2008 Baseball FA

No team is ever going to fill all their needs entirely thru free agency... unless you expect them to have a $150 million dollar payroll.

There will be player development assessment, as well as possible off-season trades that will land pieces... not simply "lets sign a free agent that's available for every need."

I see them using FA money on starting pitching, and an outfielder. I see them using in-house players for bullpen pitchers, potential catchers, and utility men.

 

Pitching is the most important need by far. I'd like us to sign Freddy Garcia cheap and also swing a trade for another SP.

 

I hear that Craig Biggio guy is pretty good...

 

I agree that the Astros will try to use FA money on starting pitching. They'll also try to address another position as well through FA, but don't think they'll limit it to the OF. It will depend on what's out there for what price.

 

If we bring back Brad Ausmus as a player next year, I will be super pissed.

 

What do the *'s mean?

 

Be prepared to be very pissed.

 

2B isnt really a need...we have burke and the astros believe he is the starting 2B next year. what we need is burke to produce like we know he can.

SS, again, not a need since management is hung up on adam everett as the starter, and i really have no problem with that as long as they upgrade at other positions like catcher

CF/RF coulda been solved with qualls for bourn, but purpura doesnt wanna take chances on young players and philly was reluctant to give him up. Aaron Rowand should be a target.

SP market is gonna be thin, we're prolly gonna resign Jennings anyway to save face on the trade.

C is gonna be really hard to come by in FA. we need to trade for kelly shoppach IMO. reminds me of John Buck, wont hit for a real high average and will K more than you'd like, but should hit close to 20 homers and is very good defensively.

2B Burke
RF Pence
1B Berkman
LF Lee
3B Wiggy
CF Rowand
C Shoppach
SS Everett

Oswalt
Sampson
Jennings
Wandy
Woody/Backe/Albers/Patton/Gutierrez

im not sure why the organization treats sampson like a 2nd class citizen. he throws strikes and is very efficient. he's what they were hoping Jennings was gonna be. he's more of a 3 type starter, but he keeps us in games and his efficiency allows him to eat up innings. if wandy can figure out his away problems, we could really have something. until then, he's our 4th starter.

 

PLease for the love of god, no more woody . I am hopin our starter include oswalt, sampson, backe and maybe wandy if he can learn to pitch the way he does at home everywhere. I would love to pick up carlos zambrano, but i highly doubt that is even possible.

 

i wouldnt mind them bring patton up this year to see what he's made of.

 

Is there really much upside to that? (besides some 3-day hype in an otherwise lackluster remainder of the season).

At a best case scenario, he blows away all expectations to close the season, and we get really excited about our prognosis next year...even though we're basing it all on simply a couple of months of performance from a pitcher which the league never saw before, and who most likely didn't have to face teams a 2nd or 3rd time... (when the book starts to get out on him).

The bad scenarios far outweigh:
a.) he's not ready, and he bombs
b.) he overcompensates by trying to impress (for next year)... which often causes mechanical issues/poor performance/injury.
c.) he simply doesn't have the stuff to be a rotation starter in Houston... and the team has to grapple whether or not to assess his 2 month run as something he can build on, or as a reflection of what his future will be like (this last one is a little extreme, given his young young age... but had he been 3 years older, it would be a carbon copy of what they had to go thru with Jason Hirsh this off-season).

The main thing holding him back is what holds most pitchers back... their age, and the fact that their arms are still developing/in-training to turn into every 4th-day big league starters. Most of the youngins who come (i'm talking the 19, 20, 21 year olds) invariably have some arm issues... something that the 23 and 24 year olds aren't as plagued with.

Patton is, however, being fast-tracked like no other pitcher in the organization before him (not even Oswalt... who wasn't straight out of HS)... so maybe they do roll the dice this year.

If it were up to me, I'd closely watch how he approaches the more experienced/veteran hitters the rest of the season at AAA, and if all goes well, give him every chance in spring training to make this club as a starter.

 

Nick,
I never thought bout it like that. I guess a bad outing would hinder his progress. I just thought it was kinda like bball. where the more experience against the better players would prepare him better. Let him get his feet wet and see what he can do ya know? Good points though

 

I can't believe we are already looking to the 2008 class of free agents,when we should be enjoying another 29 game hitting streak by willy t

the downfall of the 'yanquis' was that in their pursuit of free agents, they neglected their own farm system. Money does not buy happiness, i mean victories. But i do like freddy garcia and carlos silva also

 

I'd start by looking at Zambrano since he's good and plays within the division. I don't have dollar figures in mind since MLB prices seem to change every year. He'll probably be way too expensive and the Astros will try to get two SPs like Jennings and Wells.

 

Kosuke Fukudome

 

I honestly think we go into next year with this lineup:

2B Burke
CF Pence
1B Berkman
LF Lee
3B Wigginton
RF Scott
C Munson
SS Everett

Throw A-Rod money* at Zambrano.

* denotes exaggeration

 

If thats our line-up next year .......... we'll be in for another long year .

 

Maybe. Unless Burke hits like he showed he can in '06, Scott hits consistently like he has on occasion, Wigginton hits toward the high side of his career numbers, and the pitching staff is improved via FA or trade.