Qualls and Feldman

The Astros will not move them just to move them. If a team is willing to overpay for them ...

 

Qualls depends a lot on who we can get.

I'd have let Feldman go if he was claimed. He's not terrible, but the Astros have a number of arms ready to fill his spot.

 

Feldman unclaimed, but I agree that we should let him go if someone picks up all the salary in a trade and gives back a decent PTBNL or something

Qualls, same boat--only if a team in the hunt overpays. We are ready to try to start winning from the beginning next year, and the bullpen bets have not paid off (Albers, Crain, etc.). Letting Qualls go now means signing someone else and hoping in the offseason. Of course, Qualls is 36, so next season might be his last in Houston either way.

 

The Astros would give Feldman away if they could, they would even be willing to eat some salary, nothing needed in return.

I don't see how Qualls is in the same boat, the Astros actually want him moving forward. There is a reason he was claimed and not Feldman.

 

I wasn't clear. Qualls, same boat as the post I replied to. Not as Feldman.

I disagree that they should eat salary on Feldman though--unless they get something decent back. He's pitched well in 5 of his last 6. You're probably right that they'd give him away at full salary for nothing, though.

 

I do not think that this is the case at all. I suspect that the Astros are quite happy with how well Feldman has played. He has not had any significant injury. He has played to the value of the contract. He is not blocking any sure-fire prospect(s). He has helped the Astros become an average team.

 

$10 million a year for a guy with a 0.5 WAR?

 

Fangraphs has his WAR at 1.0 (I'm a BR guy myself, but I want to throw that out there).

He'll have $18M/2 years remaining, which does seem close to FMV, but teams are less inclined to add that kind of salary during the season.

 

I don't mind Feldman... he's been reliable and fairly consistent... but if his salary prevents moves elsewhere, then I will like his signing less and less.

 

Yes, please.

 

I'd also point out that his last 2 years were 2.3 and 2.0 WAR (even with a 5.09 ERA which was far from his FIP and xFIP in 2012). So this year might be the aberration moreso than last.

 

Supposedly the Tigers made a claim

Rumor is that the Tigers made a claim on Qualls to try and shore up their bullpen. Tigers only have a couple more years, at best, left in contention, so they may be willing to overpay via a trade. But they have one of the worst farms in MLB, as they've gutted the farm to make runs the past few years.

 

I'm more of a Fangraphs person myself. 1 fWAR was estimated to be worth about $6.2M this season. Assuming he continues at the pace he is expected to finish this season at for the last two years of his deal, he'll be worth about $14/2 for free agents. Definitely looking like a bad deal right now. Not the worst deal and definitely not crippling.

Here's to hoping he can rebound and get back to being a ~4 FIP pitch.

 

If the 18 million remaining on his salary prevents us from making any other moves, then we are gonna be screwed long term as fans anyway

 

This is ludicrously silly.

 

If that team had a starting spot available.

 

Yes... and so would an extra $10 million dollars, provided that his cheaper replacement could be a back of the rotation guy as well.

 

Not really...

I don't want this team spending just to spend.... which is essentially what they did with Feldman (overpaying a #3 or #4 starter to make their overall payroll somewhat respectable).

I also don't want them locked into any long term high paying contracts with pitchers (nothing more than 3 years), and past their prime (or end of prime) position players looking for that one big paycheck. Even big market teams tend to end up struggling when those acquisitions fail.

Make no mistake, they're going to need to field a lineup of more than just prospects and call ups... but those guys are going to be role players. The stars have to be developed from within. The bullpen would also be best developed from within (with the "abundance" of pitching in the minors, it would be shocking if those guys couldn't at least fill some of the key bullpen roles).

Just with their homegrown guys alone... the payroll will start creeping up (as Castro/Fowler hit arbitration, Singleton's contract kicks in, and they likely negotiate some sort of arbitration/FA year buyout on Springer)