like something that Luhnow might do.I’d like to have him for sure, but the timing and how he would fit seemed puzzling unless it was part of some bigger 3 team deal that never materialized.
What about the Trey Mancini trade discussions? Have those just died?Not another word that I’ve seen since Morosi’s original report yesterday morning.
I know nothing about Ray except he walks too many. He is under club control?Yes, Ray under control thru next season.
Lucroy is on the IL. No interest in Maldonado?
Calling it a "done deal." Also saying in talks for Lucroy.Sounds good to me!!!
It was a hard ground ball off his right knee. Painful but I doubt it is serious.He was just placed in the IL.
Apparently Madbum may still be an option. They like Rojas at RR. Do it.I like your thinking Jim. Rojas wouldn’t stop me from doing that deal.
Robbie RayHe’s been the guy I’ve wanted all along so I hope this deal goes through. I’m greedy though. I’d like Wheeler too!
I'll chime in with the rampant speculation.Santana being scratched must have nothing to do with Thor. He’s still scheduled to start tonight.....for now.
Zach Wheeler will not cost Kyle Tucker.No, he won’t. And for all the talk about how good they have been with a 3-man rotation and the amount of games lost to injuries, the playoffs, if they get there, are an entirely different animal.
There's so much I don't get about trading for Bauer. In no particular order:It could all be about driving up the price for anyone else who might be talking to the Indians. Lots of games being played.
• He's got no emotional control on the field
• He harasses women online, in full public view
• He does shit like writing "Bush did 9/11" on the mound during games
• He's notorious for refusing to listen to his teams' coaching staff, dating at least back to his college years
• He and Cole despise each other from their UCLA days
• He called out the entire Astros organization for doctoring the ball last season
• He's enough of a cancer that Cleveland is thinking about trading him when they're 3 games up in the Wild Card and 2 games out in their division
Is a wicked spin rate really that valuable? I just can't see it happening.
https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/anthony-rieber/mets-defensive-metrics-1.34340685That is a great article with good info. Thanks for the link.
Is Wheeler expected to pitch better than his 4.71 ERA seems to indicate?Some say yes. The Mets defensively are one of the worst teams in baseball so leaving there by itself should uptick his numbers.
It's mostly just for the fun of it for me. I know 90% of it is bullshit but it's something to think/talk about until there is something real to discussAgree. It’s all fun speculation. And true, probably 90% of it is smoke and mirrors but at least today hasn’t been boring.
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Maybe he's a piece the Mets want for Syndergaard.Great point Knox.
Yes it is, been traveling all day and was hoping to come here to read all sorts of speculation.....instead crickets.Only thing I’ve seen tonight is from Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Astros, Brewers and Yankees in “active talks” with D-Backs about Ray.
We’ve been far too lax on non-ironic emoji usage. There’s weak ass shit, and then there’s weak ass shit that seems like a text from your tween.Then I’ll rephrase. It was funny.
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He's just as close or closer than those Mets guys.That’s what I was thinking. I think I would have given JBB and Abreu for Stroman. Now , I guess it is possible that Luhnow did offer that and the Jays didn’t like JBB and Abreu as much.
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Astros comp would be J.B. Bukauskas and Abreu.Is JBB considered a top 100 prospect?
Fuck off.[emoji23][emoji1787][emoji23][emoji1787]
You feel sorry for me. So funny. Just read what is posted here and STFU, Pedantic One.[emoji23]
You tried to show, as you always do, how smart you are. Homer is connected; when he posts something he has been told, STFU about what you think about his info.I’m not trying to show how smart I am. I have no inside info and don’t pretend to. But we can always count on you Jim. As usual, it is you, as the bully that you always are on this site, to anyone who dares to have an opinion you don’t agree with, who attacks someone. I appreciate what he, and everyone else but you, posts on this site. I used to appreciate you, but you are a worthless bully, and the sad thing is, I think you are proud of it. For someone who preaches tolerance about Osuna and other aspects you brought up when Osuna was being discussed, you have little of it. I almost feel sorry for you.
“But that’s me”[emoji23]
No shit.
This guy just posted inside info, and you go in to tear it down with your opinion. If I were he, I would not tell you a thing. Maybe this happens, maybe it doesn’t, but tearing the info apart is not helpful.
My insider says Minor is going to happen. No other details.I would love to have him, but I can’t believe this happens. Why? There are at least 7 teams, if you believe the reports, who are in on Minor. If true, that ask from the Rangers can be somewhat significant. Significant enough that I can’t believe Luhnow gives anyone in the division, especially the Rangers, above average prospects. I’d pay a little more to get Stroman or Ray, but that’s me.
What was the price?It wasn’t reported. One of those things we probably won’t know until well after the fact.
Robbie Ray, come on down.Yeah, I’d like to have him and he should be cheaper than others we have been linked to. I’ve kind of felt all along that he is the player we end up with.
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They want pitching? So do we.Probably not, but still interesting to see all of the speculation.
Thought they wanted a hitter. Can you believe anything the pundits write?”
I didn't know Springer had told the team he wanted to re-sign?He hasn’t to my knowledge, but if it was me and I could only keep one of them, George is my priority.
I love the idea of keeping Springer if possible, though, even if it means there is no $$ for Correa.
Win now is what one does.I agree and that was kind of what I was alluding too. I know you don’t care what I think, but I’d make whatever trade I thought I had to in order to win NOW. Give whatever it took, because in the off-season I have a plan to recoup my prospect losses.
Not a reason to turn down Syndegard.Agree. And we also don’t know how Luhnow’s long term outlook may influence what he does now.
Crazy really. There are FOUR CFs on this team now.
Probably depends on what other teams are offering.I’ve heard the Yankees appear to be willing to offer Garcia to get Thor. He’s ranked as #2 pitcher in their system and #3 overall. I guess our comp as a pitcher would be Martin who is out with TJ.
I’m a bit surprised that the Dodgers have a spot for him on their 25 man roster. I don’t watch them often, but I was under the impression that their roster was loaded.The Dodgers just recently lost Chris Taylor to a broken forearm.
Is he a Cuban?Nope. Born in Woodbridge, VA. He was an 8th round pick out of High Point University.
Sad about this.Me too Jim. Kemp’s a solid ball player. Astros will be able to trade him to someone for some decent value. Good luck to you Tony!
AA relief pitcher.Been in the minors about 4 plus years it appears. Don’t know what his outlook is. Could just be a move for minor league pitching depth but his AA numbers don’t look too bad. The walks are a little high though.
Thanks for your opinion, Talking Head. If only there was some way to determine whether or not the Astros regime cares about what the stats and analytics say...Actually there is Knox. Wait a few more days and we’ll see.
I understand this. Hence my question. What is the value of a lefty reliever when we already have good relievers that can plat to both lefty and righty splits? I'm just trying to noodle through the rationale that would make a lefty reliever a priority here.Well, I’ll tell you what two former GM’s said on the radio the other day when discussing the Astros bullpen.
Richard Justice was on Charlie Palillo show today too. Hour 2, around 16 min markI certainly hope so. I know my opinion doesn’t matter, but I don’t give two shits about how good our right handed throwing bullpen appears to be against lefty batters. We need a left handed option in the bullpen come crunch time. I’d be fine with Smith or Watson from San Fran.
http://www.podcastarena.com/pallilo/
After listening to AJ and Justice, sounds like a lefty reliever is likely to be the first add.
I continue to be amazed at Luhnow’s ability to operate in total silence to the outside world. There are zero media rumors about what he is doing.Remember how no one found out we almost acquired Harper until well after the fact? Well, I’m hoping this silence means Luhnow is working on something REALLY big.
There are ongoing conversations at the highest level about Minor.I think I’d be happy with Minor. He’s looked good against us this year except for the long balls last night. Overall, his numbers look good.
Has anyone heard who’s on the mound tomorrow?Urquidy. Tyler White was just DFA’d and Urqiudy will take his spot and start tomorrow.
Bumgarner went 9 innings giving up 1 in the same gameBumgarner has been by far the better pitcher than any of the other pitchers we are rumored to be looking at. The problem with that is he is pitching so well, and the Giants are on such a roll, that they are less likely to trade him now. Morsi said on radio this afternoon that the talk out of SF now is they are much more likely to trade Watson or Smith than Bumgarner and that they feel like they owe it to the fans and Bochy to keep him and play this out. Things may have to really go south for the Giants over the next 10 days to trade him.
Edit: Bumgarner actually has 1.55 ERA in his last 5 starts
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Syndergaard is latest from my insider.He is the only one available (within reason) that I would give up Tucker for. Casey Stern on MLB radio has been pimping a trade involving Syndargaard and Dominic Smith to Houston for Tucker, James and other prospects for about 2 weeks now. Mentions it almost daily. Stern is a Mets guy at heart. Don’t know if he has inside info or just saying what he wants to happen, but he’s been begging for this deal to go down. Discussed it with Duquette again today.
No Yordan. He fouls off so many hittable pitches. Part of his adjustment, I guess.Hinch mentioned on the radio yesterday morning that Alvarez would sit last night. Said all of the sudden he’s started chasing pitches out of the zone and just didn’t look right in the box. He sort of alluded to the knee issue again and while he is ok AJ wanted to give him a break last night. Said they need to work with him on things like sliding. He was going to take BP in cage yesterday and rest.
On a semi-related note, I wish MLB would institute an automatic suspension for bullpen personnel running in for these fracases (fracasi? fracaseses? ).I agree. While it would be unreasonable to suspend them all, there should be some consequences much like the NHL rule for first man off the bench.
It's an enormous waste of everyone's time, and they constitute a potentially dangerous second wave in the case of an actual brawl.
DId not see that coming.Yeah, I didn’t expect that either. Kinda stunned honestly.
Hmm. A new name just flew by. Don't rule out Gray in Colorado.Yeah, I’ve thought about him. He’s got as good a numbers as anyone else but I haven’t considered him as available. His WHIP is 1.33 but that is no doubt inflated by Coors.
throwing a "message" pitch that close to the head is chickenshit. If I had been Hinch I would have retaliated but to the rib area. Then he could have said "that's how it's done" while writing the check out.I’m not saying I disagree with you. It was a chicken shit way of trying to even the score. I’m just saying I don’t think he’ll get suspended. Hopefully he does, but I doubt it.
The correct response is "it just got away from me."I’ll be stunned if Ramirez is suspended.
No admission, everyone move along.
Ultimately it's a quibble on my part. I don't think Ramirez should be suspended but he probably will be.
https://www.mlb.com/news/jake-marisnick-hit-by-pitch-in-astros-loss-to-angels
Something needs to happen ASAP before the rotation rolls back to 4 and 5.I agree Jim. Surly the powers that be will not allow us to go thru the 4 and 5 hole abyss again. Hoping we have some movement today or tomorrow.
Can this mess even be fixed at the deadline?Yes, it can but.....
Diaz and Correa played at Round Rock last night.For those who haven’t already heard it reported, AJ said again on the radio today that the first game in St. Louis on the 26th is when they are expecting Correa to be back in the lineup.
That would solve one of the needs for a BOR innings-eater.It would, and we need a guy like that. I REALLY wanted them to go after Cashner. Wouldn’t he look great right now in the 4 or 5 hole and he was CHEAP!
I'm not saying it's going to happen. I'm going to leave this name here: Jeff Samardzija Astros scouts are everywhere, and his spin rate is right up there with Verlander and Cole.I’m a little concerned about where we turn, though I’m sure Luhnow will come through. When you look around the league there simply aren’t many “quality” pitchers available.
