I know Montgomery had a great year last year, particularly in the post-season, but this guy is not that good. Does bringing in a SP with a projected FIP over 4 really help the team? I guess it would help fill in for losing JV...
With all the injuries and limited depth in the bullpen, right now the Astros need someone who can eat up innings more than they need an ace. Someone who can pitch 5-6 innings reliably with better than the average results would help them considerably.
All this handwringing you would think Verlander is out for the year. Framber, Javier, brown, some combination of blanco, arighetti and bullpen game will suffice for a few weeks. Later on Garcia will be back. Relax.
I'm glad you didn't say McCullers. Tired of everyone penciling him into the rotation as any type of reliable pitching option. I will believe it when I see it. I will be happy to pay 2X the amount, for fresh crow if that happens.
I haven't heard anything strong on Montgomery, other than the usual "talking to Boras" crap that I hear ever since Brown took over as GM. I know that Crane personally liked watching Snell pitch, going back to Snell's first Cy Young win - and that Crane likes guys that are pitchers and that dominate. Having said that - Jordan Montgomery is probably a better fit for the Astros than Snell (not as if that matters to Crane), because he actually pitches consistent from season to season and he goes deep into games. With the Astros offense, the Astros bullpen, and Montgomery's ability to go deep into games - he could win 20 games with the Astros in 2024. I had heard Seattle and San Francisco as the top choices for Snell. Supposedly Montgomery wants to go to Boston or Texas..... but you have the Yankees REALLY needing starting pitching, and the Astros apparently willing to spend on the right guy. So who knows? I am sure Boras has made Montgomery last on purpose... Montgomery has only made 20 million in his career, after taxes and spending - he likely only has a net worth of like 6-10 million and as a result he may want the security of a longer deal but with less annual salary.
Yea, McCullers basically is found money if you get anything out of him. I didn’t include France, because I was unsure of his injury status. The best offense in baseball should be able to hold the fort for a while. Paying Montgomery 30m is insane time, but it ain’t my money
This is not an original take, but for me personally, it is very risky going into the season with a gimpy 41-year old who already showed signs of fall off from his lofty perch last season, hoping a shaky 2nd half Framber Valdez and Christian Javier return to form, and/or hoping some combo of Hunter Brown, France, Blanco emerges as a consistent top of rotation quality pitcher. It’s complicated because the range of possible outcomes ranges from we could have a loaded staff with surplus to zero reliable top of rotation pitchers. And, it goes w/o saying that the cap and luxury tax are variables as well. It feels like an insurance policy is needed in the form of a Snell (no longer an option) or a Montgomery or some other T.O.R. pitcher that I’m not thinking of (which likely doesn’t exist at this point). Question: Can you go over the luxury tax threshold with a signing, and then later trade players to get back under the threshold or are you penalized the moment you exceed the threshold with no future correction permitted?
Monty isn't top of the rotation and if he is, we have a bigger problem. He's good. He's fine. but even last year on the Rangers, he was a stop gap. He would be here too. Should we go after him as the best guy available? Yes! But please don't think of him as a top of the rotation guy. He'd serve the same role here as he did in Arlington. Top of the rotation when you've got multiple injuries. With a full staff: 1. Framber 2. Verlander 3. Javier 4/5. Monty/LMJR/Garcia
Verlander and Urquidy start season on IL 3/28 NYY = Framber 3/29 NYY = Javier 3/30 NYY = Brown 3/31 NYY = Blanco 4/1 TOR = France/Bielak 4/2 TOR = Framber - regular rest 4/3 TOR = Javier - regular rest 4/5 @ Tex = Brown - 5 days rest 4/6 @ Tex = Blanco - 5 days rest 4/7 @ Tex = Framber - regular rest 4/8 @ Tex = Javier - regular rest 4/9 @ KC = France/Bielak 4/10@KC = Brown - regular rest 4/11@KC = Blanco - regular rest 4/12 Tex = VERLANDER 4/13 Tex = Framber - 5 days rest 4/14 Tex = Javier - 5 days rest 4/15 Atl = France/Bielak - 5 days rest 4/16 Atl = Brown - 5 days rest 4/17 Atl = Blanco - 5 days rest 4/17 Atl = Verlander - 5 days rest As long as Verlander can come back after getting built up 24 days from now this isn't terrible.
tl;dr: no That Houston even pursued Snell would seem to reinforce that worry, but Brown remained adamant that “ultimately, I feel good about our rotation.” Asked then why the team would even try for Snell, Brown praised a pedigree he doesn’t seem to see with other available pitchers. “It’s a different guy. If we have a bunch of guys that are similar to the other guys that are available, why go after them? Why pay more money for the same production,” Brown said. “We feel like if we get Snell, that’s a huge piece, so you have to be on the market for a guy that’s a huge piece like that. But the other guys that are available, they compare to all of our guys that we have depth with. I wouldn’t want to pay more money and we got a guy right around the minimum or a little bit more. That wouldn’t be smart.” World Series hero Jordan Montgomery, a man with a career 3.68 ERA, is still seeking work. Reigning American League All-Star Michael Lorenzen is among the free-agent starters still available, too. Clubs will start trimming their spring training rosters this week, too, perhaps putting more arms on the market. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported on Tuesday the Astros won’t pivot to Montgomery. Lorenzen would make sense as a more cost-effective alternative for a team already poised to exceed the competitive balance tax and carry its largest Opening Day payroll in franchise history.
Lance and Arrighetti not ready for opening day? I see why Astros were pursuing Snell. Javier is a 90 PC pitcher until proven otherwise. If he gets thru 5 innings with <90, his day should be finished -- ditto Lance, Blanco, Garcia, and Bielak. Brown and France need to be watched carefully as well. They need to be handled slowly to begin the season, then ramp it up after they establish something. But the team should definitely not push them early, then try to make up ground on the back-end. Hopefully Javier's non-participation in the WBC will help his stamina.
We wont sign Bauer, and the Rangers will get Montgomery back. Bauer is a very low risk high reward scenario. Plus everyone hates us already, why the **** not?
Sure, and why stop there with bringing in people Houston fans hate and who hate us too. Let's sign Mike Fiers. Bring Carlos Beltran in as a bench coach and Jack Easterby to the Astros front office. For the Rockets bring in Stockton and Malone to the front office or coaching staff. What's Cortland Finnegan up to these days? Maybe he can give a keynote speech for Andre Johnson.
Wouldn't be a fan of Bauer. Purely from a stats standpoint sure. Not a fan of him as a person at all. Way worse than Osuna.
Jesus. Trevor Bauer is not even that good. He hasn’t pitched in MLB in over 2.5 seasons. He’s had only one really good full season (2018). Setting aside he has admitted to beating up women (“but they asked for it and they’re money grubbing whores!”, respond all the idiots, in unison), he has literally posted pics of himself wearing a shirt bashing the Astros for the cheating scandal. One of our franchise players (Bregman) has made a point to clarify in front of the national media that he does NOT like Bauer. The Astros signing Trevor Bauer is the stupidest idea I’ve ever seen on this site, and that’s saying something.
