A good GM would figure out how to package together some of these cheap, above replacement level but averagish players we have accumulated as part of a trade for a stud player or two. Luhnow did this a time or two if memory serves.
If you told me two years ago that the Texans would have better management and would be in a better position to win a championship than the Astros in 2024, I would have said you were crazy. The Astros really need a strong GM/President of operations. Really hoping I’m wrong about Dana. At least last years draft seems like it’s off to a good start
Here is my problem with Dana His strategy in the draft seems to be go for the high risk high reward type of players. Now that's fine in the draft, if you are finding a stud every other year even then supplement it with hitting on some of the Latin America signings and you can build a farm system that makes a winner that way BUT Right now it looks like he wants to build the Major League roster that way also. This team has plenty of studs, but the great majority of players who aren't studs really shouldn't be on an MLB roster Singleton, while he should be playing more over Abreu, really isn't a mlb quality player. He is a big K bat who doesn't even seem to have the power he used to have. If we cut him, no team in baseball would pick him up Kessinger isn't even a prospect, dude is 26 and while the sample size is tiny, he has not shown the ability at all to handle major league pitching. Some teams who know they can't compete would possibly give him playing time, but no contender would put him on the roster Meyers/Dubon...Dubon definitely is an mlb quality player, but he has value as a true utility guy who starts 2-3 times a week, looks like he is going to be playing more than that in CF now, and if he is your starting CF you are well below average at that position. Then look at the bullpen. Other than Crane signing Hader, he didn't bring in a single guy who you should have confidence that he will be a solid major league pitcher. He signed/acquired a bunch of guys who have some good "stuff", but none of which we had any reason to think were ready to contribute at the MLB level. It was a bunch of guys other organizations were done with basically The Astros obviously have been dominant in large part to Altuve, Springer/Tucker, Correa/Pena, Bregman, Yordan, Keuchel, Morton, Cole, JV, Framber etc.....but those teams were also deep in players who truly belonged at the MLB level. We had guys who could come off the bench and give you a quality at bat, guys who could come off the bench and give you some power, and guys in the pen who were legit and ready to face MLB hitters, even if they weren't all studs. A stars and scrubs approach to the draft is one thing, but Dana is going to have to show some ability to build a legit major league roster or we are about to go into a very disappointing phase
Don't most teams, even contenders, have a couple of borderline players? As for the bullpen, Astros seem to be banking on injured starters returning then moving some of them to the bullpen. Those guys should be fully capable of eating innings whether it's 1-3 innings/appearance. The Big 3 has inexplicably underperformed, but they should bounce back with more rest from open dates and Espada being a tad more clever. The Astros have been playing a 95-win team on average every game this year. By the time we're near full-health -- which could happen next few weeks -- the staff might be the most feared in baseball and finish Top 5 in most major categories by season's end.
Sign Belt, DFA Singleton. Bring up Loperfido, send down Kessinger. No more playing Dubon in the OF, he's not an OF. He is a decent guy off the bench to play all around the IF, but he should be starting once or twice a week. Altuve, Belt, Alvarez, Diaz, Tucker, Bregman, McCormick, Loperfido/Meyers, Pena.
I wouldn't mind if Jackson, Bagwell, and Biggio put together plans on how to develop our players and maybe them get involved in the scouting of players for the draft. What I don't want them doing at all is being some sort of ****ing consortium on putting together the 26-man roster with the owner that clearly has no idea what he is doing.
Detective Ricky is on the case. Let’s see baggie went to Sugarland, loperfido is not in the lineup, Chaz’s brother says something is going on. It can only mean one thing.
