<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How much more money did Colby Ramus make himself in the last week?</p>— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDrellich/status/652316646640623616">October 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He loves Houston, he may want a guaranteed starting gig though, but his reputation plays into the Astros hands. A OF rotation of Springer/Gomez/Marsnick/Rasmus/Tucker or whoever is just about the best in baseball.
I think Rasmus is a player that will be very good if he takes 450 to 490 at bats in a year. Next year with Marisnik they can share the OF. The odd man out is Tucker
Tucker could be a .280 25-30 hr guy as soon as next year. I do hope we can resign Rasmus though but I don't know if he would accept a bench role. He could still start 3-4 games a week though.
That's basically what he did for much of this year Hinch was masterful at keeping all those OF involved and ready to contribute
those vets! he's been huge down the stretch. how do you not want him back? I guess if someone over pays.
The deeper this playoff run goes, the more pressure Astros management should feel to spend and keep Rasmus. We need to add to the lineup, not takeaway a key postseason contributor. You don't mess with clubhouse chemistry like this. We need another middle of the order bat at 1b or 3b, a bonafide closer, and a no 2 starter (which can be added mid season). The big bat and closer are musts, and we are probably talking about a 3b. AJ Reed looks like the rake at 1b.
We can still have those numbers, at DH I don't think Hinch rotated the guys as much as he could, the only reason Marisnick and Rasmus got so many at bats were the injuries to Gomez and Springer, but not using Tucker MORE at DH was a mistake.
Can't really spend in free agency at 1B or 3B. Reed like you mentioned is looking like the next star coming through the system. And the Astros have Moran and J.D. Davis at 3B who both put up really good numbers last season and then there's Bregmann who if he lives up to his draft status will have to move from SS. Can't lock up a long term guy and block all that talent. I'd re-sign Rasmus & Sipp. Kazmir is still up in the air (if he pitches outstanding, I'd no problem on a 2-3 yr deal). I'd let Perez walk, buyout Qualls for 250k and save that 3.5 mil. I like Bastardo from the Pirates as a LH upgrade of Perez. And there are a few closers I like on the market but Gregerson has been good. I'd really just be patient what we have now is winning and there's huge upgrades coming along the way (Reed, Moran, Davis, hopefully Appel, Bregmann, Cameron, Tucker II, Fisher, Velasquez, Feliz, Ferrell, etc)
I think the Astros need for a big offensive upgrade is overstated. We finished 2nd in baseball in OPS, and 6th in runs scored. The problem we ran into was once Springer and Lowrie were hurt, we were running basically an entire lineup of high strikeout, low OBP players. A few of them are OK, an entire lineup of them is unproductive. It made a problem look worse than it actually was. Despite that we still finished with good run and OBP totals. Plus we added Gomez at the deadline, who is a very productive hitter when healthy. I honestly would be fine if we bring back Rasmus in LF and let the 1B position be decided in house. There really aren't many great options on the market.
With one of the lowest payrolls in MLB, I'll quote Shia LaBeouf...JUST DO IT! I like Rasmus, Marisnick, and Springer in the outfield. Good gloves & bats. Not too high on Gomez, but maybe it's just because he's a new comer. Anyone else not really excited when they announced that trade? I thought it at least meant Tucker would move down to 1st, but nahhhhh let's just jam up OF.
Over the last 4 years Gomez has posted a .798 OPS, with a respectable .331 OBP. He is a very productive hitter, better than Rasmus, and miles ahead of Marisnick. Not quite as good as Springer overall, but close. He had a slump when he got here. He was starting to rake and then got hurt. He isn't as good a CF as Marisnick is (not many are) but he is very good and his offensive value makes him a much better player overall.
Those numbers are even better if we consider he plays CF. The trade was really a surprise because we all wanted a closer or 1b, we already had surplus of OF and pitching, but Luthnow did what he has done all year, bringing many players to compete for positions and have surplus on each position, and let the best players play. Fiers was essential for us winning the second spot of the WC, so the trade was good. Also, those two "assets" are here for next year, and Fiers until 2020. This guy is as GOOD as McHugh, he is a very good pitcher.
Oh and for anyone inclining to think our payroll is too low, Keuchel us pitching himself into a 7 year 210 million dollar contract. Springer is playing into a 6 year 120 million contact. And Correa might be the first 300 million dollar player. McHugh probably has put himself in line for a 100+ 5 year contract. The way McCullers performed, he is going to be searching for a 150 million dollar contract. And I would imagine the Astros would have to give Altuve a raise and an extension. This team is going to have to spend a lot of money. It is better the Astros use due diligence in spending it wisely.
I was against resigning Colby for a long time but have changed course. Between his clutch hits, chemistry in the clubhouse, and OF defense, it makes a ton of sense to sign him to a 2 or 3 year deal (will probably take around $10-12MM per). I like Tucker's bat but don't like him as a full time starting OF due to his defense.
