I don't think Tucker is traded unless a great deal comes along. I think SP will require Astros taking on some salary such as if they got Greinke. When I look at guys that make money with cheap comparable alternatives to create salary space if they add Cruz, I see Reddick and Gurriel. Maybe Astros can make it work without needing as much salary for SP. The following is heresy. Please don't excommunicate me. I'm not 100% convinced Marisnick makes team out of camp. I think he can still be optioned, and can stay in minors as long as he doesn't pick up a month or so of MLB service. I know Marisnick is Hinch's security blanket, but Astros have more than 25 MLB players, IMO.
Who is the back up CF? They tried Reddick in CF some in 2017. It was not good and they didn't try him one time in CF last year. Tony Kemp has a Biggio like bad arm and terrible routes on flyballs. So Myles Straw? Or you going to run the often injured Brantley out there?
Straw. Jake, as much as I love him, is so much of a zero at the plate that if someone else can do 88.9% of his glove with 174.3% of his bat, while making less money, you go that route.
Agree with Redfish on Jake. He just makes more sense as a backup. We should either sell Tucker or give him his full-time shot in RF. We aren't going use him as a 4th OF.
Straw doesn't have the defensive wizardry that Marisnick has, yet. He's extremely fast, but the route reading, ball throwing, decision making, risk taking and Jake diving aren't there. Straw is Jake's backup in AAA and that's a good thing.
Kemp can play CF with his noodle arm and bad routes as well as Marisnick can hit. Tucker in CF with Diaz in RF may work as well. Marisnick would still be there as injury sub, Sept callup, and playoff roster.
Jake can't stay in AAA for more than 45 days. Tucker has played his fair share of games in CF in the minors, but it will take time for him to adjust in the bigs. Kemp's poor defense would likely affect the game way more than 4 k's from Jake.
I was under the impression he doesn't pickup MLB service in AAA. Once he's in majors for a month or so (45 days?), he can't go back down as his MLB service hits 5 years. As long as his MLB service stays just under 5 years, he can stay in minors all season. Am I missing something? Jake can't hit. I'm guessing Brantley gets a lot of days off, at DH, or 1B. Astros may want Kemp's bat for those days especially against RHP. The trade off is that they have a crappy defense when Springer gets a day off.
His .211 BA, .275 OBP, and his 35.7% K percentage say so, lol. He might play for someone else, but I would bet the Astros are picking up the tab in that case.
Not sure Astros know their intentions right now as they have a lot of moves still to make. Marisnick still likely is the 4th OF, but it should not be viewed as 100%. It is possible for a team not to have a defensive wiz as the 4th OF. That said, whether Astros option Marisnick or not, they had to tender him. As such, tendering him does not reveal anything other than Astros plan not to cut him.
2 sets of evidence here: the only legit CF backup with MLB experience and expertise is Jake. The 2 other candidates (straw and Tucker) have practically zero experience at the position at the MLB level. Next, we have guaranteed to pay him 1.9 mil. Together that’s pretty strong evidence that Jake will be the 4th OF to start the year.
Yep. That is basically nothing and the Astros would gladly pay that for a defensive specialist in the postseason even if they have to stash him in the minors for a bit. I think the Astros bench is a very fluid concept at the moment. They can send him to minors all year unless time in the minors counts as time in the majors. He's fine as long as he never bats.
Right. They're paying him regardless (unless somebody else does), that's pretty much the definition of sunk cost.
