Best fits for Bregman next year to me are Giants and Cubs in tier 1, Phillies and Tigers in tier 2, and Blue Jays, Mets, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros in tier 3.
That is in part because there are more rounds to the playoffs than there were 30 years ago or even 5 years ago (not that it's affected the Astros except the Covid year because we win division titles). Not saying he hasn't come up clutch but gotta keep things in perspective.
You might as well have called Tucker Casper during last postseason, because he disappeared for most of it. He wasn't '22 Altuve bad but he was mostly a non-factor.
The Yankees signed Marwin Gonzalez and nobody said a word. The cheating scandal means nothing to teams about who they sign. Only fans care and then only until a player makes a team better. I have read countless Yankee fans who want the Yankees to sign Bregman so bad it's comical
I'm not disagreeing with you But reason or not, he has performed in the postseason and teams look for that if they feel they can compete and want leaders/examples. And it's not like suddenly there will be fewer teams making the playoffs. They are here to stay
Marwin isn't nearly as big a star as Bregman. And he's been here the whole time. I just don't see it, might as well say they should trade for altuve to make them better when he is (unfair) considered the biggest cheat from the early part of the era.
Right but by saying stuff like you're saying (at least how you're framing it), you're making it out like he's been better than or at least as good as Babe Ruth or something in the postseason. Part of the reason he has so many stats is he's been with the Astros the entire run of ALCS or better appearances and has appeared in 4 World Series. Certainly more raw numbers than pretty much if not all players in the pre-LCS era and than pretty much all in the LCS to WS era and the overwhelming majority in the WC era. But that's, in part, because of volume, not because he's one of the greatest postseason performers of all time. It is very hard to be good and make the playoffs every year in MLB and that's exactly what the Astros have done for 8 of the last 9 seasons, including the last 7. Most players in the history of the game make/made the playoffs once if they are/were lucky, twice if they are/were really lucky. What the Astros have been doing is almost unprecedented and certainly is in the AL. And it's given Alex plenty of opportunities to pad his postseason stats. Again, not that he hasn't been good in the playoffs, because he has been. But he's closer to above average in the playoffs than elite.
But that's kind of the point. If the Yankees were willing to sign Marwin who was a shell of the player he was in 2017 without even expecting him to start then where is the payoff? Where is the positive to counter this huge fan outrage? It's not there because the outrage never comes. This is a non-issue that clueless people and the media are keeping alive.
Was this directed toward me? If so, which post? I have an idea, just trying to make sure (you quoted yourself).
But that's kind of the point. If the Yankees were willing to sign Marwin who was a shell of the player he was in 2017 without even expecting him to start then where is the payoff? Where is the positive to counter this huge fan outrage? It's not there because the outrage never comes. This is a non-issue that clueless people and the media are keeping alive.
I think if the Dodgers bring in a low level star like Bregman who was an integral part of the Astros current run, especially that first tainted World Series year (yes, I know others were cheating too but we did it the best, the most and won it all, beating the Dodgers in the process), it would be met with tons of negativity. Dodgers fans have a disdain for anything Astros and especially anyone from that 2017 team. GRANTED, I will give you Jake Marisnick, who was signed by them and they took a hypocritical stance on him but Marisnick is not Bregman. There would be a huge difference imo.
If Bregman had a good year and got big hits they’d forget all about it. If he was bad and didn’t live up to his contract it would be a thing with them. fans are hypocrite (and morons) news at 10!
I have seen this statement made a thousand times and it still pisses me off. Stealing signs was never illegal. Teams were told not to communicate stolen signs with electronic devises, so the Astros went old school. Nobody said no tin cans with strings, no smoke signals, or no drums in the jungle. This was about electronic communication, watches etcetera.You don't think we came up with this first do you? What do you think was done before there was electronic communication. The cheater name that was hung on the astros and the indignation that followed was a fabrication by Manfreds office and the press. The fact that a few people like to harp on it after all this time says a lot about those people and nothing about the Astros.