I'm not saying it's going to happen. I'm going to leave this name here: Jeff Samardzija Astros scouts are everywhere, and his spin rate is right up there with Verlander and Cole.I’ve thought about him and it is well known that the Astros were high on him a couple years ago. Some of his numbers are decent but the dollars are the problem as I see it. You’d have to get the Giants to eat a big chunk of that which I would think would cost you more from a prospect perspective.
AJ is clearly out of patience with Framber. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/Astros-insider-Framber-Valdez-runs-out-of-time-14098173.phpAnd he should be. Framber has been given ample opportunity and just hasn’t been able to get the job done. I wouldn’t give up on him but we shouldn’t see him again until spring training. If we do, we have even bigger issues than what we have now.
Not masseuse cracking your ribs bad luck, but bad luck for sure.Did you see where Ken Giles was out over the weekend with nerve discomfort due to a massage? Guess he and Carlos go to the same masseuse.
Oh, please. There is nothing arrogant going on. They are two starters down, and Peacock blindsided them Sunday.I agree Jim. You can’t tell me that before Sneed was sent down Luhnow didn’t check with the medical staff to get their opinion on where things stood with Peacock returning. You know he did and you know they told him everything looked on track. It is bad luck for us at a REALLY bad time.
I'm a little curious as to why McHugh doesn't get a shot at holding down one of those BOR spots. He has been successful in that role before.I’ve been wondering the same thing. They may just like him better in the pen (and I think I do too). I also wonder if they feel the health issues he has this year are better managed if he’s in the pen.
Crap.Mine too. He would’ve looked pretty good in the 5 hole of our rotation. Since June 1 he’s got an ERA under 2. Quietly been one of the top starters in baseball this season.
He was one of my darkhorse candidates for the Astros.
This team is arrogant as fuck and they are going to pay for it.I’m ready for Luhnow to stir the pot a little.....NOW.
Any news on Correa? I saw that the Astros sent him to the spring training facility in Florida. But what is happening? Is he going to go on a rehab assignment? When?I think I heard Luhnow say on the pregame show Sunday that the tail end of the final homestand in July was a possibility for he and Diaz. If I heard that right, then we are talking about 2 weeks, plus or minus a day or two.
Ken Rosenthal says the "Astros, Twins, Braves and Brewers are among the clubs interested in Bumgarner" -- no mention of what the return might be:MLB Radio speculating that Giants could be asking something similar to what Cubs gave up for Chapman. Torres was a level 55 prospect they said at the time. If you check our prospects currently ranked in the 50-55 range you would have....
https://theathletic.com/1067296/2019/07/08/rosenthal-the-market-for-bumgarner-the-cubs-true-talent-level-the-yankees-search-for-pitching-more-notes/
Hahahaha. So weak.[emoji23]
Like your “they go on forever” posts.
WFWFuck you old man.
The kid’s name is Whitley, Mr. GM.Sorry for the innocent typo. Thanks, Mr. .......
I think that Cole is going to get a shit-ton of money thrown at him this offseason and the Astros won't want to spend that much -- his performance having nothing to do with it.Even with Grienke’s massively bloated contract, Arizona’s payroll is only in the neighborhood of $125M. I could be wrong, but I don’t think they are in dire straits financially and only have $67M committed for next season. If I’m the D-Backs and you expect me to eat half the money in a Grienke deal, then you are definitely giving me Whitley or Tucker in the deal or I’m hanging up.
I do not believe that the Astros will trade Tucker and that they will want him to start next season in RF.
The Astros were hoping that they could trade Reddick last offseason but that didn't happen -- he still had $26 million owed to him and his offensive numbers (outside of HRs) were down. My guess is that they will try again this offseason to open up a spot for Tucker. Reddick will be more easily tradeable this offseason.
The Astros need starting pitching and a reliever. I don't believe they will trade Tucker for a starter. The available starters just aren't good enough.
I'm thinking that the Astros end up trading for Greinke with the Diamondbacks picking up half of his remaining contract. The Astros are not on Greinke's 15-team no-trade list. Not sure who the Astros will trade in return but it won't be any of their top 5 prospects. Greinke is under control through 2021.
So my guess is that the outfield for next season is Brantley, Springer, Tucker with Alvarez as the DH and part-time left-fielder. Gurriel will start at first (glad that he's hitting again so people can stop busting on him -- he's just fine) with the idea that Beer will replace him in 2021.
The rotation for next season will be Verlander, Greinke, McCullers and name your two other starters, but that's a really good top-3.
Why do you have to choose? It always is “just you.”I’m just telling you my opinion Jim. Luhnow nor Crane care what you or I think. But we can still have our opinions.
Why in the world would they not want to keep Springer and Cole?I’m sure they WANT to, but unless Crane changes his mind and decides to blow past the tax threshold, I doubt the money is there for both.
I obviously have no insight into this, but could this (Tucker is untouchable) just be standard negotiating fare. I've never seen Boyd, or at least i don't recall him; is he a difference maker or just a solid arm?I think he is just a solid arm, but a solid arm at the back of our rotation right now would be a difference maker. Boyd in our 4 or 5 hole would be a pretty big move, but I’m not totally sold on giving up Tucker for him......just yet.
I feel like there's a decent chance he goes unclaimed and ends up back in Round Rock. Unless they feel that Beer is ready, someone still has to play 1B there.You could be right, but MLB Trade Rumors seems to think that he had a promising enough pedigree that at least one of the 29 others teams will claim him if the Astros don’t work some sort of trade.
Best caps and best unis in my book. I would switch to these full time and never look back.I really like the current uniforms. They are very classy and clean. But for me, there is just something about that rainbow look. Whether it’s the full rainbow uniforms or that last night, it is iconic and defines the Astros franchise.....for me at least.
Agreed. He looked very good the first 2 innings and and he got burned by a Vlad Sr style cricket double and a homer.Well, he may pitch for a while today. Peacock has already given up 2 in the first and the Pirates are still batting....
They mentioned on the broadcast that he hasn't thrown more than 2 innings in a game since 2017.
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Valdez optioned after the game. Guduan Perez and Armenteros are not eligible to be brought back. Rodgers Martin and Deetz are on minor league IL.Damn, that was fast and probably deserved.
Who is coming up I wonder?
Only other pitcher on the 40-man is Bryan Abreu and he has only thrown in 10 games at AA...
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ANd Chirinos batting 9th means lower OBP which means lower RBI % for Springer when the lineup turns over. Springer only bats leadoff once in a game (mostly). His danger in the lineup is predicated by a good bottom of the order hitter, like Kemp or Reddick who will get challenged more but also know the strike zone well too. You don't want to switch Chirinos approach to be like Kemp or Reddick.The lineup last night and tonight is interesting as AJ is going against conventional wisdom. Last night, and tonight, lefties are back to back and tonight Chirinos bats 9th.
I don't blame the kids from RR, they have played hard and contributed a lot. And during this losing streak, the Astros have had games where they scored 5 and 6 runs, both enough to win. Three things, to me, have been the problem:Good analysis HH and I agree with all you listed. I would add that the lack of consistent offensive production from the first base position, be it Yuli or White, has been a huge problem. When totally healthy, this lineup can overcome that lack of production. But the injuries have only amplified the fact that this spot in the order is a problem, which is why the Astros were possibly in on Encarnacion. I still think our biggest need going forward is another front end starter and a quality lefty in the pen. But I would love to see an upgrade at first base.
1. The injuries are starting to catch up. Too many holes in the lineup and it's hard to string hits together against good pitchers.
2. The bullpen has been garbage.
3. Defensively, the injuries means guys are playing in different spots, and they're not always putting their best defense on the field. Last night is a good example. I'm completely convinced that if Bregman was at 3B last night, the Astros win that game.
The first one I linked was what the MLB app showed. The second is more accurate from PITCHf/x.Already have, and I agree with the strike call.
And I'm not disputing you saw a pic that showed it outside the zone, I'm saying what you saw is entirely inaccurate. The replay is available. See for yourself.
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/astros-vs-yankees/2019/06/21/567497?#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=play-by-play,game=567497I’m not disputing if it was a strike with you HH. After seeing the replay I agree that it was. I’m just saying the photo I posted of that pitch clearly shows it out. You have a photo from a different source which clearly shows it in. My issue now is that those sources should match. Especially when my photo comes directly off of MLB’s own app.
Take a look at the last pitch to Alvarez
Oh here:
https://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/cache/numlocation.php-pitchSel=547973&game=gid_2019_06_21_houmlb_nyamlb_1&batterX=&innings=yyyyyyyyy&sp_type=1&s_type=&league=mlb&pnf=&zlpo=&cache=1.gif
It's pitch 7
Not sure what you're seeing, but the MLB app has it well inside the strike zone. It was on the broadcast box, and it clearly was to my eyes. It wasn't even borderline
Which? Strike three to Alvarez? That was all kinds of strike, every day and twice on Sundays.I wasn’t watching on tv but on the strike box on MLB it was definitely out of the zone.
I thought what Lefty said was hillarious. Seriously.So did I. I thought it was all good natured fun. But others....
No, it is not funny at all.And that’s even funnier....
I was thinking about talking about you so you can post better stuff.Sorry Lefty, but that’s funny right there.
The Ahtletic has a new piece out on the lack of production from Houston's first baseman, primarily Yuli Guirriel. If you are scared away by this sort of information because you see it as "panic" or "worry", then by all means don't read it. But AJ Hinch's opinion about Yuli and his production is interesting in the article because it makes a ton of sense and why the Astros aren't concerned about Yuli. White on the other hand, it is implied he'll probably lose his job on the team once Almedyz Diaz returns. Also has a small tidbit on how the Astros don't see Alvarez, Brantley and Reddick as viable first base everyday alternatives either. It's sink or swim with Yuli for now and the foreseeable future. No mention though about the Astros trying to acquire Edwin Encarnacion and why that was a pursuit that they were serious about making.Why are you and The Athletic overreacting?? [emoji23]
Read here and don't panic!
How in the world do you guys get to "panic" and "worry" when it comes to just an observation about Marisnick. I think some of you have reading and comprehension disorders. Might want to get that checked out.^^This
Maybe, but against a really good pitcher, you cannot count on another hit.^^This!
Thanks for the update. Nothing on the massage victim?No, CC wasn’t discussed. Unless they can mend bones with a potion a la Harry Potter to speed up the healing process, I’m guessing we are about 2 weeks away from hearing how close he is.
I completely agree.Me too. All he really needed to do was shore up his control and he appears to have come along way in that regard.
Mike Capps doing Astros Radio and Lance Berkman filling in for BlumI’m really enjoying Capps. First rate!
No LH hitters back-to-back.True. Would definitely work against you late in the game. Flip flop Brantley and Correa.
Where's he going to bat in the lineup once everyone is healthy? Everyone gets on base for the most part so he should have plenty of chances to drive runs in wherever he hits, but you really need to make teams think twice about walking him.If I was making it out against right handed pitching....
Osuna had the day off yesterday. And the day before that. He also had off last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. In fact, before today, he'd made only one appearance in the last week. He'll have a day off tomorrow, and at least again on Thursday. He's fine. If anything he needs the work.I know I said ditto in my lost above, but I was more agreeing with the disappointment of James not being able to finish off the game, not the fact that Osuna pitched. Should have clarified.
Very disappointing effort by James. Osuna could have used the day off.Ditto!
NAILED IT.Well done sir!
I hope Alvarez can deal with the expectations. It's going to look like, and I'm sure he's going to fee like, it's on his shoulders to turn this offense around. I think it would have been much better if he had come up when he was surrounded by the regular lineup and just had to fit in, but we are where we are.Agree. And I’ll add that I wish he’d been called up when he was a little hotter, as his average has dropped about 50 points or so, though I understand the timing of it all.
