Cool. Here’s to hoping for 2 mostly healthy seasons. Brantley is an all star when he’s right. I wonder what Jed Lowrie’s deal will end up looking like. Seems like he would be good 1B/DH plus 2B/3B insurance. Not needed after the Brantley signing and Diaz on the roster.
I may be the only dick to admit it, but if it gets all of the annoying wrestling crap and the WOOOOOO chants gone, I'm ALL for it.
I hope we keep Reddick. He’s really embraced HOU in his time here (and at a time when NO legitimate FA thought twice about us). I get that his contract isn’t great, and his play last year was down, but adding one lefty bat only to get rid of the other lefty bat doesn’t make much sense. I’d rather sit tight w/ who we have and let them play it out. Selling low and eating part of his contract just isn’t that appealing. I love making Tucker play his way into ABs. Lord knows we’ll need to put Brantley at DH/1B to keep him fresh.
The risk with Brantley is only health. If he can play 140 games this is an absolute steal. Awesome deal for 2 years, shocked this was able to get it done.
I’d only sign Lowrie if there were someone we really wanted from the A’s so we could trade him there for a 3rd time. Bet that’s never happened before... Great news on Brantley. I’ve always liked him as a player. If the problem is that we have too many bats and not enough lineup spots, that’s a problem I’m happy to live with. I do think they’re going to move Reddick ultimately. I think Tucker is going to get it right this year and need to be out there everyday.
One literally has to go out of their way to gripe about this signing. Unless you think the team won’t pick up a ToR pitcher specifically bc of this signing, what exactly is there to complain about?
The Reddick tweet is so misleading...those three years for Reddick include a career year with the bat for him which skews the data, one that I’ll bet anything he won’t repeat for us. Brantley has been consistent when healthy. Plus, if you look at the last three years Brantley has been healthy he blows Reddick out of the water. Now whether he stays healthy is a valid question and concern. Edit: Since 2014, Brantley has a wRC+ of 130 which is good for 11th among all OF over that span. Josh Reddick is at 38th with a wRC+ of 114. Brantley even has a higher WAR despite the fact that he's missed a lot more time than Reddick...
Couldn’t agree more. Nothing against Josh Reddick, but Michael Brantley is a better hitter, and it’s not as close as those stats indicate. I still remember the game in Cleveland this year when the Astros blew a huge lead in the 9th inning, and Brantley kept fighting off pitches from Rondon on the black, until he served one into left field for a base hit to keep the line moving. Not to mention, Reddick has had his offensive struggles in the playoffs as an Astro. As of right now, the Astros would be wise to make Brantley the primary DH to keep him healthy, and Reddick is still the Astros best option in right field, because of his elite defensive abilities. However, if they sign Nelson Cruz, too, then the situation changes.
I like Brantley primarily as a DH also. I don’t really see the need for a 38 year old Nelson Cruz at this point, unless you can get him on the cheap which seems doubtful given his numbers. Brantley just feels like a really good fit.
Another interesting point... Brantley did not receive a qualifying offer. If he rakes for 2 years the Astros can give him one after the 2020 season.
Wonder what the lineup will be as Brantley’s contact rate makes more since for him to hit early than late
