About the absolute best we can hope for this season is Fifth Place in the NL Central. And we'd better be looking over our shoulders at the Cubbies! Major changes coming this winter. A lot more cash to spend with Bagwell, Clemens, and (likely) Pettitte gone. Maybe we can dispose of Springer, Qualls, and Lidge as well - unless we are wiling to pay big bucks for treatment of thier head cases .
I don't expect we'll end up having much cash to spend to get new players. Yea, Bagwell, Clemens, and probably Pettite will be off the books, but Drayton has already said the payroll is gonna come down a good bit. Also, some of our existing players are going to be due raises. And we had better try to hold on to Qualls, Lidge, and Springer. We would be better off getting rid of some people like Ensberg, Everett, and Ausmus.
And we won't even try to sign the top 2 bats on the free agent market since they're both Boras clients.
If Clemens and Pettitte retire, and Bagwell is off the books, on paper that is alot of freed up money. However, McLane only opened the purse strings to contend, with said players gone and the status of Lidge and Biggio up in the air, the Astros may very well sign no one of major significance. I say this because Purpura is big on building through the farm system. Off the top of my head: Oswalt, Backe, Hirsh, Sampson and maybe Nieve will be the starting rotation. If Huff can't be resigned for a reasonable (Astros' standard of reasonable) contract, then he's gone. Lane needs to go, never have I seen a player given so many chances and at his age, he isn't going to get better. So that should make the roster look something like this: Line-up CF- Taveras 2B- Biggio 1B- Berkman 3B- Ensberg LF- Burke or Lane RF- Scott C- Ausmus SS- Everett Bench 1B/3B/OF - Lamb PH- TBD (I doubt Palmeiro is retained) Starters Oswalt Backe Hirsh Sampson Nieve (?) Relievers Dave Borkowski Brad Lidge Trever Miller Chad Qualls Wandy Rodriguez (will probably be in the minors) Russ Springer Dan Wheeler (One more arm will probably be brought up or acquired during the offseason) Hopefully there is a chance that Pence comes up and that Pettitte resigns for substantially less money. Its sad we're talking about the offseason, but unless they really turn it around the Astros will be watching the post season at home.
Ausmus will be gone too, and Biggio will only play full time until he gets his 3000 hit, sometime in May/June. DD
I can see Ausmus taking a reduced role next year. I would really expect Pettitte to come back, and he'd catch him for sure and probably Oswalt. But I'd be suprised if House doesn't catch most of the rest of the games. The only kicker would be if the Astros sign a big name pitcher and promise him Ausmus as a battery mate.