Who is this Framber Valdez dude. He's pitching like Tom Glavine or sumptin.Liked him from the first time I ever saw him. His braking ball is plus stuff. Control has always been the issue. If he can do this consistently, he can have a very good career.
BTW - an interesting conversation by the broadcast booth with Luhnow. He talked about his minor league callups, with an emphasis on Fisher. He talked about his progress then he went on to say something interesting: "You know, every organization is having a little bit of problem reading some of the minor league numbers nowadays. As we are of course. But it is good to have them come up to the majors and prove their worth here. Now when people call about Fisher and Stubbs, they'll have a frame of reference to work from."The minor league numbers are big time skewed. They are using this juiced major league ball in AAA this year. There was a brief discussion on the radio yesterday morning about that between two former GM’s who said you need to take the AAA numbers, the good numbers by hitters, and the bad numbers by pitchers, with a grain of salt.
A couple of things: 1) He is talking about trade bait using either one, Stubbs or Fisher and 2) He's working the phones using these guys in some of those conversations 3) He feels the minor league numbers are skewed this year so it's about what you do in the majors.
He never got within an oven mitt of the plate. It wasn't even close.Interesting. Did the catcher ever tag him with the ball under control?
I'm gonna go with he might have touched it but the view was obstructed.Sparks and Ford said he touched home with the oven mitt. Haven’t seen the replay yet.
The Colonel gets a well deserved W.Clutch performance so the rest of the crew could rest.
Fair enough. He sure looked good last inningThe write up on Perez says his fastball averages 94 but touches 98.
I don't remember him throwing 97. Perhaps I just missed it, or perhaps he was really amped up.I think you just missed it HH. He could hum it last year too. I think I read where he’s hit 99 before. Control is the issue.
AAAAAAAAH.The Astros would’ve listed it as “testicular discomfort.”
Couldn’t they just say “unspecified groin injury?” In the same way we didn’t need to know about Matsui’s anal fissures?
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Personally, I think Yuli and Bregman are pressing too much with the big guns on the IL. I think they come back and Yuli and Bregs start playing their game again.^This....though I have to admit Yuli has not been the same player as last season even before all of the injuries BudGirl referenced.
The idea that one would find her annoying is foreign to meIt kinda pisses me off!! [emoji23]
Thanks for the info, TP21. I guess I need to figure out when those MLB radio spots are.AJ is on MLB radio every Tuesday at 12:30PM eastern.
Nothing about Correa either. I have no inside info, but I can make an informed inference: the .org is very pissed.They did ask him about Correa, but AJ didn’t say anything more than what we already know.
Mike Capps. He will be doing two games next week when the Brewers are in. He and I agree with you.Yep, it was Capps. Old brain just wouldn’t work. I loved his delivery during those spring games. If there was ever a change on the Astros’ tv or radio crew, he’s the first one I’m calling.
Ford and Sparks are ok and certainly better than the last two bozos, but I like Kalas and Blum.I like all of our guys, and Julia.
So, assuming Corbin gets sent down, which I'm ok with, what's the roster move?Sparks and Ford briefly speculated that it could be Valdez who gets the spot, especially if he were to pitch well tonight. Noted that there was no one in AAA ready.
Move Rodgers into the rotation? Valdez? James?
All Fisher had to do yesterday is move Straw to third. He looked at strike three and strike four. That's who he is.There is no doubt that the at bat you reference was a big one, mainly because it was in extra innings. Yes, it would have been wonderful had he got a hit or put the ball in play to move the runner. But he wasn’t the only one yesterday who didn’t come through in that type of situation as Brantley and Reddick each left runners in scoring position. While it is fair to criticize him for not moving the runner, he should also be given credit for his at bat in the seventh, against a left handed pitcher, where he hit a line drive opposite filed to score Straw.
Oh, and how about Fisher? No one is talking about him but he has performed well for the big club. Happy for him.Yes, Fisher deserves a good pat on the back. He’s done a very good job so far. Sometimes it takes a couple trips up and down for it to click, and so far, it looks like it has finally started to click for him. The one thing I’ve really liked is his willingness to go opposite field. To me, that is one of the signs of a good hitter. I don’t remember him doing that on his two other trips up here.
Furious may be a better word.Yep. Just another straw on the pile. I don’t care how good you are or can be, if you can’t stay in the lineup, I have to look elsewhere.
Weak, Carlos, very weak. How does a massage break your ribs?
This could affect his long-term future with the team.
Three times in this thread now and once in the Bus Ride. What’s the Cabrera record?Sorry. I guess I missed it in the myriad of posts regarding Correa’s extra curricular activities.
Defense will be ok, but there is a lot of run production on the IL.I agree Jim. I think ultimately we can weather the storm. It may be frustrating at times. Hell, it may even be ugly at times, but I think we ultimately pull through this because of the depth and quality of the players in this organization. Having said that, the starting pitching will need to be fixed to help weather this storm. Cole needs to tighten up just a little bit. Verlander, Miley and Peacock are fine. Beyond those four, someone is going to have to really step up like Fiers and Peacock did in 2017, or a trade for the starter will have to be made now, not at the deadline.
Luhnow said the injury occurred at home and he was not at liberty to say how.Damn. You can’t make this shit up.
Given the phrasing I wonder if it was coitus related.
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After start # 2 McTaggart had the note that Martin had thrown fastball at a 55% rate. League average 35%.That is a telling stat. Few, very few, are going to be successful at that rate.
I suspect that speaks more to his inability to use his other pitches (or lack of confidence) rather than to the strength of his fastball.
Time to wonder how long Martin will stay.True, but it doesn’t sound like anyone at RR is blowing folks away. Who would be the next man up? Stat line isn’t pretty but would you bring Perez back up? Let him start a game or move Valdez back to rotation and put Perez in the pen??
The Astros scorekeeper is a well known idiot.Didn’t get to see it as I’ve got to settle for radio tonight. It sounded initially as if they thought it was a passed ball as well.
Stubbs with his first Major League passed ball. He’s working up his resume.They currently have it charged as a wild pitch to James.
This is going to (continue to) chew the hell out of their bullpen. They basically have no other way to win right now but to get good starting pitching and squeeze out a few dinks and dunks and maybe a solo homer or two from what's left of their offense. That's save situations and other high leverage innings for their bullpen, night after night. Pressley and Osuna are already feeling the strain...You are correct in that the depth of this organization is about to be tested. I am both anxious and excited to see it. I’m sure it will be frustrating at times but I am kind of looking forward to seeing what we’re made of.
“Fuck you. I ain’t falling for that twice.”[emoji23]
Wait...what?NOT good news about Altuve.......
edit: here's Hinch talking about Altuve and Correa
https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1133485390445326336
Meanwhile Alvarez hit #20 today.Good deal. He’s been in a mini slump so it is nice to see that others getting called up rather then he hasn’t distracted him.
So much angst.I know. A nice problem to have. I hope Mayfield and Fisher make Luhnow’s decision REALLY difficult.
Exactly.So when Altuve is activated, who goes down? Fisher?
? I don’t see them going back to 12 pitchers. If you don’t DFA or trade White or Kemp, then Mayfield or Fisher have to go.This is so great.Yeah, I agree. Great opportunity for Jack. Hopefully he’ll get to play a little before Altuve is activated.
Two shiftfuck rollers, and a seeing eye grounder. They didn't exactly smack him around.Roberto did a nice job getting out of his own mess. It could have been a whole hell of a lot worse than what it was.
Or... we could wait and find out exactly what happened.Well obviously you do nothing if he is fine, but he doesn’t look fine. Hopefully he is ok, but I don’t want him playing thru stuff like Correa did last year. It usually doesn’t turn out well.
One perhaps informed theory is he was rushed to this level.I’ve been wondering if he needs to go back to CC to get some good outings under his belt.
ETA: you are correct, though, about results being less important to evaluators than whatever it is they are looking for in the player’s development. Not sure that general principle encompasses a 12+ ERA.
Rogers on the major league team means that Astros' pitching is desperately thin.I don’t know how he is pitched at round rock, but the thought above is mine as well, off the top of my head.
Also what a great problem to have. We're only worried about what happens to players 24 and 25 on the roster.Yes, we are a fortunate fan base.
I could not possibly disagree with this more.I know, and I’m not saying I like it or want it that way. I want Alvarez up today just like I think you do. I just don’t think it is happening anytime soon.
Why go to 13? They started the year intending to have a 12-man staff, and they will be just fine without, say, Framber. But they need to improve at 1B/DH. Alvarez should be up in the next few weeks to give them time to evaluate him before the trade deadline. They can make another move if he stumbles.Luhnow and Hinch are on record that 13 pitchers is what they prefer and want.
If he decides to go with 13 pitchers then Alvarez's chance of a call up will likely depend solely on an injury to a starter. Also Alvarez's opportunities are going to be balanced against the need for a guy like Straw instead. In short, in Luhnow we trust.I’m beginning to think more and more that Alvarez, barring injury, doesn’t debut until September or 2020. If they go to 13 pitchers, hard to see where he fits in and gets adequate playing time. I’d rather have him playing in AAA than call him up to get one or two starts and 6-8 at bats in a week.
Glad we won the first two before Sale.Agree. After a really rough start to the season Sale looks like he is back on track. Today will be a good test.
If the umpire judges it unintentional, it's a live ball. If he intentionally throws the bat and it hits a fair ball, batter is out, ball is dead and no runner advance.Thanks HH!
Peter Gammons tweeted that one scout dropped a David Ortiz comp on himDamn!
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I would love to know what the plan is to complete this roster.Me too Jim.
I wonder what it would take to get Stroman, more that Madbum of course but you'd get him for this season and next.From what I heard on the radio regarding Toronto, they need outfield help. So a pitcher plus outfielder(s) would be going that way.
Would Fisher and Bukauskas be enough, too much?
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Jake is putting together a very nice year so far. He's really improved from last year.The biggest and best change he has made is the drastic reduction in his strikeouts. Put the ball in play and you have a chance to make things happen.
Let me try this. The Astros value versatility. People who watch him every day say he is a good LFer. He also can play 1B. It does not take much to play 1B. Catch the ball. Alvarez is a pure hitter. Hope he is Houston soon.You’re right Jim. And this quite possibly the reason a certain player with the last name of Cruz wasn’t signed to play here. Versatility is more valued by this organization than perhaps any other.
I think that's a mis-read on what the Astros are doing. They are trying to maximize any versatility he might have. With the big club they want him to be able to play LF, 1B, and DH not just 1B and DH. The more he can do defensively the more Hinch can mix and match the lineup.Yeah, I see your point and agree.
How does Alvarez look at 1B?I find it interesting that the write up I read on Alvarez said practically all scouts see him as a first baseman except the Astros, who seem intent on make him an outfielder. I’m glad they are still playing him some at first base because to me that seems like his quickest path to the show. And I’ve given up hope on AJ Reed. If you jettison White you could call him up tonight and he could get all of Tyler’s playing time. That would be enough AB’s to see what he really looks like. The AB’s in the outfield are going to be tougher to come by with Jake and Kemp there.
Luhnow has some tough decisions coming up. Alvarez now has 15 home runs and 47 RBIs in 33 games with a .402 BA and .490 OBP. Who does he move to bring him up? It looks like it has to be White. What is he going to do with Devinski? Does he have options left? Not much pitching help in Round Rock.Yes, he has tough decisions to make and they will have to be made pretty soon. When Altuve is ready to come back he will have to make his first move. If they want to stay with 13 pitchers then White or Kemp has to go to make room. The alternative would be to postpone that decision and send Devo or Valdez down to make room for Altuve. I suspect that is what will happen. Either Devo or Valdez will go to AAA.
