I might have agreed, but outbidding the Metsies and the Cubbies? So, I'll counter you with Giles for Lane.
furcal isn't going to be worth all the big money being thrown his way. and i'll keep lane because he'll be cheaper and i expect him to get better next season. he could very well hit 30+ homeruns next year, and he's a pretty good fielder too.
while lane isn't spectacular he is certainly at least average. we have a way bigger hole at shortstop.
I'd keep lane, he hit IIRC, 25hr's last season. I forsee him hitting over 30 home runs this coming season if givin the same minutes. I'd like to see Adam replaced.
Give me Giles. Trade Everett 'home' to Atlanta (to replace Furcal). Trade Lane for a shortstop (or a catcher if BA goes 'home' to SD) -- Cabrera could be had, but not worth his salary. Reyes if Mets sign Furcal? Someone will be available for Lane's potent bat (ok, ok -- I don't believe he's anything but a 'wheelhouse' hitter but when he gets one in his wheelhouse he knocks it out of the house). Thus, Everett and Lane bring in reinforcements while FA brings in some 'needs'.
Gurerro showed in the ALCS that he hacks way too much against good pitching. The Astros have 3 big offensive holes in their lineup: LF/1B(whichever Berkman doesn't play at), catcher, and shortstop. I think those three positions hold about equal weight. Sure, Lamb is a better hitter than Everett or Ausmus. But it's also much easier to find a better hitting 1st baseman than a SS/C. Of those positions, I think we should hold on to Everett. He's young, cheap, and I don't like the alternatives. Furcal will be WAY overpaid just like Cabera and that SS who plays for the Red Sox(his name eludes me at the moment). Certainly won't be worth the money. As for 1B/LF, I think the Astros should look for a trade, or try to find a diamond in the rough. It's very possible to get good production from the position without spending too much money... that is if you can find the right player. Therefore, I'd go with Hernandez to replace Ausmus for our big splash.
Keep Ausmus with a short one or two year contract, he's still a good defensive catcher and makes good calls when it comes to pitches and organizing defense. He's also a lot cheaper than say Hernandez or Molina. Both of them will go for big money. Also, most catchers can't hit so it's not like we really need some major slugging catcher. Plus Ausmus did a pretty good job down the stretch. As for shortstop, the alternatives to Everett are pretty bad. Furcal will go for major money because he's pretty much the only good free agent shortstop. Maybe Nomar can be had on the cheap because of his recent injuries but that's a risky investment. Either he comes back and plays well like Jermaine Dye did or he becomes a waste of money and someone like Jose Vizcaino ends up playing the whole time. If you cant get Garciaparra cheap, then stick with Everett. The one signing I like is Brian Giles. He's a solid hitter with some power who will never strike out and led the league in walks. He also shouldnt cost too much money considering there will be bigger guys like Damon and Ramirez that the big teams like the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox will chase. The wild card in all of this is Bagwell. If he plays, Berkman gets moved back to the outfield and we're screwed money wise considering the payroll will be around 80 million. Unless Drayton decides that we should start spending major money, we'll be stuck with what we have.
IMO, it's pretty pointless to think about Drayton signing any of these free agents.....why would he? He'll just tell everyone that we got to the World Series with the lineup that we have and that "they were four CLOSE games away from being champions!". I wouldn't mind if they took a look at Juan Encarnacion....not a very high on base guy, but a pretty good hitter overall....and relatively young at 29.
Rocketman. If you have a minute do you mind giving us your ratings of all the Astros starting players 1 through 8? Just very generally speaking where would you rate them with the rest of the NL?
I wasn't referring to the whining about the players, at least in this thread. I think there are various upgrades we could make if the right situation came along. I think we should look at any possible upgrades to SS and LF (if Bagwell doesn't comeback). I personally like Lane in RF and Taveras in CF. MoBerg's a given at 3rd (and people have been whining about him, already) and Biggio's going to be the starter at 2nd for at least part of the year. Ausmus had a great second half and the pitchers love him. I think you have to bring him back, but Hernandez or Molina wouldn't be bad replacements. I just wouldn't make it a top priority. If Roger retires again, I think another SP will be the biggest need, honestly.
This idea makes perfect sense. Bagwell has had a wonderful career for the Astros, but it is over, even though he doesn't seem to know that it is over, it's over.