Important question at the halfway mark and one the Astros I'm sure are eyeing. 1. If Keuchel can pitch at his career stat line, 3.70 ERA he will make the rotation. This gives the Astros that two headed bullpen/starter combo of McCullers/Morton that was so effective last post season. It's so effective, the Astros might not need to make a trade and can potentially call up forrest whitley and Cionel Perez for extra help. (Assuming Hector Rondon keeps performing as he is) 2. However....if Keuchel keeps pitching like his last 40 innings (5.49 ERA), he won't make the playoff roster and the McCullers/Morton combo goes out the window. They will both need to be starters. This will force the Astros to explore trades. Brad Hand? Zach Britton? They need another closer to take the place of the McCullers/Morton combo of last year. I still thing Keuchel will come around and get into a groove....but it's getting late in the season and the trade deadline is July 31st. Trading Keuchel isn't an option. You will get nothing in return and potentially help a playoff opponent. What do you guys think? Does Keuchel make a comeback after the all star break?
Lol there's literally zero chance he doesn't make the playoff roster if he's healthy. That's like asking if Giles is going to make the playoff roster after blowing a few regular season games. Keuchel is no Mike Fiers. Hinch would roster him even if he sat in the bullpen all playoffs save blowouts.
I think Keuchel has a solid second half and makes the playoff roster. We need him to. Makes us a very hard team to beat this postseason. However....if he has a 5.49 ERA during the second half, do you put him on the Roster? Keuchel would not be good out of the pen.
Isn't gonna happen, but lets just say for argument Dallas Keuchel doesn't make the postseason roster. We still have 6 starters, 2 for sure starters and 4 possible swingmen, not including Whitley or Perez. The Astros aren't gonna make any moves to accommodate for one starter going down. The Astros very well may trade for a reliever, it's clear we're interested, but it won't have anything to do with DK.
If Keuchel has a bad second half and he doesn't make the playoff rotation. Do you keep Morton and McCullers as starters and not use them in the pen? Or.... do you use them both as a starter and closer like last year?
Keuchel is not even relevant coming out of the bullpen. You can't throw 88 mph out of the bullpen. Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, Lance McCullers Jr. I honestly can't believe 2015 Keuchel was so dominant and ace now Could be a 7th Pitcher. Right now Brad Peacock and Collin McHugh deserve to start over him. Keuchel Shoulder Injury really took some strength out of him, loss mph on his pitches. Forrest Whitley I believe could be #3 Starter next year Postseason.
Gerrit Cole will have replaced Keuchel, everything else should play out the same. They start, or come out of the pen as need and availability dictate.
Do you go after another bullpen hand or leave it as it is and let it ride....even if Keuchel struggles? Astros already have a strong bullpen, even without Keuchel they can win the WS. With Keuchel pitching like we know he can...Astros would be very very hard to beat.
That's what I mean....If Keuchel can't regain his form, he isn't making the playoff roster. He would be a waste in the bullpen. Astros can still win the world series without him. With him pitching with a 3.50 ERA, the Astros would be almost impossible to beat. You could float a fully rested Morton or McCullers....that would be devastating for the opposing team. I still have confidence keuchel rebounds, but the Astros have to be concerned it it might make them do a trade for the bullpen. A trade that wouldn't be necessary with a solid Keuchel on the mound. We shall see...
If we can get a wipeout reliever I'm all for it, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Dallas Keuchel. There's no correlation between DK and bullpen help. If DK for whatever reason isn't on the roster, some other middle reliever will be. Most of our pen was collecting dust in the WS anyhow.
Brad Hand is really the only Closer the Astros need. Zach Britton injuries are concerning and Astros might overbid, overpay prospects in a trade
When has Luhnow ever done that? Not every trade has worked out, but we won't give up excess value out of desperation.
Does George Springer make the playoff roster? He's been one of the worst players in all of baseball the past month.
Well if it's a one-game playoff... pretty much everyone but Verlander or Cole is off the roster of the starters... Five game set... we did leave McHugh off last year before coming back for the 7 game sets. So I think Keuchel at this point is a lock for the 7 game series but not the 5 game series.
I think it’s silly to think about it right now at the midway point but Keuchel definitely isn’t a playoff roster lock. He’s our 5th best starter and probably useless out of the pen. That said, I think he’ll pull it together in the second half.
Why is it a dumb thread? I think Keuchel will rebound and should have a solid second half. However, in Truth his problems have been here since the second half of last year. Keuchel for the better part of a year has been a high 4 ERA pitcher. If your starting pitching for the playoffs is Verlander, Cole, Morton, McCullers..... Do you put Keuchel in the bullpen with a 4.5 ERA? Seems like a legitimate questions....a question no one thought would ever be asked about Keuchel who was a cy young in 2015. He is reminding me of Bob Knepper in 1987. When Knepper was on...he was solid. When he was off...that slow pitch stuff got crushed.
