yep, that's what I wrote above. And what I believe to be the smartest move, assuming Cespedes is on a longterm deal (and assuming Jake brings a solid haul...which might be tough, but I think there are teams out there that realize his value) edit: i take back "smartest"...I still think smartest would be to ignore Cespedes altogether.
I can't see the Astros dealing Marisnick without getting a lot for him. His WAR is deceptively good, he has room to improve and is under team control for years.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">the tigers are at least giving some consideration to cespedes, joining chisox, mets, astros (<a href="https://twitter.com/pgammo">@pgammo</a>) & surely more</p>— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/688930590360518656">January 18, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wow, even Heyman says that? Dude laid an egg for Harvey in Game 1. But maybe they see something I don't, so whatever.
He is referencing the Peter Gammons as the source of Astros inclusion so he isn't confirming rumor, only repeating. I don't see Astros going for any of the big names left, though if they do, Cespedes should be the top name. It does look like Astros are trying to acquire an OF, though. My guess would be either Gomez (or Marisnick's though doubtful) name is being tossed around as headliner for a SP.
“Cespedes is a throwback,” the New York Post’s Mike Puma reports on Twitter. “He was smoking like a chimney – one cigarette after another – in the runway before batting practice.” Cespedes also appears to smoke between innings. Pass.
I agree that Cespedes doesn't really fill a need on the Astros so it doesn't make sense to pursue him unless some other moves happen.. but who cares if he smokes? As long as he can chase down balls in the OF and run the bases what does it matter to the Astros if he gets lung cancer when he's 50?
Luhnow looks more for value than "need" The Cespedes rumors likely have more to do with Luhnow seeing if the price has dropped significantly more than anything
Could affect lung capacity now and I guess it makes for a bad role model (but I imagine that is true for lots of athletes, and it isn't like it is visible).
Am I the only person that associates anal fissures with Kaz Matsui (with story)? Could he not find a way for them to list that injury as anything else?
Yes lol Kaz Matsui is synonymous for two things, #1 chain smoking and #2 anal fissures. I guess #3 would be robbing the Astros franchise but I put that more on the backs of Ed Wade (or was it Timmy P?).
I could definitely see the Astros making a big splash and signing Cespedes. He doesn't cost you prospects or picks....so the only "cost" is his salary. And adding him doesn't force you to trade Gomez. You can roll with Cespedes/Gomez/Springer as your starters, with Rasmus and Marisnick as your bench. You can also have any of them spell Gattis at DH from time to time. If you look at the Astros minor league system right now, your infield talent is closer to the majors than your outfield talent, i.e. Reed, Bregman, Moran and White are more likely to get called up than Kyle Tucker, Cameron or Fisher. So it's ok to invest into an elite outfielder right now knowing that you will probably lose either or both of Rasmus/Gomez next year. What would not have been smart is to throw $150+ million at Chris Davis when you've got Singleton, Reed, and White as legitimate 1B prospects.\ As an aside, I don't think you can leave White down in the minors for too much longer....that .467 OBP in AAA is too tempting to not give him a shot. The problem is you've got Singleton, Valbuena, Gonzalez, and Gattis blocking his way to the 25 man roster. I really think the Astros need to consider clearing two of them to give some of the younger guys a chance.....probably Singleton and Gattis.
5 OFs + 2 Cs + 1 DH (Gattis) + 13 pitchers = no backup infielders. No Marwin. No Preston Tucker even. And only 1 of Singleton/White/Reed/etc. at a time. If we can go with 12 pitchers (I forget if it's been 11-12 or 12-13 typically), then at least you have a backup utility infielder like Marwin. That still means no Tucker, no backup 1B. So while I like the concept of rolling with Rasmus and Marisnick on the bench...practically, it doesn't suit this team as constructed.
Lets say we get Cespedes:: 1. Springer rf 2. Altuve 2b 3. Correa SS 4. Cespedes DH 5. Rasmus LF 6 Gomez cf 7. Singleton 1b 8. Valbuena 3b 9. Castro C That would be a great lineup
Ninja or Oso???? If we get Cespedes, we NEED to trade Gattis,maybe to a team like Baltimore. If we get Lee and Matsuz for him, go for it.
IIRC, Cespedes is a plus defender with a fantastic arm. He'd slot very nicely into LF, I don't think we can afford to pencil him in as the everyday DH. However, if we were to actually sign him, I'd rather move Gattis than Gomez, and piece the DH position together as the year went along, using it more to rest everyday players than to have 1 full-time DH.
If you go this route, I think you've got to clear Gattis. Rasmus becomes your regular DH and part-time OF. Marisnick is the other bench outfielder. Clearing Gattis also gives you the ability to bring up a guy like Tyler White. You can't afford to have two guys that can't contribute to a position, but you can have one. AJ Reed then gets the call-up when/if Singleton doesn't meet expectations. 1B Valbuena (Reed) 2B Altuve (Gonzalez) SS Correa (Gonzalez) 3B Gonzalez (Valbuena) (White) LF Cespedes (Rasmus) CF Gomez (Marisnick) RF Springer (Marisnick) DH Rasmus (White) (Reed) C Castro (??) That's 13, including a backup catcher. You've got room for one more pitcher to get to 25. I think you've got to give Reed and White their chances this year, and the only way to do that is to move Gattis and Singleton.
