MacT’s articles over the last month sure seem to be setting the stage for Tucker to be dealt. No clue if that’s coordinated with the FO. But today he published a piece discussing Pollock, Brantley, and McCutchen as possibilities and barely mentioned Tucker as an option.
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2018/12/3/18123288/astros-milb-position-review-left-field One big reason we could see Tucker on the move is the likely promotion of Alvarez to the BIGS by Sept. Also, Beer may only be a 2020 Sept. call-up away. I don't know that Springer will be back in 2020, and Reddick will be gone in 2021, so it's nice to see we have some options coming up that might be solid replacements.
The problem is Beer and Alvarez are likely to both be 1B/DH guys in the majors. That has little to do with Tucker in the OF. If Alvarez could play a decent LF it would be great, but he's a big dude and the Astros value defense.
Like I said... I hope he can play a decent LF in the majors. He is 21 years old, 6 ft 5 inches, and listed at 226 pounds. I saw him in person in Corpus. He looks even bigger than that and I suspect he will continue to add weight.
Apparently, Bryce Harper has "affection" for the Astros. Sources: After landing LeBron, Magic Johnson travels with Dodgers officials to court Bryce Harper "The courtship of Bryce Harper likely means a journey to Las Vegas, the 26-year-old outfielder’s hometown and a place where one generally arrives with hope and cash and leaves with less of both. In recent weeks, Major League Baseball teams interested in perhaps the most sought-after free agent in nearly two decades road-tripped there with plenty more – a keen interest in getting to know him, a sales pitch on why he should sign with them and, in one case, even some Magic. Officials from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees are among upward of a dozen teams that have traveled or plan to travel to Nevada to meet with Harper, league sources familiar with the discussions told Yahoo Sports. Other meetings already are set for a site away from MLB’s winter meetings, which start Sunday at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are expected to check in. The Washington Nationals, with whom he has spent his seven major league seasons and who offered him a 10-year deal worth around $300 million toward the end of the season that Harper rejected, almost certainly will circle back. Harper’s affection for the Houston Astros is well-known, as is the St. Louis Cardinals’ for him. - Tim Brown and Jeff Passan https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-la...s-officials-court-bryce-harper-050324678.html
I wonder what that so called “affection” is based on ?? Does he have any Houston ties ? Otherwise it’s bs leverage .. don’t play with my heart for your jillion dollar contract Harper !!
I'm figuring its leverage too. Harper is really, REALLY good friends Kris Bryant - i'm sure he'll end up a Cub.
At this point I am fairly confident that Alvarez can play a corner outfield spot in the big leagues, at least for a few seasons. Yes, he is a big guy (taller than 6'5" and his weight has fluctuated) but he is also a good athlete with solid speed. As far as his weight is concerned, I know that the Astros believe that his weight increase is in part because of changes in his diet and that with some modifications he will be a little more slender. It hasn't been stressed yet because they feel he is still developing as a hitter.
Sounds dumb but I know that some on Crawford Street don't like Tucker's body language or approach. Seems like an old school approach but it is one held by some up there.
Waiting for more dominoes to fall. Whatever Jeff's most want trades are, evidently there are still too many pieces on the board for the triggers to be pulled just yet. As I write this, a blockbuster could happen in an hour as well. Rumors, feelings and speculation are the only news so far
The baseball operations, at least in my experience dealing with high-levels of the organization, is Fort Knox when it comes to information. The vast majority of leaks, in my experience, are people on the sales side passing off either their own - or group-office - conjecture as "insider" information, or it being filtered through "someone in the organization," which then lends it more credibility than is warranted. One of Luhnow's first moves when he was hired was to *literally* separate the functions by floors; the operations folks were (in my time there) on their own, dedicated, secure floor. I was never permitted access, in large part because none of the executives I was meeting with had access. And I'm talking about... VPs and directors of large functions. Nada. No access. And this was *before* the hacking episode.
Part of the issue is that not all the decision makers/those involved live in Houston and some of them will talk to long term friends.