Are you listening? His no trade list does not mean he’ll veto it. He is setting up a payday for his waiver. I agree keeping some contenders off is strange.Jim, I know how no trade lists work and that he can change his mind any time. I just thought the Braves being on there was curious. I realize now why they are on there. Thanks for your input though.
Martin looked like a big leaguer in the spring. Meanwhile Whitley continues to struggle.Yeah, it was pretty clear that of the “big 3” pitchers Martin looks the most ready at this point. Excited to see him!!
Will Kemp see any time at second?I guess anything is possible but I would think not. At this point I’m sure Diaz is the better more reliable option.
Man, Chirinos has been great. Eat your heart out, Machete.+1
Altuve has been here before but it’s easy to forget once he hits a hot spell. He’ll come around.Has he been HERE before??I know he’s been in slumps but he’s putting up numbers right now that he didn’t even put up in his rookie season.
The genius of Luhnow on display. Miley reasonably replicates Keuchel's effectiveness for a small fraction of the cost and the drama.^^^^ This all day long.....
Miley takes a rocket off his shoulder. Wow, just missed his face. He's OK.Yeah, that was to close to the head for comfort. He got right back up and started back dealing. He’s been about as solid as you could be tonight.
Score it 1-6-3 if you're so inclined.
Tucker drove in 6 yesterday but still is at .191.That is good to hear about Tucker. Hopefully he continues to turn around. Speaking of Alverez, he is starting to get some love from the national media as Casey Stern is talking about him and his performance on the radio today.
Alvarez .402
Fisher DNP yesterday, maybe to allow travel to join the big club. I’d rather see Straw.I’m with you. I’d much rather see Straw and I think his performance when he was up last year was good enough to get the call. They are working him as an infielder lately however so they may not want to interrupt that program.
My argument would be, "What's the rush?"While I can’t wait to see Alavarez I tend to agree with this. When he’s called up, I want him in the lineup almost daily. If he’s only going to get occasional at bat’s, leave him in RR for now.
White, Kemp, Diaz & Guerriel have all struggled to this point in the season, but a month is all we have played. No reason to think any of them can't turn it around.
I realize Kemp & Diaz are more valuable because of their ability to play multiple positions but White posted a line of: .276/.354/.533 in 66 games (210 ABs) last season. It is only one game, but we are leading the division, and done so even though it has been against a fairly tough schedule (as others have posted). So I'm thinking there is no reason to change anything, yet. Let Alvarez get more PT in the OF and let White get a few more ABs to turn things around. If he's still shitting the bed in 3 or 4 weeks then I'll agree with you.
One of the things I love about the Astros organization is they tend to play the long game with players. Sometimes you'll get burned doing this but overall I think it pays dividends as players know they will be backed (to a certain point) and are given fair shots to succeed or fail.
Jake makes it 5-0! Where the heck is Kemp? I have not seen him in dugoutGood question about Tony. Haven’t seen him either. Hopefully we’re just overlooking him. Could be under the weather??
Just a word of advise, turn on safe surf feature before doing a web search on Red Ass.[emoji1787]
Something tells me we are about to vaunt now that Cy Young has been lifted.Or not.....
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Whitley gave up something like 4 runs in 3 innings tonightHaven’t seen him in person but he sure seems to be struggling looking at the stats.
Tucker and Bukauskas gets everybody's attention.I send them to Toronto tonight for Stroman who has two years of control left. Not sure the Blue Jays would bite though without another piece in the deal.
I worked with Capps last night, and Armenteros pitched, He was reasonably effective, and struck put 7 in 4.1 IP, but I was surprised (maybe I just do not know enough) by his lack of velocity. His FB sat at 90-91, and he threw a lot of 81-83 changeups and sliders. The change up was his most effective pitch. Bus Riders, did he once throw harder than this?I think that is basically the book on him. I’m anxious for him to get his shot up here. He has had back to back great spring trainings and he had a great year last year in a hitters league. In my opinion, he has earned his shot up here and I hope he gets it soon. His stuff isn’t overpowering but it sure looks like the dude knows how to use what he has to pitch effectively. For all the talk about the big three (Whitley, Martin and JBB), Armenteros is overlooked and could surprise.
I think it's time James to make the trip to Round Rock. Maybe stretch him back out forbstarting insurance?Jedi Luhnow is a master at being patient but I can feel in my bones that some moves, even if minor, are coming...
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Outside of Osuna and Pressly and kind of(dare I say it) Harris, this bullpen is pretty suspectThat is a pretty good evaluation to this point.
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Giants are looking for an OF.Just posted about this in the Alvarez thread. Much talk on radio today about how Giants are really working the phones for an outfielder. Made me wonder if the had call Luhnow. I love Kemp but he probably has the most trade value. And for all the talk about Alvarez, I think Straw is ready too.
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Chirinos needs to unhook that bass boat he’s dragging around, but he read that ball really well. Good base running.Unlike Bregman, who with two outs in the first jogged from first to second watching Brantley’s ball toward the left field wall. He didn’t put it in gear until he was rounding second. With two outs, he should have been busting it from the crack of the bat and he probably scores. Hopefully that potential run won’t hurt us.
He ought to be actively trying to lose White.I’m sure he probably is and hopefully Tyler starting to look a little better at the plate is helping things. While I’d much rather trade White than Kemp, Tony probably has much more trade value because I’m sure he has a higher up side. Much talk on radio today about how the Giants are working the phones looking for outfield help. Makes me wonder if they’ve called Luhnow.
Fuck Dallas KeuchelThis^^^
Sure. 20+ clubs are lining up to deal top prospects or high quality LHPs for him. Just choose the best one.I couldn’t care less if it was for a dozen balls.....and I’d take practice balls.
The Twins successfully attacked Peacock's first pitch, get over, fastballs and murdered him.I know. I love the Twins philosophy of attacking at the plate.
The Astros are down 0-2 without taking the bats off their shoulders in 75 percent of their at bats at least tonight.
It's fucking infuriating.
White is out of options, correct?Yes, but that shouldn’t matter. Trade him please.
The Twins lineup is pretty good.Yes, it is and just think how good they will be if Sano is able to return even close to form in a few weeks.
And don't forget that run that scored on the popup was the leadoff hitter in the inning, who got on base by Framber fucking walking him.Walks were his issue last year and it seems to me that it still is.
Framber then walked the next batter for good measure.
Don't want run scoring popups to happen? Don't fucking walk the first 2 batters in the inning.
Pretty telling he did not PH White for Chirinos.Yes it was and reveals a real weakness that I hope they try to address.
I’m with you there. I think that if they do decide to designate him it’ll be Straw who gets the call.If it happens, wouldn’t be a bad call either. Haven’t checked in about 3-4 days but last time looked Straw was hitting over .400 there.
Fair enough. I would not have had White on he roster to begin with. I don’t think he’s consistently a big league player.This right here....
Fuck “the clock”. This isn’t a team in rebuild mode. If a player can help he needs to be here. Period.Tru dat
I don't need Alvarez. Just no more Tyler White. Use Kemp and whatever righty you want to give a day off in a rotation.I can live with that.
I am officially sick and fucking tired of Tyler White.Me too. I know a lot of people on here would like to see Alvarez get a shot. I would too. But if they plan on going to 13 pitchers here in a few weeks do you call him up and start the clock on him just to send him back down?
Thank Christ Ray-O-Sunshine made it to the Gamezone tonight.[emoji16]
The bloom is coming off the Tucker rose according to some.And they may have waited too late to move him for an impact piece. Tough to know when to pull the trigger sometimes. Hopefully Tucker gets it figured out.
My gut tells me that Kemp is not going anywhere. I also don't see them going to 13 until some starters start to struggle or games pile up.I certainly hope Kemp doesn’t go anywhere either. He’s a scrappy ball player who can handle the bat. He’s too valuable to part with in my opinion. I personally could do without Tyler White on the roster effective today. Would rather have that 13th pitcher or Alvarez called up. From the sounds of things, 13 pitchers is going to happen and probably some time in May if not sooner. The clock is ticking on that and what ever move they will have to make.
You could be right but it almost has to be a pitcher since with Framber gone they are down to 11 if I’m counting right. Wasn’t AJ just quoted about a week or so ago as saying he’ll be glad when we can get back to 13 pitchers?? I don’t see any way they don’t add a pitcher back to the staff with Valdez gone, especially with the Mariners hitting like they have.I will follow up my thought above with this one. If they are really going to go back to 13 pitchers, and I think they will, then that pretty much means either Tony Kemp or Tyler White has to go. I find it interesting that Valdez is optioned back to AAA and no immediate move has been announced from RR on who’s coming up. It could be they haven’t decided yet, or it could be it just hasn’t been announced. But it could also mean that a potential move for an innings eating relief pitcher could be in the works that would involve either Kemp or White being traded to make room for the 13th pitcher in the coming two or three weeks.
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May not be a pitcher since peacock will be in the pen for the next few series. Packing extra offense for the road trip wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially with Bregman’s Hammy a question mark.You could be right but it almost has to be a pitcher since with Framber gone they are down to 11 if I’m counting right. Wasn’t AJ just quoted about a week or so ago as saying he’ll be glad when we can get back to 13 pitchers?? I don’t see any way they don’t add a pitcher back to the staff with Valdez gone, especially with the Mariners hitting like they have.
Well, there’s a pitcher headed to RR, but it’s Framber. No corresponding move announced yet.I’m guessing it will be Guduan. Lefty for a lefty with Perez staying down to get stretched out. Luhnow has been quoted as saying he thinks of Perez as a starter. We’ll see though.
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Agreed. I should not have attacked the man’s character for simply being unable to do his job. I was just pissed at the situation. But he does need to be sent down to work on said job. Bring the lefty Perez to replace him. Too bad there isn’t room for Tanielu, who hit that walk off slam for Express last night.Perez’s stat line at RR is not good in his one appearance so far. Guduan’s is a little better. Only one or two appearances so far though.
And exhale. Game should have never been that close. Thank got for PresslyPressly was nails!
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Tyler White just struck out looking playing tee-ball.When they finally go back to 13 pitchers I’m hoping White is the one who is traded. Kemp is way more consistent and a better all around player.
I'll be interested in AJ's postgame comments.I’d be interested to know the final count of called strikes tonight that are COMPLETELY outside of the strike box.
Correa in today's lineup at SS and batting 4th.Yep, but Brantley isn’t. Don’t like that. Would like to see all the big guns in the order together at one time today in an effort to gain the split.
Fizzle.That was a REALLY bad at bat by White with a runner in scoring position.
White got worked over and rung up on a check swing, Kemp grounded sharply into a FC.
Marwin is off to a good start.Big game winning hit by him yesterday after a rough spring training. I wish him the best. I really like that Twins team.
Cole is also 2 full years younger than DegromAnd that is the main reason why most baseball talking heads on radio and tv think it will take a minimum of 6 years to sign Cole.
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FWIW, Kluber's career ERA in August is 2.78 -- his second-best month. Sept/Oct is his second-worst month -- but still only 3.32.And that sir isn’t too damn bad. Like I said, I’d be stoked if we got him.
