Gattis is almost assuredly gone after this season in my estimation unless they want him to be the starting DH. Both Stassi and Centeno are better options for the backup C spot.
Gattis's catcher splits were crazy yet again He has almost 1000 PA's at C and DH, so not terribly small samples. He has an .860 OPS as a catcher, and a .710 OPS as a DH.
Gattis will still likely be a bargain next year, though not as much as in the past. Only reason I see for him not being here is if Astros have to jettison some salary to afford paying for a full year of Verlander.
Agree with this. I don't see McHugh being traded. Of those 7 guys you mention for 5 spots, I'd add in Musgrove, so 8 guys for 5 spots. 3 of those 8 we all know to be injury prone, i.e., Keuchel, Morton and McCullers. I wouldn't mind seeing a 6 man rotation, with Martes and Musgrove in the pen. We know that the 6 man rotation will only last through April until one of those guys gets sent to the DL. And by June, Martes and Musgrove will be starting, with Paulino in the pen.
SP Verlander $ 20,000,000.00 SP Keuchal $ 12,600,000.00 SP LMJ $ 2,600,000.00 SP Morton $ 7,000,000.00 SP Peacock $ 2,900,000.00 SP McHugh $ 4,800,000.00 RP Hoyt $ 600,000.00 RP Feliz $ 600,000.00 RP Musgrove $ 600,000.00 RP Harris $ 2,800,000.00 RP Devo $ 600,000.00 CL Giles $ 5,000,000.00 C McCann $ 11,500,000.00 C Gattis $ 6,600,000.00 1B Yuli $ 12,400,000.00 2B Altuve $ 6,000,000.00 3B Bregman $ 600,000.00 SS Correa $ 600,000.00 IF Marwin $ 5,125,000.00 IF White $ 600,000.00 LF Fisher $ 600,000.00 CF Springer $ 8,900,000.00 RF Reddick $ 13,000,000.00 OF Marisnick $ 2,000,000.00 OF Kemp $ 600,000.00 The above 25 man roster is $128M but we lack a lefty reliever and we're opening up the DH spot for competition. White/Kemp are interchangeable with Davis/Reed/Moran/PTucker. I just used $600k for our team controlled folks as a nice round number.
At this point I think Musgrove is a reliever for good. I agree with you on going into April with a 6 man rotation. I also am ok with starting Martes back in the pen to start next season, then stretching him out when there’s an opening. A AAA rotation of Rodgers, Paulino, Armenteros, Deetz, and Valdez (among others) should provide plenty of depth, although I wouldn’t be opposed to them making Feliz a SP again in AAA.
Gregerson is gone. He is declining rapidly and will likely have to take a 1 year deal with a non-contender.
I hope so, but it is not settled. Per Luhnow on Sunday, Hinch and Luhnow have a disagreement over Musgrove as a starter or a reliever long term. Luhnow wouldn't say which side he was on. Luhnow said Martes is a starter going forward and will likely start the year in AAA.
Awesome breakdown. If we are only at $128 million hopefully that gives us a decent amount to go out and get some talent... it is our championship window after all... $150+ should not be out of the question. Perhaps we can get a quality DH and a nice bull pen arm.
McCullers might be in the same boat. Maybe pitching less innings out of the bully will keep him healthy?
If it was up to me, I'd resign Marwin because he's so versatile and provides so much for this team. Then, I'd try to lock up Altuve and Springer to long term deals - if you strike out on one of those guys then maybe go after a long term deal with Bregman. I would probably let Correa and Keuchel walk when they hit free agency as they are likely to command paychecks that I'd rather use towards the three guys I just mentioned (i.e. I think the value will be better). I'm just not sure paying Correa $400M is worth it and that seems likely what he'll end up getting from a team like NYY. Out of everyone though I would be most upset if we lost Altuve (and I'm sure most feel the same) - he was here during the days we were absolute trash, he never complains even though he's been signed at a VERY team friendly deal, and he seems like a great person to lead the younger guys (i.e. Tucker, Whitley, etc.) going forward. I hope he's an Astro for his entire career.
Bro, Correa is going no where, with him and Altuve in the middle we'll be set for a long time. These two kind of players don't come along very often.
We'll see We'll see what Machado commands after next year. He'll likely get around $14M this year in his final year of arbitration, then he'll hit the market going into his age 27 season. Robinson Cano got $24M a year as a 31 year old. Jason Heyward got $23M as a 27 year old. I'd expect Machado to command pretty close to $30M a year honestly, mostly because he's young. Will probably be a 10 year deal with an opt out after year 3-4 so he can get another contract in his age 30 season when salaries may be even higher than they are now. Anyway: Altuve (30yrs / 2020) $25M Springer (32yrs / 2021) $22M Correa (28yrs / 2022) $30M Bregman (29yrs / 2023) $18M I think Altuve gets a deal somewhat similar in value to Cano, Springer a little lower due to his age, but may be higher depending on if his BA and K numbers hold steady like his 2017 numbers. Correa probably will be around $30M, if not more. Bregman will be close to $20M most likely, maybe even more if a team thinks they can switch him back to SS. Anyway, that's almost $100M tied up in 4 guys. They'll likely let Springer go since Kyle Tucker and Derek Fisher will be the core outfield bats with maybe a cheap vet in CF who can play defense. Maybe it's Tony Kemp. Maybe they let Altuve go as well and switch Bregman to 2B and put Davis/Moran/Joe Perez at 3B.
I'm fine with letting Springer go when the time comes but I'd be absolutely shocked/appalled if they didn't open up the wallet for Altuve.
No doubt some big decisions coming in the next few years. Hopefully Crane will open the wallet all the way for the stars. Marwin is going to be a tough decision. Can he hit at the same clip that he did this year? Have to wonder if they'll hold off until after next year to see if he regresses back to what he was, which is still a very valuable player but not one that commands a spot in the lineup everyday.
Long term Springer is the guy I let go. He is a better version of Hunter Pence but plays with that same reckless all out style. Take a look at Hunter Pence's stats. He can't stay healthy and hasn't played a full season since 2014.