I check in on these boards every day to read the various rumors, opinions, and comments. On the subject of whether The Astros should consider adding another SP I’ve seen opinions ranging from ‘Sign/Trade for <pitcher x>‘ to ‘We’re good because Framber and/or Javier will return to form, Hunter Brown is going to rise up, and we get Garcia/McCullers back eventually’. For those in the “We’re good” camp, I would offer that you “might” be right, but this is a view taken on faith. One could reasonably put question marks by the name of every pitcher in our rotation 1 thru 5 (or 6) from Verlander’s age and postseason struggles to Framber and Javier’s falls off a cliff to Hunter Brown hitting the stereotypical rookie wall last season to the health of McCullers. Let’s not forget how important not just good, but dominant starting pitching is in the postseason. Do any of us really feel as confident in the dominance of that staff compared to what The Astros were throwing out there 4 and 5 years ago (Verlander, Cole, Greinke)? Look, I realize the franchise is still in a good place, but if winning it all is the goal, it’s fair to question and wonder if this current rotation limits championship goals. Salary cap hell? Yeah, that’s a legitimate challenge and a reason for staying the course and hoping the more optimistic projections for this staff bear out. But it’s also a reason that exploring ways to take a chance on talent at value should never be off the table if a GM is doing their job free of emotion and focused on the bottom line which should be ‘Just win’ in a profession where coaches and GM shelf lives are that of milk and not wine.
This isn't entirely accurate. Teams were told not to use technology to steal signs. How the info was relayed wasn't specified. I LOVE the Astros, but the truth is the culture Luhnow brought allowed them to cross a line. But it was a line that many other teams crossed as well. I think the Astros' system and success (along with that b**** Fiers) made it easy for MLB to target them and they deserved the punishment. But I also think: 1) several other teams deserved it as well, even if to a slightly lesser degree. 2) MLB has/had an agenda to protect the league and other teams that required them to publicly make the Astros the fall guy and only guilty party. 3) most media members are follower/click whores that ate the story up and continue to use it as a lazy way to keep viewers and popularity from fans of other teams. 4) fans are lazy and believe what is told them, AND the majority of people in general have little concept of accountability and refuse to think or believe their team wasn't cheating and that they could have lost fairly or at least on an even playing field. 5) the real, on field, fallout from the punishment is still to come. Losing Luhnow, other staffers, and 4 premium draft picks likely reduces the talent on the roster over the next couple of years until Briwn is able to build it back up.
You are absolutely right that the opinion the team has enough pitching is based on faith. But it always is and always will be. Pitchers get hurt. Period. It's simply a matter of when. To me it's 2 different scenarios and issues. 1) Is there enough pitching to navigate a 162 game season at a high enough level to make the post season (and get a bye)? In the event of several injuries, is this still the case? To me, this answer is "yes". Even without McCullers and Garcia, the rotation is 6 deep in proven MLB caliber starters, then there are a few AAAA level guys who can fill in and a few unproven guys who could become BOR guys if needed and given a chance. Add that to the facts that this team has an excellent offense and McCullers and Garcia should return around mid-season and I don't think there is any question. The bullpen has 3 anchors and Brown has packed it with high ceiling unproven guys. Even with multiple injuries 3-4 should prove enough to make this a good group. 2) This one is a bit more complicated. Once in the post season, is there enough pitching to win? This one really relies on faith and luck. A potential WS winning team needs 3 high end SP (and is better with 4), 3 high end leverage RP, and at least another 2-3 serviceable arms that are reasonably likely to not take a gas can to the mound. Framber, JV, Javier, Brown, and McCullers all have the arms and stuff to be in a playoff rotation. If any 4 of them are healthy (and not fatigued) then the rotation is reasonable, if 2+ are not then this gets very dicey. This is where an upgrade from Garcia, Urquidy, France, Bielak, etc would really make sense and improve the overall odds of winning. Pressly, Hader, and Abreu form an exceptional back end, but at least another 2 guys must step up and be able to take innings in the postseason. Montero and Coleman have both had high level MLB success in the past but need to recover from bad seasons to recapture that ability. There are, literally, a dozen other unproven guys in camp who have the ability to step up to this level. Even if 2 or 3 make it the bullpen will be very good. Looking at a potential postseason bullpen is much more optimistic. Even if 1 of the big 3 get hurt, the likelihood that multiple guys from the other group step up is very good. I even think it is very likely 1 or 2 actually step up far enough they could be considered leverage capable and pitch the 8th and/or 9th innings with confidence if needed. Then of course, the SP not needed, can take the depth roles and this becomes an even more formidable group. Let's also remember that high leverage RP is also readily available and cheap at the deadline. So, all this basically means that IF the Astros bring in another pitcher, then that guy needs to be a starter, and needs to be an upgrade over Garcia, Urquidy, or France. Otherwise what's the point. He should be a proven top 3 starter like Snell or Montgomery, or guy who has top 3 stuff but is currently down due to injury or bad performance and has potential for a return to form, like Eovaldi last year.