I REALLY like Cole. I REALLY don’t like a 6 year deal. If he has another great year this year, he may get it but I’m not sure I’d want the Astros to be the takers. Problem is, I’m not sure he takes an extension that does not push the time out. Here’s to hoping the Astros brass work their magic...Cole is 28 years old so a 6 year deal takes him to age 34. I don’t think that is necessarily unreasonable. The top pitchers in the sport will get paid until that age or longer. The question is whether the Astros think Cole is one of the top pitchers who is worth that. I personally think he is but I don’t count.
DeGrom agreed to a 5 year, $137.5mm extension. Although the situations are somewhat different, Cole will be interested in that data point.The report I saw said the “new” money he was getting was 4 @ $120.5M which is an AAV of just over $30M for the “new” money. That is interesting because Sunday on the front office show, both Bowden and Duquette were speculating that it would take 6 @ $185 to sign Cole. That would be an AAV of just over $30M.
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We need another frontline pitcher so Peacock or Miley can be in the pen. My fantasy is Tucker and others for Kluber at the end of ST.I would do back flips if we got him but I do worry about the mileage on his arm. He looks like he tires in August and September every year. Still, I’d be stoked!
I suspect it’s more about being able to go multiple innings.I’ve been thinking the same thing. They could put him in the long relief roll instead of James to keep him stretched out. Then again if they want to keep him stretched out they could’ve sent him to AAA to pitch in the starting rotation and then call him up if they need him. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the plan is.
Framber beats out Guduan for the last spot in the ‘pen.A little surprising to me. Not because Valdez doesn’t necessarily deserve it, just because Guduan has looked so dominant.
You ain’t Crane Luhnow.While agree with you Jim, Crane/Luhnow can do anything they want, I think signing Cole is far fetched IF they intend to keep Springer and Correa. Cole’s deal will be 5-7 years most likely and will be mid $20M’s. Even with Verlander off the books in 3 years, if they sign all of the core 4 and Cole, that will be 5 players making $100-120M. I can’t see a scenario where that works. Now if they have decided that are only keeping one of Springer and Correa, it is a little more palatable.
Okay, just realized, the Astros were in a shift and Toro was playing near the shortstop area. So he's not being used as a shortstop but he did make a shortstop type of play. Carry on.His write up says he has played some catcher and second base but don’t expect to see that again.
I do not know what to think about Tucker. He had a poor spring, and, reading between the lines, seems to me Hinch does not like his swing. Like Todd, I think I like Alvarez more, and Toro (a switchhitter!) really is coming on.Jim, you are knowledgeable. What do you think about his swing? I know that to me, traditionally, lefties have beautiful swings. Tucker’s is borderline ugly to me and it looks uncomfortable to the eye. It almost looks like he’s being restrained or held back when he swings. Now that really doesn’t matter if the dude hits and that’s all he has done coming up, but it is hard to ignore all of the “baseball people” who have said his swing is a problem.
Just to be sure we're all on the same page...Well, it doesn’t look like Reed will pan out and I don’t think that defensively Tyler White is an every day first baseman. Just trying to figure out where Alvarez eventually fits in and makes it on the field. Barring trades, with Tucker, Kemp, Fisher and Straw, it looks like first base would be his future as the outfield is already crowded. Don’t ask me why, but I feel like at some point in the future Tyler White is moved and I eventually see Gurriel as a full time DH.
1B is where he played in Cuba. He's played about 75% of the time in LF and the rest at 1B since joining the Astros (not counting time at DH which is considerable but not surprising given the other folks vying for playing time at LF/1B).
Projecting forward, most of the reports I've read (and based on my own limited looks at the guy this spring) says he ends up at either 1B or DH. The Astros hope given enough time and repetition he'll be able to play LF. I have my doubts but let's hope that works out.
I stand corrected.And Toro and Alvarez continue to rake.....
Not sure I've ever seen this before: Astros have now batted around without making an out. Seven runs in and Kemp just got his second hit of the inning. 8 runs in, two aboard.
1B or DH.Ok. I thought at one time I remembered 1B being his natural position. Perhaps next season Gurriel transitions to DH and Alvarez takes over at 1B??
If he's ever able to play a passable LF that would be a huge bonus.
Alvarez looks like a beast at the plate. Reminds me of a young David Ortiz. His leftfielding is graceless but not the shit show I've heard it made out to be. Berkmanesque--though I'm sure he'll never play center...Hasn’t Alvarez played some first base? If so, has it been decided that isn’t the place for him?
@HunterAtkins35: A.J. Hinch was ejected one pitch into tonight's game. Unclear why (no TV feed in here). He barked in the face of the HP umpire, spent minutes arguing, had to be restrained by a coach and George Springer, got tossed, then slowly walked to the left field exit to make a spectacleFrom the write up on MLB, it sounds like when Hinch got done with Hernandez, he chewed on the others as well. It will be interesting to see what caused such a visceral reaction one pitch into the ball game.
(yes, it was Angel Hernandez)
I’m in the half who are not worried. But I reserve the right curl up in the fetal position and cry come May.Waldo did the legwork and history says this is normal for McHugh so I’ve backed away from the edge a little bit.
I just made the mistake of reading the comments on the MLB Trade Rumors announcement of the agreed-to rule changes. (Why did I do that? Never do that. They add nothing to your life.) There were no nuanced defenses of the three-batter policy; I've yet to see any nuanced defenses of it anywhere. People just say: I don't like pitching changes. But it seems to me that if you want to take away a tool baseball managers have had since the beginning you should probably have a steeper hill to climb than just saying: Well, I don't like pitching changes. Especially when there are undoubtedly less intrusive ways to finesse the issue. You should have to do better if you want to take decisions out of managers' hands.Casey Stern said it best today in my opinion. If you assume for a second (and it is an assumption) that this rules saves 5 minutes per game overall, does saving that five minutes convince any of the fringe watchers of the sport to watch more baseball? The answer is 100% no it doesn’t. So why implement a rule that so drastically plays with the way the sport is played?
I find this weird rush to suddenly fuck with the game extremely depressing.
Then I’ll be mad Pressly didn’t make his pitch, not that Osuna couldn’t come in.Perhaps, but not really the point. The point is, the manager should be able to make a pitching change based on a matchup. Not prevented from doing so based on this rule.
All of that sounds like a lot of fun to me.Well, it won’t be fun if it happens to us and Osuna is the one ready to go standing in the bullpen watching.
3 batters or the end of a half inning is the way the rule is writtenIf there is a runner on base with nobody out in the eighth and the Yankees bring in Betances to pitch, and he gets the first two outs and then the Red Sox send up Deavors to pinch hit and he hits a homerun while Chapman is standing there ready to go watching from the bullpen mound, Yankee fans will burn the fucking stadium down. And they should.
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Don’t like the three-batter minimum for relievers, but otherwise, most of the changes seem sensible.I am fucking pissed about this three batter minimum rule. We seriously need to start some type of organized protest to get this changed.
Today's game: McHugh battered (and batted around on), Bregman/Correa/Tanielu continue to rake and Alvarez sucks in LF.I know half the people on this board will say don’t worry that it is just spring training. Well I’m sorry, if you are not concerned about McHugh at this point you need to be. It looks like he needs to be back in the bullpen and Peacock in the rotation.
Glad to see Cionel get into the game today. I thought he might have gotten a longer look as a lefty option if things don’t start well for someone. Any idea why his spring debut was delayed?I read where he was behind on his off-season throwing program. The article didn’t clarify as to the reason. Not sure if injury or oversight on his part.
Martes gets 80 games for PEDs...Yeah, just saw the report. What a freaking joke.
I do blame Bregman. His ego is and will be a continuing potential problem. Second highest to Correa is good. Wait your fucking turn, and STFU.Well said Jim!
Here's a summary of experiments they'll be running in the Atlantic League:Number 1. I don’t have an issue with
1. Computers will call balls/strikes
2. Pitching rubber extended to 62 feet 6 inches from home plate
3. The distance between bases will be shortened by 3 inches (by increasing the size of the bases)
4. Infield defensive shifts restricted by requiring two fielders on either side of second
5. Infielders also will be prohibited from setting up on the outfield grass
6. Each pitcher must face at least three batters or complete the half-inning, unless injured.
7. Between inning breaks will be cut from 2 minutes, 5 seconds to 1:45.
8. Mound visits are banned, except for pitching changes or medical issues.
Plate umpires will wear earpieces and be informed of ball/strike calls by a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar. Umps will have the ability to override the computer, which considers a pitch a strike when the ball bounces and then crosses the zone. TrackMan also does not evaluate check swings.
Agreed, I'd rather get the draft pick compensation and save the money for a deadline deal. In addition, if the Astros are going to spend money on a starter, I'd rather that money go to resigning Cole and/or Verlander.I agree Todd. I like the idea of Peacock in the bullpen.
All that being said, I'd sign Gio right now. I like Peacock in the rotation, but I'm concerned that taking both Peacock and McHugh out of the bullpen is going to hurt the bullpen too much.
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 1m agoI’m not real sure how to feel about this development. While I’m not sad at all to potentially see him sign with another team, I’ll admit that we might could use him right now. The problem is, I don’t think he’s worth anything more than the QO and honestly, I’m not sure he’s worth that. Add to that the fact that he’s reporting late, which history says is a perfect recipe for a disaster. Do we really want to go down this road??? If we do, we seriously limit our trade deadline flexibility.
Astros have had recent dialogue with Dallas Keuchel about a possible deal, but as of last night, not close to a deal.
Yeah, I know... I get the sneaky suspicion that the Astros will be shown to have been prudent, prescient, smart and fiscally correct about CFM before his two years are up. My disappointment is a reflection of his past performance and how much I like watching him throw his nasty filth. It was the right move but I just don’t like it for non-logical reasons.I know what you mean. Over the last two years, I don’t know that I’ve felt prouder for any other Astros player than I have for CFM. Dude had been through a lot in his career and came out the other side on top in game 7 of the WS. He’s a champ on and off the field.
The Morton (un)signing is my most disappointing Astros experience in the last 4 or 5 years. With each starting pitcher tweak and strain this spring training, it's all the more disappointing...I miss Charlie and I wish we had him back right now. Having said that, I think the Astros are smart. I think there’s enough in his medicals that they thought the risk was just too great. At least that is the only way I can make sense of the decision to let him go. The proof will be in the pudding and time will tell. If he’s on the DL have the year it’ll prove to have been a good move by the Astros. If he wins 15 games then……
Better today with 1 1/3 scoreless and allowing just 1 hit.Yes it was. Nice rebound by Devo. Also, another good game from Derek Fisher which is encouraging.
I wonder how far apart they and DK are. I don't know about all you guys, but I am worried about the starting rotation after Verlander and Cole.I would think they are VERY far apart. If you are Dallas, if you take any number below the qualifying offer you are admitting failure. If you are Houston, anything close to the qualifying offer puts you so close to the tax threshold that your options come trade deadline time are slim and none if wanting to acquire an impact player. Now Crane could change his mind and tell Luhnow that he can go over the threshold for one year. That tax for one year wouldn’t be bad, but all I’ve heard is that they won’t go over. I would think that LA, Atlanta and Philly would offer more money than Houston in any short or long term deal.
Oops, yes, correct. Jake is with the Phillies. If the Phillies do land Dallas, then they can go head to head with the Nationals. The Nats, however, go four deep in quality starters. Some may discount Sanchez as not as quality, but I see him as a Charlie Morton type of #4. The Phillies would go three deep with Dallas Keuchel. The Mets go two deep with deGrom and Syndergaard. The Braves, arguably one deep with Folty.Other than perhaps the Twins or the Dodgers, the Braves really need Keuchel. Don’t be surprised if he ends up there.
