Yulieski Gurriel agrees to 5/$47M deal with the Astros

anyone know anything about Lourdes Gourriel Jr.?

 

Why can't Bagwell just throw left-handed?

 

It sure does.

I've said for the last 4 years that the astros would be the next org to bring a championship to this city.

 

can we all agree that this is a demonstration of the current ownership group willing to spend on the team and let go of the whole cheap moniker mantra?

 

I think it remains to be seen. They still have a pretty small payroll. Right?

 

Payroll is around $100M now, still n the bottom3rd of the league. Until Houston has a payroll in the top 10 people will still aver reason tic complain

 

I think Bregman is untouchable unless its Fernandez or Dale in a package. I think Kyle Tucker maybe the piece to lured an Pomeranz.

 

Why are you so certain the Astros keep Castro?

 

Why would the Red Sox trade Pomeranz?

 

*an Pomeranz

 

this is spectacular. Getting talent without giving up the system. Improving the team for the playoff push. Improving the roster going into a bare FA offseason. Getting another prospect (the brother) likely longer term.

As for what happens now, hard to know...but I'd prefer Gomez to be moved out and Bregman to come up in LF.

I'd imagine the infield glut will be figured out over the next few weeks while Gurriel gets ready. If Reed doesn't hit in the next 3-4 weeks, he gets sent down. If he does, perhaps they work on a trade of Valbuena or Marwin? It'd be a nice problem to have. I still think Valbuena should be moved if they can get big value for him--capitalize on his hot streak.

 

Astros unlikely to acquire Dale.

 

[rquoter]Astros' addition of Yulieski Gurriel cause for excitement

With the trade deadline a few weeks away and the Astros firmly in contention for the playoffs, it's not surprising that they went out and picked up one of the best available talents. What may surprise some is that it wasn't with a trade or a callup, but rather with the signing of Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel to a five-year, $47.5 million-dollar contract.

Here's a look at how Gurriel fits, and why Astros fans should be excited -- if not overjoyed -- by the latest addition to the talented Houston lineup.

Scouting Report: Gurriel has been one of the top performers in Serie Nacional and for the Cuban national team, and it's not done with smoke and mirrors. It starts with his bat speed. The right-handed hitter gets his bat through the zone easily with little wasted movement, and he has shown the ability to square up pitches on all parts of the plate. He's a smart hitter with excellent hand-eye coordination, and he's that rare hitter who will draw his fair share of walks while also limiting the strikeouts.

The hit tool may be the selling point, but Gurriel is not devoid of power. There's natural loft to his swing, and although it's mostly to the pull side, he has enough strength and leverage to take the ball out to the opposite field, while putting the ball into the gaps for plenty of doubles. He's also a "selective" base-stealer, one who doesn't have great speed but reads pitchers well and can provide double digit stolen bases, if he chooses to run that much.

There aren't many questions about Gurriel's offensive ability, but there are some about the defense. He's played all over the infield in Cuba, but his most likely landing spot in the US is at third. He'll certainly have the arm strength to be there -- it's plus-plus (or 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale) -- and it's accurate to boot. His fringe-average speed means he's not going to be a "doubles stopper," however, and the hands are only okay. The Astros could try him out at second base, but the lack of range doesn't really play up the middle, and, well, Jose Altuve exists.

Scout's take: "It's probably not fair, but he sort of reminds me in skillset of a right-handed hitting Wade Boggs," an NL Central scout said. "In my looks he's just made so much hard contact, and the hand-eye coordination is so good. He's probably got a little more power than Boggs, but the ability to get on base and make pitchers uncomfortable while playing a good third base makes it a decent comp for me. He's going to really help [the Astros]."

How he fits/what to expect: At 32 years of age, Gurriel is not your typical international signing. He's not going to need a ton of seasoning in the minor leagues, although the Astros will very likely send him to some farm level to see just how much rust there is to shake off. He hasn't played in a game since suiting up for Industriales in 2015, and though he has done workouts and has kept in shape, the fact that he hasn't appeared in a game since defecting to the United States in February means there will be at least some necessary time to shake off the cobwebs. Assuming that goes well, you should see him manning the hot corner or DHing for the Astros on at least a semi regular basis. He'll fit in well on a team that works counts, but he'll be that rare Astros hitter who doesn't strike out, so Houston could be tempted to hit him at the top of the lineup.

It's obviously impossible to predict exactly how well he'll handle big-league pitching, and it would be no fun if we could. That being said, I would bet on Gurriel making a relatively immediate impact for the Astros. Yes, we've seen our fair share of big-budget international stars flail in their debuts -- I'm looking at you, Rusney Castillo and Hector Olivera. But let's be clear, this isn't Castillo or Olivera, this is a player who has become one of the best Cuban baseball players of all time even before making his debut in the states. His ability to get on base, hit for power and not hurt you on the bases while also playing a competent third base gives him a high ceiling, and assuming he carries over that same approach against big-league pitching, there's no reason to think he can't be successful against pitcher at the highest level. If he can, he can be a huge part of the Astros attempts to reach the postseason for a second straight season.[/rquoter]

 

This says Valbuena is likely gone after the year (maybe at the deadline if someone is willing to overvalue a career season) and Gattis is a C moving forward.

We would still have holes at 3B,1B,LF and DH. So that is plenty of PA's for Reed, Gurriel and Bregman. I think Gurriel spends some time at 1B, Bregman spends some time in LF, and they split time at 3B. Bregman can also spot start at 2B/SS in case of injury, or if they justa wanna give DH days to Correa/Altuve.

Lot's of options, talented ones.

 

Even then, people will complain about the inevitable "wasted" money, as no team with a top-10 payroll is really getting their money's worth in terms of individual player performance. They're all largely paying for past performance, with a few prime years mixed in.

Hell, just this year alone... the Astros aren't getting $16 million worth of production in Rasmus.

 

Honestly, most potent lineup we've had since 98?

If Gouriel can give us a little Moises Alou action, we'll win the WS. Our lineup has absolutely scary potential. Gouriel looks like he'll provide much needed balance. Our bench is deep, too. Love the depth, can rest and move players easily. Lots of good late inning sub possibilities. Great day to be an Astros fan.

1) Springer
2) Bregman
3) Altuve
4) Correa
5) Gurriel
6) DH
7) Val/Reed/Marwin
8) Gogo/Rasmus/Jake
9) Castro/Gattis

 

Wow... What an awesome day for the Astros.

 

Lineup is stacked!

RF Springer
DH Bregman
2B Altuve
SS Correa
3B Gurriel
1B Valbuena
LF Rasmus
CF Gomez
C Castro

Bench Reed, Gonzalez, Marisnick, Gattis