Bagwell has never been the GM. Bagwell is probably one of the top-10 baseball-smarts instructors I would want teaching baseball to baseball players. Maddux, Jeter, Gwynn, Bagwell, Pettite, Pudge, Edgar Martinez, Torii Hunter, etc.....Talent out the wazoo but also cerebral players
Abreu was never "the" problem, even as bad as he was playing. He won't singlehandedly make all the good things suck again. However, I think there is something to be said about effect on clubhouse morale when a once great player everybody likes and respects is being humiliated on a daily basis. Watching a player that needs to be old yellered is tough. Hopefully there is some confidence or mechanical change that can make him serviceable, but like everybody else I think this is very likely to hurt the team more than help.
The Abreu conundrum. It took very little to remove Abreu. Meaning there is very little in front of Abreu. He'll likely get another shot
What is a baseball-smarts instructor? Are you saying that he is top 10 based on his ability to recognize Jabreu as the first base free agent acquisition that we direly needed to go out and spend $100 million on to insure our dynasty for years to come? Sure he talks a good game. That is why I think he is best suited in a TV booth giving opinions and discussing baseball issues where he can do no harm to the team. He is much like a drunk at a bar that talks and rants giving opinions and quick fixes to real world problems but in the end offers no real solutions.
Can’t agree with this more. The team was playing like dog **** all around. Abreu was just an easy scapegoat. That being said, don’t really care to rush him back now that we seem to have figured some things out.
Personal opinion aside. No one else thinks that. I hear him in the booth, talking just to seem intelligent. It's annoying.
We have a tradition of hitters that can outhit Abreu: Greinke, Hampton, Oswalt, Pettitte, Portugal, McHugh...
He literally was on pace of the worst WAR in baseball history and broke the system on how to calculate OPS+
Sorry. I do. I admit he was better in the booth his first few times, but the dude simply knows baseball. I learn something every time he is in the booth, though I admit those nuggets are lesser and further between than in 2022. Having watched him his entire MLB career I was always amazed and entertained at how he played the game. From stealing 30 bases as a slow runner or fielding a bunt 20 ft in front of the plate and throwing a runner out at third. The kind of baseball intelligence Bagwell has is rare. Maldy actually has it, but never had the hitting talent to become a star and now age has caught up to him. But back to Jeff, the Astros are lucky to have him and as long as he stays away from the business aspect (which he has despite opinions here) the organization is much better with him involved.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/tuck-on-roll-the-astros-have-a-new-best-player/ At this point unless he gets hurt or hits some unprecedented slump, Tucker is almost certain to secure $200M and could even be in range of $300M. He’s 2 years younger than Springer was as a free agent and a significantly more productive player. Houston can probably weather losing Bregman, but they will need something dramatic to happen to still contend after losing Tucker.
I assume Cabbage and Kessinger would be the ones sent down when Chas and (barf) Abreu are activated? I will be annoyed if Loperfido gets sent down, I would prefer if he and Chas tandem in LF, both playing the occasional CF. Yordan likes to play LF but dude is the DH, plain and simple. Dubon really should exclusively be the infield bench bat, pinch hit and give him some starts at SS, 2B and 3B to give those guys some rest. Pena has played every single game.
Just looking at position players in 2026 of none of the projected FA return, it looks bad but not bleak. C) Diaz (27) 1b) ? 2b) Altuve (36) 3b) ? SS) Pena (28) LF) Chas (31) CF) Meyers (30) RF) ? DH) Yordan (29) Util) Dubon (31) 6 of 9 spots are filled with legitimate MLB average or better players. 5 of them 31 or under and 4 realistic All Stars. 1b) Singleton (34) Loperfido (27) Cabbage (29) 3b) ? no realistic options unless DeZenzo recovers and regains prospect momentum. RF) Loperfido and Cabbage. Other potential starters Leon (28) DeZenzo (26) Corona (26) Melton (25) Barber (25) Baez (22) K.Gomez (21) This really emphasis why it would be better to resign Bregman if they can work out an agreement.
There’s really not much about Barber or Gomez or even Corona to think they will be everyday-caliber players in 2026. Houston will probably find one good everyday player between Loperfido, Leon, Melton, Dezenzo, Baez, and Whitcomb, with the rest falling between fringey regulars, bench players, AAAA guys, and busts. If Meyers and Pena are able to sustain their hot starts and be counted on for 7 combined wins/yr over the next 3 seasons, that will go a long way to maintaining the window. Especially if Yainer Diaz joins them in being borderline stars. 10 wins from those 3 plus another 7 from Altuve/Alvarez and the expected 5-6 wins from bench and other complementary players gets them to 20-25 wins on offense with holes at 1B and 3B. The standard for contending teams is 25-30, and if you’re only going to have 25, you’d better have a stacked pitching staff. If they want their lineup to be roughly on par with 2017-2022, they probably need another star to emerge from somewhere. Projected 2026 roster: C Diaz 3.0 1B Loperfido 1.5 2B Altuve 3.5 SS Pena 3.5 3B Dubon 1.5 RF Melton 2.0 CF Meyers 3.0 LF McCormick 2.5 DH Alvarez 3.5 UT Whitcomb 1.0 C Salazar 0.5 BB Cabbage 0.5 OF Leon 1.5 Total: 27.5 I think those are pretty optimistic estimates. Only 2 of those guys project to be elite hitters (Altuve and Alvarez) and Father Time is eventually going to catch Altuve. A lot of those projected values is tied up in defense.