So yes, the Phillies need at least one more quality starter or spend for one at the trading deadline if the Nationals are within reach or if they want to keep the Nationals at bay if they're ahead of them.
I think a lot of the reaction will be "lol they'll be paying a 39-year-old Harper $25 million," but the length of the contract benefits the Phillies by keeping their annual budget (and, importantly, their luxury tax figure) lower. And like Noe says, the lack of opt-outs also favors the team.Reports also say the contract is frontloaded. I have not seen how frontloaded it is, but if true then that means they potentially won’t be paying him near as much on the backend after age 35. This seems like a smart deal by the Phillies. If they heavily front loaded in the first two years, it could help clear some room to also sign Trout.
So Harper gets his record guarantee, but in a generally team-friendly way.
ETA: reports also saying Harper gets a full no-trade clause. Not surprising I suppose, but makes the deal a little less team-friendly.
This is worth watching.Yep. I know all the cliches about spring training and players trying new things etc, but coming off a bad year and injury issues, dude needs some solid outings.
Peacock. He might have won it anyway.Yeah, it’ll be Brad. He will probably have to pitch his way out of the spot rather than the others pitching their way into it. Having said that, I hope it is the 2017 dominant version of Brad Peacock and not what we saw last year. Not that he was bad, he just didn’t look as sharp as the year before. Admittedly, that was a career year so it will be hard to repeat, but we can hope.
Swing changes, ad nauseum...Admittedly, it is just the first spring game, but it “looked” like the same old Fisher tonight.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/spring-training-notes-hinch-seeks-to-make-whitley-bukauskas-uncomfortable/
Anyone have a clue if he will platoon or have an assigned position?Most of what I’ve heard/read so far is that he will have the same daily utility role he had with Houston.
Wow. Nice deal for Minnesota. I'm surprised he didn't find better but maybe (like others) he overplayed his hand early and by the time he was willing to get real about a deal, possible suitors early moved to plan B and were no longer viable destinations. Side note: Just think how cheap the deal might have been had draft compensation been attached to him.I really like what the Twins are doing. If Pineda is able to come back and give them decent innings out of the rotation, I think they can battle Cleveland right to the wire.
Another vote for Cedeno.He gets my vote as well.
Yup. One underated CF for the Houston Astros was Terry Puhl, who eventually moved to RF because of his very strong arm. Puhl was not flashy nor took chances in the vast expanse of the Astrodome, like say Cedeno did. Instead Puhl played an exceptionally good CF and Right by being consistent and always being correct where he threw the ball. One manager said of Puhl "That guy never makes a mistake!" and he meant in his timing off the bat, his ability to cut off a ball before it went to the gap, his ability to judge what base he should throw to and the ability to hit a cut-off man.As you can tell from my moniker, Puhl was then, and is now, my all time favorite Astro. I too did my best to emulate him when I played, even down to the number 21. He wasn’t flashy, and he did everything well. I just liked the way he carried himself with a quiet confidence. He was the very definition of a solid baseball player.
While Cedeno was the best CF I saw play in the Dome (and really for the Astros over all), Puhl was my favorite player and one that I copied in terms of style and ability when I played CF in high school.
I am staring to think winning these hearings is less important to Luhnow than following his plan. Part of the plan is determining what the players are worth budgetwise and offering only that amount. The club will consider a reasonable compromise to a number within the plan and go to a hearing if the player is not interested in the compromise number. The club puts on its best case in a businesslike professional manner without getting personal or denigrating the player’s efforts or contributions to the organization, and if the arbitrator rules for the player, so be it. Luhnow stuck to the plan without emotion or rancor, and the club did not piss off the player. Going to a hearing is merely a business decision based on an impersonal evaluation of monetary value, and win or lose, the decision is not a personal attack on the player or his accomplishments and contributions to the team and its season.I think you are right Jim, but I also get the feeling that the way Luhnow and Astros appear to handle this process, may be the exception. If that is true, hats off to them (if it benefits in the long run), even though it may cost the team a few more dollars due to losses for being less aggressive in the hearings. The ex GM’s and players I hear talk about this process, all say it is VERY unpleasant and should be avoided. Correa may be the first player I’ve ever heard make those kinds of comments about an arb hearing.
All of this stuff exists only in my head, of course, but I starting thinking this might be Luhnow’s approach when Correa complimented management on its professionalism after his hearing.
Isn't it true that a pitcher already is only allowed 35 seconds to pitch, and that beyond that it can be automatically declared a ball? I understand that this is one of those blue laws that is never enforced, but the idea is sound and there's a basis for a pitch clock. All the other ideas strike me as insane.Knox, I’m not sure about 35 seconds, but I have heard that yes, there is a current time limit on the books that umpires never enforce.
I wonder if Luhnow is still laughing?I don’t know if it is the players, Boras or a little of both, but I find it kind of laughable that either thinks they are getting that kind of contract.
Manfred says they'll wait until the next CBA to decide on bringing the DH to the NL. So 2022 at the earliest.Yeah, I just read that.....and it is fucking disappointing. Let’s just continue to taint our game by having leagues play by different rules. Use the DH or don’t, but do it in both leagues.
If you want the game to continue to decline in popularity, change nothing. If you want the game to morph into something unrecognizable, change a whole bunch of stuff. There has to be some middle ground.Agree Lefty. I think most of us on here are fine with the game like it is, but those like us are declining in number. For the overall health of the game going forward, some things are inevitably going to have to be tweaked. Like it or not.
I just don't see the problem with a pitch clock at all, with some leeway in certain situations (ball fouled off foot, batter brushed back, etc...), not like the NBA shot clock at all, where if the red light goes off it's immediately a ball, but I've been to several RR games and I actually didn't notice it at all...the batters stayed at the box, the pitchers stayed near the rubber, then they got back after it.
Just leave the fucking game alone. Let the players play.Except for the DH, I agree with this. But both leagues need to play by the same rules please.
They're "fixing" things that won't bring in new fans.I heard someone say yesterday that they need to find a way to bring back the steroid era without the steroids. Probably right, but how to do it??
I understand throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks, but Manfred's approach seems to be to drop napalm on the walls and see if anybody tunes in.
Sixto Sanchez and Jorge Alfaro leading the deal, which would be more than, say, Whitley and Stasi.They were speculating on Power Ally a moment ago that if those were indeed the players Philly was giving up, someone else besides JTR better be going north. I guess they felt like this would be an overpay for just JTR.
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Twitter says Realmuto is headed to Philly.You know, if I’m the Phillies, if I can pull off this trade and extend him, I might turn around and sign Keuchel and Kimbrell rather than Harper or Machado and call it a day.
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I have no problem with any of those proposals except expanding rosters to 26, and even that is a minor thing.I wouldn’t ban them entirely, but I could live with allowing them only when.....
I would also just ban mound visits entirely.
Call it the Nelson Cruz clause. Keeps players in the game longer on both the pitcher and batter behalf.I know I’m probably in the minority, but I’ve grown to love the DH. I never want to see another pitcher hit.
Pujols is not a good comp. Look how Maddux, Glavine, Clemens, pitched in to their 40s. Ryan, Seaver, Perry, Niekro, etc. I think Verlander has eyes on 300.Yeah, Pujols probably not a good comp. JV is superhuman so as I said, he may be the exception to the rule. It will be interesting given today’s analytics and contract climate to see what he is offered.
Unless it was crazy stupid money, why would JV take that and not look around for 5?All you have to do is look around at the contracts players are signing these days to realize that JV probably isn’t getting 5 years. Not at age 37 and not with the mileage on that arm. If he gets five years I’ll gladly eat crow. I would be a little surprised if he gets a 3 year deal. I could see 1 or 2 but not anything that takes him past age 40. See Pujols. It might be a little different if we were taking small dollars, but we won’t be talking about that with JV unless something drastically bad happens this year. If he puts together a similar year as last season, he will probably ask for 25-30 AAV. The analytics teams go by today will frown on that kind of money at his age for anything more than a year, perhaps two years, at a time. That is a huge risk financially at his age, regardless of how great he is.
I wonder if the Brain Trust still is looking for a bat? I’ll bet there is an offer to Harper on the table. Like all of you, I hope an extension for JV is next up. Then Cole. Having those guys around cannot hurt in keeping the Core Four.I think Harper would mash in our lineup behind Springer and Altuve and in front of Bergman and Correa. I really wish Crane would bite the bullet and do this. Yes, you bust the tax threshold but the merchandise sales alone with Harper might pay for the tax. I would offer a one to two year deal at a number he couldn’t turn down, say $38-40 per or a four year deal at $160 with opt out after 2 or 3.
Club has taken him to arbitration 2 out of last 3 seasons and if memory serves, lost each time. Can’t be a positive for him returning.If he puts together a good year he will be in for a nice raise. Will be extremely difficult to sign he, Verlander and Cole.
No McCullers? And I'm hoping that McHugh will still be in the mix by that point.Damn! I forgot about LMJ!!!! I guess out of sight out of mind holds true for me. We are in even better shape than I thought.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arm?Well played sir!!
I hope this is not a reasonable assumption. If Justin Verlander pitches anything like last season and can only get a 1 year deal I'll consider striking with the players.While I kind of share your opinion, I’m just going by what I’ve heard Bowden and Duqette say regarding Cole and Verlander. Each agrees that the Astros will consider signing both. Each also agrees that once arbs are done and spring training gets underway, conversations will probably start with Cole. In their opinions as former GM’s, they would each have a talk with Verlander to let him know they are interested, but that because of his age and mileage on his arm they want to wait until after the season to negotiate. While he is a stud, they both think a deal longer than 3 years at his age is unlikely. He will be almost 37 at the start of the 2020 season. They felt 1-2 years with a high AAV at a place he could win another title was likely and hopefully that is Houston, but not 3 or more years. I can understand that. I’d be real uneasy with a 40 year old pitcher at 30 million plus on my roster, even if it is JV. I haven’t researched it, but among active pitchers, he has to have thrown more pitches than almost anyone in the show.
I like Armenteros but I think his shot is either later in the year or (more likely) 2020. Provided of course he doesn't get packaged in a deal before then.Thanks Nate for your input.
Someone needs to replace Smith's role in the bullpen too. Not necessarily Miley, but the added depth to both rotation and bullpen might push someone else to step up into that role.Question for the masses but particularly Nate. Does Armenteros, provided he pitches well in spring training, have a realistic shot at making the big club? His stats are impressive and I thought he looked great in spring last year.
His contract (see Nate’s post in the payroll thread) is interesting in that the incentives are for games started and for relief appearances. Miley clearly thinks there’s a chance he’ll be in bullpen for a good chunk of the season. Sounds like the club wouldn’t guarantee him a rotation spot, which could mean they’re still considering adding another starter. And there’s still plenty of payroll space available.I think where he ends up depends in part on how he, James, Valdez, Whitley and others perform in spring training.
Does anyone else think that Miley is just a cheaper version of Keuchel?If Miley performs like he did last year, or even if he is slightly worse, the answer is absolutely yes. Economically, based on where they will pitch in the rotation, it was a great move by Luhnow. Wade had a better ERA, WHIP and hits allowed per 9 number than Dallas and the ERA was significantly better. Admittedly, Keuchel has much better career numbers, but when you look at their most recent performance last season, Miley seemed to have a better year. The sample size on Miley was smaller in comparison. He only pitched 80 innings to Keuchel’s 200, but that was across 16 starts so it’s big enough for me to be comfortable with his numbers.
Fantastic!I love this as well. Solid addition to the rotation for relatively cheap. I think rotation is now set with revolving door of Valdez, James and Whitley in the 5 slot to limit their innings.
