Only problem I have with Bregs at the 2 is that we end up with 4 or 5 righties in a row. Reddick at the 2 breaks that up a bit.
I am of the firm opinion that this off-season should be about three things: 1) Pitching 2) Pitching 3) and more Pitching That said, you get who ever can help us, regardless of their previous role (starter/closer/reliever). But we need to aim a lot higher than Liriano or Clippard.
As far as the position players go, yea arguments can be made for OF and DH. Id like to start with what we have though. See if some of those AAA/AAAA we got around rise to the occasion in the spring. Unfortunately for them, C, 3rd, SS, 2nd and CF are hopelessly blocked. So if they cant play 1st (move Yuli to DH), OF, or have enough bat to DH, many wont get the chance. Good news is it wont take much to surpass Beltran's production at DH. We were 11th out of 15 AL teams in DH OPS. We can do better. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.as...=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=9,d
I'm not so sure about C. Gattis is another guy they may kick the tires on, in terms of gauging interest. And McCann, who I think had a genuinely good year, in terms of his overall impact on the team, is not a consistent offensive contributor anymore and he's logged a lot of miles at a difficult position. Plus, catcher is the ONE position where they don't seemingly have an even decent prospect in their system (at least as far as I know), so seeking a younger option might be in the offing.
I think Gattis is a good candidate to get traded and/or non tendered. He is going to get a decent sized raise in arbitration and doesn't really have a spot on this team. Not a good enough hitter to be an everyday DH and too expensive/mediocre defensively to be the backup catcher.
Our Free Agents: Beltran, Clippard, Gregerson, Liriano, & Maybin. Fiers will likely be traded or non-tendered. Sipp of course could be at risk of being DFA'd after another bad year, though The team really only has an opening in LF and a couple of bullpen spots. LF: JD Martinez is the obvious #1 choice, but not going to happen. Expect we go after another 4th OF type if anything. Could fill internally from Marisnick, Marwin, & Fisher. LHR: I'd look at Liriano if he can't get a deal to start somewhere, as I think he'd be cheap an high value. Tony Watson would be great, and Mike Minor a good one. Closer/Setup: Greg Holland & Wade Davis are the two big names in free agency. I'd probably sign Brandon Morrow though.
I keep hearing Morrow will be cheap. Not seen him much. His stats are nice and he was awesome until Roberts overused him in the WS.
In what fantasy world are there all these great hitting DHs? Out of 15 primary DHs this year Evan Gattis outhit all but 2 of them. It is concerning that he has not hit nearly as well at DH as he has in the field, but he is fine at DH.
Probably one of the much cheaper internal options, if I had to guess. White Reed Moran Kemmer Maybe Yuli if Fisher plays LF and Marwin plays 1B Moving Gattis seems like a way to save some $ that could be allocated to the bullpen imo.
But to answer his question, yes, the Astros have a potential dominant closer in their system. Though they spent the 15th overall choice in the 2017 Draft on right-hander J.B. Bukauskas with the intention of developing him as a starter, he's a smaller guy with some effort in his delivery -- not to mention a mid-90s sinker and a mid-80s slider, both of which can be wipeout pitches when he commands them. Another right-hander with late-inning potential is Riley Ferrell, who excelled at Texas Christian before the Astros picked him in the third round in 2015. He missed most of 2016 because he needed to have an aneurysm removed from his throwing shoulder, but he has a 93-98 mph fastball with late hop and a two-plane slider in the mid-80s when he's at his best. Ferrell's control, which has been a concern in the past, was much improved this season. It sounded like Bukauskas is on the starter track, but he's a Lance McCullers type. Riley Ferrell is an interesting bullpen name. He's a guy who was expected to be fast tracked when he was drafted in 2015, but lost most of 2016 due to a shoulder aneurysm. He had an OK season in AA overall, but posted like a 0.8 WHIP in the 2nd half -- he could easily be on the team by midseason as he's fully healthy.
His estimated arbitration number is less than $7 million. McCann and Reddick are making $17 million and $13 million next year, respectively, by comparison. I'd say he's absolutely worth that figure, and his flexibility as the backup catcher gives him added value that most DH don't provide. Throw in the fact that he was pretty damn good in the playoffs, and I see no reason to move on from him at this point. If he wants to make big money after next season as a free agent, you can let him go then.
He was at Tomball High School at the same time I was there. I never met the guy, but I heard from some other people that he was legitimately full of himself and kind of a tool. This certainly backs that up.
