I agree I also think that the way we totally gutted the mlb club after Crane bought it, kind of forced a majority of us die hard fans to follow the farm more than ever...it was kind of all we had to hope for...and part of the result of that is a large number of fans that has stayed in "prospect" mode Obviously the key is knowing which ones to hold on to and which can be moved because they aren't as likely to pan out anyway...but we also have to be willing to accept that we might trade away some that end up being stars, but as long as the return gives us a legit chance to win it all, then we need to do it
Luhnow has Martes and Tucker rated as "untouchable" players. If he has them rated that highly, these are not the ones to let go.
Yea but time will tell with that Luhnow has been pretty good at figuring that out so far, but keeping top 3 picks like Correa and Bregman should be easy to figure out Obviously he has kept some good ones, but also didn't think a guy like JD Martinez would make it...we don't know what will happen with VV, Hader, Phillips etc...wasn't A.J. Reed pretty much the untouchable one last year, and he didn't have an impact on the team in 2016 (well not a positive one) Luhnow has been good, but far from perfect I hope Martes and Tucker turn out to both be all-stars...but if we could get Quintana for those two plus a couple of lower level guys, and not move Musgrove...I would be ready to say buh-bye Martes and Tucker
Musgrove would probably be the main piece Luhnow would ship in a deal for a starting pitcher upgrade. Think about that for a moment. If we upgrade the rotation (without trading McHugh), Musgrove is the first one to be replaced. Is the upgrade from Keuchel, McCullers, McHugh, Morton, Musgrove, Fiers to Keuchel, Quintana, McCullers, McHugh, Morton, Fiers really worth losing Martes and Tucker?
Keuchel and LMJ are not givens. Are you willing to go into the season with McHugh as the default #1 starter while you're waiting for the others to get healthy? (If ever?)
Given what we know right now, both McCullers and Keuchel ARE healthy. Am I willing to sell away our farm system in order to add ONE piece to help provide depth at the start of the year? NO! Can we survive a large part of the year with: McHugh, Morton, Fiers, Musgrove, Devenski? Yes, with this offense we can. That said, if this scenario does occur, Luhnow would get more aggressive with trade options (I don't mean as aggressive as the Q trade, but aggressive enough to find depth options).
No, they're not. Until you have both not only throwing consistently every 5th day, while pitching the majority of the season, nothing can be assumed. Selling the farm? No. Trading value for value? That's how trades work... especially when there's a strong enough farm system with mid-level prospects, but also there's plenty of low level talent that could soon fill in the gap. Now you have me questioning your age and how much baseball you've really watched... that would be a travesty of a rotation. How many more Doug Fister/Fausto Carmona fill-ins must we endure before you realize that this team's core (especially an MVP-level Altuve) needs serious supplementation by quality starting pitching?
It would be better than the rotation the Royals won a World Series with, better than the one the Rangers had most of the last 2 seasons winning our division, and pretty on par with the rotation the Indians ran through the postseason with. I'm not worried about our rotation.
Unequivocally wrong. (again, this is in regards to McHugh, Fiers, Devenski, Musgrove, Morton being the only fully healthy 5... and being ok with that). Referring to the above where he's fine with having McHugh, Fiers, Devenski, Musgrove, Morton. You do realize that we're not talking about 2015 McHugh or 2015 Fiers any more. Devenski has serious questions regarding his ability to survive as a consistent starter with only 2 pitches. Morton is a journeyman 4th or 5th-type guy. Musgrove is actually the only one with any sort of upside... and he'll only be pitching in his first full season in the big leagues. I would be extremely worried about that rotation. This reminds me significantly of the lack of worry over the 1B position last year, or playing 2-3 guys who are absolutely no threat at the plate in an everyday lineup. Took a full year for some to realize that you can't win consistently with stop-gaps, rookies, and unproven players. Waste another year or MVP-type performances before a correction is made? Sure.
This team, as constructed, would not beat the Red Sox in a playoff series. If we don't add a TOR pitcher at some point this season, we will not win the AL. A TOR is obviously going to cost us serious prospects.....especially one under team control for multiple years. I'm not advocating that we overpay, but I am saying that any deal for a pitcher is going to hurt a little. That's the bottom line here.
Agreed. If LMJ can't be that guy due to health, and Keuchel (even if he's healthier) is past his peak, then they simply need more pitching. It will be hard to take them seriously... or it will take some massive unexpected performances... if they can't get proven pitching.
I think you don't realize how bad those other rotations were. Let me continue to say this. Chris Devenski throws 3 pitches and in fact mixes in his slider more often than most starters mix in their 3rd pitch. Saying he doesn't have a 3rd pitch is unequivocally wrong. I'm not worried about our rotation because that isn't our rotation. We aren't going into this season with a stopgap. Most importantly, we have improved the offense, which we needed more than pitching. Sure it would. We wouldn't be favored, but we'd have a very good chance. What a ****ing ridiculous statement.
This idea that the Astros have to have an ace added to the rotation to beat the Red Sox in the post season isn't necessarily true. Aces have bad series and teams that are hot win all the time in a post season series. The best rotation in baseball for the last few years has been the Dodgers, with the unquestioned best pitcher in baseball. Yet he has lost to inferior pitchers and his team has lost. I would love to have Quintana or a healthy Sonny Gray or Verlander at the top of the rotation, but it isn't an all or nothing situation. There is the deadline too where you can probably buy a rental at a fraction of the cost.
As much analytical knowledge that u all possess, and you're all citing purely anecdotal/small sample circumstances to defend your opinion that the Astros don't need more pitching? Ok. I'd still be surprised to see Devenski end up more effective as a starter than he was in relief. A lot more variables involved. Additionally, if he truly had a 3rd pitch, why doesn't he throw it? I recall appeareces last year where 90% of the pitches thrown were changeups. Again, that works the first and second times through the lineup. Stops working soon after. His appearances last year reflected that well.