Love him in the past.Good points Sambito. I think I would offer him the 1 year deal at the QO price again. He will be motivated to pitch well (he was last year too though).
Love him in the present.
The future of DK is where we I am not sure - $72 million is a lot of money for your third starter (imo) who has a greater liklihood of bottom out than turning into a JV.
But wtf do I know?
Before all of the crazy season, if you would have told me we still have our core (minus McCullers/Morton) and added MBrant, I would have been happy.
Boras is going to push for a player opt-out because if Dallas proves he's better than perhaps his 2018 numbers say (and they weren't bad numbers, they just weren't up there where he was better than the entire field). For the Astros, getting at least two more good to great years from Dallas is good for the team because Colin McHugh, imo, is a very good option to replace Morton (much as I loved Morton's game). If both Dallas and McHugh give the Astros innings out of the #3 and #4, that saves the pen for the playoff push.Good take Noe, and I think I agree with you.
Just thinking about the great pen the Yankees assembled. one wonders if the starters will give them enough innings to keep that pen strong. In Houston's case, you're going to need inning eaters behind JV and Cole, because counting on kids like Valdez and James to give you innings isn't really very smart. That means a lot of work for the bullpen.
Ha. @terrypuhl21, pinch poke you owe me a coke. Or jinx. Depending on where you grew up.[emoji23]
Heyman reporting Astros/Keuchel reunion could be possible the longer Keuchel stays on market. He says the Astros still have interest in signing Dallas. Contract could be “creative.”So, follow up to this post. They were just talking on MLB Radio about the possibility of Houston resigning Keuchel. Based on the previous contract offer from Houston, Dallas has to get $68 million guaranteed in his new deal, to avoid losing money when he turned down the Astros $90 million dollar offer. Because of this, Duquette felt that 4 @ 68 would be the bottom end of what Keuchel would accept, which is an AAV of $17. They felt like someone, probably the Phillies, would be willing to go 4 @ 75-78 which is 18.75 to 19.5 AAV. That still is certainly less than the 20-plus AAV he was/is seeking.
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The freshest Rose story out there is the sexual misconduct one.^^^This.
He ain't getting in. Ever.
Heyman says Reds are “finalizing” a deal for Gray. One more option off the board. Stroman?I’ve said before and I’ll say again, I don’t think we make a move for a top starter now. I think we stick with Verlander, Cole, McHugh and sign one cheap free agent option, that isn’t gonna move the needle amongst most of us, like Pomeranz, Hellickson or Santana, to provide depth and eat innings. Combo of rookies fills out the 5 slot. We can win division like that and then make a move for a pitcher at trade deadline like we did for JV.
If I had to choose, I’d choose Harper.Me too, but only because Correa, at this point in his career, can’t seem to stay healthy.
Well, I'll play.Keep in mind, not advocating this move as I’d rather have Harper. Just playing a game of what if...
Not in favor, here are more reasons (bored as well):
1. (Machado) Right handed piece plus the cost is an imbalance in my way of thinking
2. Peronality of Machado - not really Bagwell, Biggio, Altuve-esque
3. Moving our SS to 1B would be an indicator that we'll probably not pay CC his money (Teddy KGB voice)
4. Would like to see Tucker as an Astro but if we get BH -- now we can trade some pieces in our outfield for other positions.
5. Didn't do too much for the Dodgers when he had his opportunity to show "clutch"...
Okay, pick me off as I am taking a giant leaping lead - TPuhl
I don't think Correa would willingly move to 1B in the next decade, if ever. And Machado is a shIt SS.Keep in mind, I’m not advocating this move, I’m just wondering how things would work if Houston turned out to be said mystery team.
Yankees sign Adam Ottavino (3 yrs/$27MM) to join Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Zach Britton, Chad Green and Jonathan Holder in a bullpen from hell.Jon Heyman says the move of Sonny Gray is imminent.
Yeah, FTY and all that.
Somebody is going to have to explain this to me, because I don't get it:I don’t know why his performance at Oklahoma would have any impact on the rules of the CBA so I won’t even address that part of what Passen wrote in his article. I will say that based on what I’ve heard on MLB Radio, it sounds to me like since he signed his contract a year ago, they can basically go back and renegotiate and give him more money and place him on the 40 man roster. Since at this point it won’t TECHNICALLY be his first contract, I think under the rules of the CBA it is allowed. At least that is the impression I get.
MLB rules prohibit players from signing major league contracts, which place players on the 40-man roster, out of the draft. Teams are not allowed to sign amateur players to minor league deals, then immediately give them major league deals, because the latter would be an inducement to sign and a circumvention of the league's finite draft pools. In Murray's case, because he signed a minor league deal, and because his performance at Oklahoma changed the circumstances of his baseball career, Oakland would be within the rules to give Murray a long-term extension if that's what it takes to keep him in baseball, sources tell ESPN.
WTF does this even mean?
From Passan's article: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/25754391/oakland-athletics-get-ok-mlb-offer-kyler-murray-more-money-stick-baseball
Fuller quotes from Crane:Didn’t Crane come out last year and say that they were trying to get a top pitcher and a few weeks later we had Cole??
Mark Berman @MarkBermanFox26 2h ago
Owner Jim Crane on potential #Astros moves coming up: "Jeff's (Luhnow) still looking for a couple pieces. I know he's looking for another bat possibly and another starting pitcher. He's studying that hard. He's very efficient. I have confidence he'll eventually get something done".
Mark Berman @MarkBermanFox26 1h ago
While Jim Crane says Jeff Luhnow looks to possibly add a bat & a starting pitcher other moves could still be made: "You never know. We might add something to the back of the bullpen. Everything's possible at this point, but I'm sure we'll make 2 or 3 moves before everything's over".
Quote from a BP prospect writer who thinks the Mets gave up too much:[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
“I mean seriously if the Astros start calling you on dudes below full season A you should just hang the fuck up”
From Chandler:Sounds like a pretty good return for Houston considering Davis had no where to play on the big league roster. Moving him for younger players with future potential is a great move and frees up a 40-man roster spot.
The Astros traded J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek to the Mets for minor leaguers Ross Adolph, Luis Santana and Scott Manea.
And:
Luis Santana is a second baseman who was ranked No. 24 in MLBPipeline's Top 30 Mets prospects. Scott Manea is a catcher who was a Single-A All Star last season. Ross Adolph is a 2018 draftee, outfielder, who was his team MVP in short season ball.
Astros and Mets close to a deal involving JD Davis per reports.Latest report says the return is minor leaguers.
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here is a suggestion the Astros look at Gio Gonzalez. https://climbingtalshill.com/2019/01/02/astros-gonzalez-possibly-help-rotation/I agree. If the brass isn’t going to make a deal for a top starting pitcher, practically any of the remaining low end of the market free agents are probably on the table. I think at least one starter, either thru trade or fee agency, is a must. While I like our rookies, I’d like some veteran depth at the back end, just in case someone near the top end of the rotation goes down for a bit.
I could see that.
Jeff Passan quotes an exec as saying that Yasmani Grandal might be this year's version of Mike Moustakas as someone who was looking for a multi-year contract but may end up accepting a 1-year pillow contract.If the contract he was offered from the New York Mets as reported was correct, he is going to regret not taking that deal.
(MLBTR)
Lugo has this Pressly feel to it.... Hope it can get done cheaply.With 4 years of control I doubt it would be cheap, but I think he could easily be had without parting with Tucker or Whitley. Something like Fisher or White or Davis and Bukauskas might get it done.
Crazy thought: given the Marlins’ previous talks with the Mets, could the Astros be looking to spin Lugo on to Miami?Lugo might be a nice addition to the end of the rotation. His years of control, along with the fact he is a good pitcher, makes him a very interesting under the radar type of acquisition.
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as more and more are signed and less and less are available I am confused at the planI am as well. Cruz wasn’t Chris Carter. He was a very decent hitter as well as a power threat. He would have hit 40 bombs in MMP while hitting close to to .280, not .210. In many peoples opinion, Cruz to Houston was one of the most obvious off season moves that should have been made.
I wouldn't have complained if they had signed him of course, but plenty fine that they didn't. If we are to add another bat I'm hoping it is one that can play the field and give the team more depth in case of injury. Noe's idea of bringing in Lowrie for instance...I think that would be genius. We ought to be able to get him for two years at most (possibly only one of that's what the team wants) and at a lower annual salary given the glut of talent on the market at the 2B position.Jose Martinez is an option I guess but I have no idea what the Cardinals want for him. Four years of control before he is a free agent and by that time your letting him go anyway because he’s 35-36 years old. Over .300 hitter and relatively low strikeout rate at 20 percent. Not a lot of power but certainly a competent DH bat who could play in field if necessary.
FuckJim, you beat me to it!
Dodgers just dealt Kemp, Puig, and Wood to the Reds for Homer Bailey and prospects. Looks to me like they're clearing space for Harper.Yes. I think they are already sewing Harper jerseys. Would be surprised if it isn’t done by Christmas.
Exactly. No one was biting on his pitches in the dirt.Unless they have changed their minds, the D-Backs have said Ray is not available.
As for who the Astros might get for the rotation. I heard a discussion on the MLB Network that the Astros were less interested in free agent pitchers and more interested in making trades. So I'm not so concerned that the better mediocre free agent starting pitchers are starting to get taken. I agree that Stroman, Fullmer, and Ray are probably the three main targets. I thought that Jon Gray was also a potential target, but with the Rockies signing Murphy, I think it's less likely that the Rockies are going to trade a starter.
Same here. The list is shrinking on the FA starter list of economically feasible options. Although Cahill at 9 million a year and Sanchez at 9.5 million a year is pretty steep, even for second tier options. Maybe the club controlled option route through a trade is much more economic. Or even trading for a one year rental like Alex Wood at 6 million is worth a flyer if the Dodgers would take a lower price in terms of prospects. They're going to need every penny they can get to pay for Bryce Harper or Kluber or both.2013 - 211 IP, 9-10 W-L, 3.24 ERA
Well, add an available bullpen spot. Joe Smith ruptured his Achilles and will be out 6-8 months following surgery.Yeah, just heard that. I’d like to seen them add Britton if they are not gonna spend on Cruz.
Who else would pay for Kluber or Bauer besides a team that views itself as a playoff contender?Early on in the discussions the Indians were supposedly having, they were saying they didn’t want to move either to AL clubs that were contending. So that leaves the NL teams as most likely destinations but is the AL team makes the best offer, I’m pulling the trigger if I’ve decided to make a trade.
And no Kluber... right?Yes
I am not going to concede Cole is gone until he signs elsewhere. He became a great pitcher in Houston.I agree Jim. I actually think that if he has another great season, we go after him hard. Verlander is the one that I think is gone. I could see them giving Cole big money to anchor a staff fronted by he and Whitley.
As if the Marlins control the players they are offered.They also run the risk of getting less the longer they wait because with each passing day, that is one less day of control the acquiring team is getting.
They'll hang onto him until they get a deal they can live with. But to have any real hope of higher level prospects they have to deal him this winter. If they wait until July they could get a similar return, but they run the injury risk gauntlet to get there.
Based on what I've read and seen that's more than they got for Yelich.Yes, and by all accounts they want more in this deal. The Marlins didn’t “win” their other deals and are feeling pressure to “win” this one because he is their final piece they can trade.
Marisnick is a great guy to have around, but given the hole in his bat, he's a luxury. Can't always afford to keep him on the roster, and I don't mean monetarily.^ So this!
