Astros, Josh Hader agree to 5 year, $95 million contract

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this deal ends up being a loser in terms of value and hurts the ability of the team to compete long term, but it will almost assuredly make the team better in ‘24 and ‘25 - seasons in which the Astros really need to cash in again as the prospects of remaining competitive thereafter are much more speculative.

I support this transaction.

 

Like the move. Hader creates a mental hurdle for the opposition in the playoffs. That's real. Want it. Love it. That said. great batters generally hate great technical pitchers more than great velocity. It's just the reality when great hitters get in the box.

Hader has dominated:
Seager
Acuna Jr.

He's been hit well by:
Freeman
Turner
Soto
Harper
Tatis

In Comparison. Pressly has:
Dominated:
Trout
Machado
Freeman

Mixed:
Ohtani

Been hit by:
Soto
Tatis
Garcia
Cabrera

 

I think this is a clue on how the back of the bullpen will be used. Matchup Baseball. However; if you need more than three outs, eliminate Hader. I'd love to see B Abreu's Dominated, Mixed and Been hit by added to this list.

It's very rare for stars to be effective against both LH and RH premium closers. Fortunately the best at it are Astros.

 

3 out of 4 playoff games Houston has, this will be their pitching setup:

Verlander, Framber, or Javier throw their nastiest stuff for 5 innings
Montero in the 6th
Abreu in the 7th
Pressly in the 8th
Hader in the 9th

Gotta like those odds. The other game would feature McCullers, Garcia, Brown, Urquidy, and whichever 2 other pitchers are throwing the best at the time (maybe Whitley and Coleman). If everybody gets/stays healthy this staff is gonna be dominant.

 

We should feast, since now the pitching coaches will be allowed to do their jobs.

 

Can't see the Dodgers getting there

Look, Ohtani is awesome. But he isn't pitching this year, and the guy he is replacing hit 33 HR and drove in 103 runs. A lot of people are significantly over estimating the offensive improvement he is going to bring them over what JD did last year.

 

Montero?

 

Do we carry two lefties with Souza (spelling?)

 

Had a 3.10 ERA with 40 K's in 29 innings past the all star break last year.

He got the contract and was bad early so everyone decided he was trash and Bagwell was trash and Crane was trash and yada yada yada

He could have thrown 30 straight scoreless innings at that point and many on this board would still say he was trash

Reality is, he was really good for the second half of the season last year. Very few teams, if any, are likely to have a better option for middle relief

 

As an organization we haven't cared about what hand someone throws with for a while. We did have a manager that fought it the last few years, but he is a giant now

We just need to have guy who can get out left hand hitters, regardless of if they throw with their right hand, left hand, right foot, whatever

If Souza is one of the best relievers, he will be on the team.

 

Pressly should have been the World Series MVP in 2022.

 

I know the questions were already, but I know that Pressly would like to finish his career with Houston.

 

A 3.10 ERA is not elite.

 

I love Ryan Pressly, and he has been as good one as can be in the postseason, but let’s not forgot that Chas McCormick saved his bacon in a one-run game 5 in Philadelphia. Realmuto would have had at least a double and possibly a triple if Chas doesn’t make that play.

 

#Innocent

 

It’s still good and perfectly acceptable for a sixth/seventh inning reliever.

 

My voice sound like money baby I shoulda been a Porsche.