CBT payroll? Nate's latest puts the Astros at $179 million right now with the Brantley signing. His summary is awesome, go read it:I have. He does a fantastic job. So if at about $179 now we potentially have $27 more we could spend if the Richard Justice report is accurate, not factoring in trades of course.
Nate the Great keeping things real!
But I don't know for sure what the payroll budget is for Luhnow right now. Is it 170 million per year? is it lower or higher, or is higher 170 million one that Crane has to approve in order to make *two* major moves. Or if you want to stay on track, one major and one minor move for either 1) a catcher and starter or 2) DH and starter, or 3) catcher and DH. For example, Chirinos at catcher was a minor deal at 5 million per year. So to me, what they do in an acquisition for a starter will dictate what they do for either a DH or catcher at this point.According to Richard Justice, Luhnow has been told by Crane he can spend up to the cap if necessary to win another title. If true, the potential budget is 206.
Priority because you're getting close to the payroll budget and still safely away from the luxury tax threshold.
Darren Willman tweet: Michael Brantley swung at 1008 pitches last season and only missed 111 times. His 11% whiff rate was 3rd lowest in @mlb. Alex Bregman was 7th lowest.Thanks!!!
MLB network's Ken Rosenthal had fun with numbers:Was player a Mccutcheon?
a five year blind comparison between two free agents this offseason
Player A .283 Avg / .343 OBP / .502 Slugging / 127 OPS+
Player B .311 Avg / .371 OBP / .475 Slugging / 127 OPS+
Pretty close. The only difference, durability in the last five years of Player A and B. If you watch the MLB Network, you'll know who these players are.
ThisThis batting order really needs Cruz in it. I actually think we need that bat more than we need another rotation arm.
I wish Luhnow would surprise us with a four year contract for Cole this Spring.I hope so but I don’t see any way that Cole doesn’t test the market to see what he could get. If he was on the market today, he would get way more than what Corbin just got.
I love Puig. I would love to watch him play every day.I like some of his raw talent, but his antics and attitude I could do without. Reminds me too much of Carlos Gomez.
Just my 2 cents
ETA - as of now. I still think they add Cruz and maybe still trade for Realmuto
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Sign Cruz.I agree, though I think if we do we have a little bit of a roster crunch (assuming you can’t move Reddick).
I enthusiastically approve of the deal too. Brantley's nickname up here is Dr. Smooth. He is a tough out.Damn sure is. I immediately place him in the 2 hole behind Springer and in front of Altuve, Bregman and Correa. Should be a lot of traffic on the bases.
I know. Me too. I would be shocked.I would too regarding Puig, but the Astros have had interest in Castellanos before. He’s a great hitter but doubt this happens with Brantley now on the roster.
Rosenthal says the Astros are in conversations with Cruz and Brantley and are open to trading Reddick.
Interesting things on the South Side: Cleveland trades Yonder Alonso to the White Sox. What does Chi do with Jose Abreau?Interesting, and we know the Astros have had interest in Abreu in the past. He shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.
TevorBauer.com ?NICE!!
How about taking a chance on Buchholz? Could we catch lightening in a bottle twice on a lower tier/cost guy?I’d rather take a flyer on Santana, Pomeranz, or Miley, but Miley will cost a little more dough than the others.
With a normal Verlander and Cole, James continues on the path, a solid McHugh, and Whitley making a contribution, the pitching staff actually improves. I know there is much handwringing, but McCullers and Keuchel were actually weak links, IMO. Hate losing Morton, but I guess I just don't see the same doom and gloom as MM.I agree with you HH about the pitching rotation. I would still like to acquire a lower end starter for depth as I know they will limit the innings on James, Valdez and Whitley when he comes up. Not convinced that James stays in the rotation. If McHugh moves to the rotation, James may be good in that bullpen role McHugh is vacating. I’m actually more concerned about the bullpen and acquiring a bat. As someone else posted, the bats will be better if we are healthy. While I agree, I’m not sold on that with Correa. He seems to be the hitting version of McCullers where health is concerned. And while I like Tyler White, I’d like a more reliable bat in the lineup on a daily basis. Chrinos doesn’t move the needle offensively even if he will hit a few more homers. Too much swing and miss with him and I would like to see us reduce our strikeouts like we did the year we won it all.
They should've made him the damned QO. He'd probably still be an Astro.This is just an assumption on my part, but I’m guessing the Astros didn’t offer him $18 million as a qualifying offer due to something they saw in the medicals. There is probably not an impact starting pitcher in the majors right now with more of an injury history than Morton. History says he is a bigger risk than others out there. If that was truly the reason, I can’t blame the brass for their decision. If it was something else, like a strategic gamble he may take less to stay here, they gambled poorly and read Morton wrong. But if that was the case, surely Morton and his agent gave the Astros one last shot to match the Rays offer and Houston chose not to, which takes me back to the medical risks.
The Astros reportedly made him an offer weeks ago for two years and a club option year. No info as to money. If this was incorrect and there was no offer, ignore me. Should be easy.I kind of agree Jim. Now I’m not ripping him. We may not have a ring without him, but we took a chance on him when he was sitting at home wondering if ANYONE would even give him a minor league look. We gave him 14 million over two years and EVERYONE in the industry thought we had lost our mind. When we didn’t give him the QO the injury issues came to my mind along with the fact that he said he really wanted to be an Astro. I thought then that Luhnow would give him a “fair” offer hoping he would take considering the limb we went out on when we signed him 2 years ago. If that was Jeff’s thinking, guess he and us were wrong.
Fuck. Call me Pollyanna, but I thought Morton was different and unique in this Age of the Almighty Dollar. How many times did he say “If I play next year, I want to stay in Houston?” The Astros plucked him out of mediocrity at a time when he worried he might not get an NRI offer, offered him two years and $14M, which everyone including him thought was cray,and the organization turned him into Charlie Fucking Morton. I seriously cannot believe he signed somewhere else, unless there was not a Houston offer, and I do not fucking care to read his rationale. To say I am disappointed and disillusioned by this signing is an understatement of epic proportions. As I said, call me Pollyanna.
this is not the direction the astros need to be headingI think a big trade is about to happen. Syndergaard??? Kluber?
Bumgarner??? I guess we will have to wait and see but.... Matt Harvey in the 5 spot would be interesting as would Ervin Santana. Santana has about 4-5 good years in a row and basically rested for all of last year with that cut on his hand. If that has healed, he could be cheap steal and a nice grab by Luhnow for that 5 spot on a one year deal for about 4/5 million plus incentives.Jeff Passan @JeffPassan 46sYes, injures had to be the concern. No doubt they made an offer but I doubt they were willing to sink that kind of money into that injury history. We got two great years out of Charlie and his injury history probably says we may have been fortunate to get that.
Free agent starter Charlie Morton and the Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a two-year, $30 million deal, sources told Yahoo Sports.
From accompanying article:
I think it was lingering concerns over the shoulder as to why the Astros didn't re-sign him.
I've heard from people who supposedly know that the team is trying hard to land a very high profile player, and the impression I have is that it is a bat and that it is not Harper. That doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense, really, but who knows. Someone like Kluber actually makes a lot of sense. With a rotation like that you could just stick Ted out in left until he decides he's ready to hit and not worry too much about it.Richard Justice said Monday night that with the Astros window to win open right now, Crane has told Luhnow he has the green light to spend up to the luxury tax number if he deems it necessary to win another title. That would be around $207-208 million and a drastic increase unheard of from this franchise. If that report is accurate, then perhaps there are ways to get Harper. If he was in the 2 hole behind Springer and in front of Altuve where teams had to pitch to him, he would light up MMP. Still seems far fetched though.
I would love this.I would to. Only concern with Kluber is the fact that he seems to fade come playoff time. I would expect us to be in a position to help manage his innings better than Cleveland did given our pitching depth. Tucker will definitely be in that deal and that would be fine with me. If it happens, would not be surprised to see Encarnacion in the deal as well but the package would be big. Indians reportedly are looking to dump salary and EE could be had.
Btw, does anyone else feel like calling bullshit on Cashmen's comments regarding Harper? He is saying they have enough OFs and have no interest in the player. I'm thinking he's saying that simply to keep the price down and will pick him off in the 11th hour, seemingly out of nowhere.I think a lot of teams not named Philly are taking that stance with Harper, privately and publicly, in an attempt to keep the final dollars as low as possible like with JD last year.
Morosi tweets Astros are "interested" in Michael Brantley but don't want to block Tucker long-term.
Heyman tweets Astros still in on Realmuto.
I would gladly trade Tucker for Realmuto. I also read where the Yankees/Mets/Marlins have a ménage a trois for Realmuto in the works though.It was just reported on MLB network radio that the Yankees portion of this three team deal would have them getting Syndergaard with the Mets getting Realmuto. If that happens, then I don’t really know what to think about our team and what moves we could make to keep pace with Boston and New York.
I like Daniel Murphy, although I feel Tyler White may be developing into a right-handed version of Murphy. So I don't think I would go in that direction. And I really don't get the rumors that the Astros are interested in Josh Harrison.I don’t see the benefit of adding Harrison either. I like Abreu but I’d prefer to have my cake and eat it to by filling some of the holes via free agency rather than trade. As such, Cruz would be fine. But if they want a DH who is more flexible and can play in the field as well then perhaps someone like Brantley is a better option.
I still feel that bringing Nelson Cruz to DH is the best fit for the Astros.
And I like the idea of Jose Abreu.
But at the end of the day, starting pitching is still the biggest off-season need.
You are fucking crazy for agreeing with the 11th rule. Fucking crazy.I don’t say it was my preference, just that I could live with it. An 18 inning game is fine with me.
Reid Ryan was on MLB Network Radio on Sunday. He pretty much said that baseball needs to give fans what they want, whatever they want. So if fans want more offense, then MLB should do what they can do. He was also very supportive of the pitch clock and the extra innings rule that puts a runner on second.Reid was really talked about pretty harshly after his interview was over, and then again just a few minutes ago on Steve Phillips show, for suggesting that teams should be compensated when their front office personnel is raided by another team. He made that comment when discussing Elias, Fast and Sig. The overwhelming feeling was that if Houston wanted to keep those guys they should have paid up, and that their absence was really going to be felt by Jeff and the organization, so much so that it could be impacting what moves the Astros do or don’t make this off season.
Heyman says it's the shitbirds.Yes, it is the Cardinals. They just said on MLB network radio that the Cardinals Twitter account is confirming the deal. It was a pretty steep price to pay for a guy who only has one year One his deal. But I think the Cardinals are confident about re-signing him.
Chirinos deal is $5.75M. That seems like more than backup C money.While my initial reaction is to agree with your statement, the Nats gave Kurt Suzuki 2 years at 10 to split time with Gomes so perhaps this is just the going rate.
This is just idol speculation on my part, but I’m guessing Maldonado was a bigger hole in the lineup then Luhnow and others anticipated. In addition, his reputation as a plus plus defender was not obvious to me from my viewpoint watching the games, especially in the postseason. Maybe he just had a bad run but calling it how I see it.You could be right. Even I will admit that he didn’t block balls as well as I’d have liked but he has a gold glove under his belt and his arm is elite. His squatting behind home almost totally shuts down the opposing run game.
What is Grandal asking for? The $$ predictions I've seen for him look pretty reasonable for a guy of his talent.Thought to be 15 mil or more per season. He turned down the almost 18 mil QO.
What options?Maldonado for one. If he’s ranked as low of a defender as mentioned in the post above then pretty much any other free agent catcher was a better option since it appears they may not want to spend the money for Grandal.