I never said the Astros should trade Tucker or Whitley.... only that the Astros should make moves and if the Astros did nothing, fans would have the right to be upset. The Astros are capable of beating anyone.... but if the Dodgers or Yankees make a big move, I don't believe the Astros would be the clear favorite to win the World Series.
On the flipside, it seems in July, he became Miley's personal catcher - and he's been awesome during this stretch. Still no reason to keep Stassi, but it will be interesting to watch if Miley's results change going forward.
I don’t think there is much the Dodgers can do. They’re stacked. Felipe Vazquez or Will Smith are probably their best options to meaningfully improve, but even if they stand pat they will be a force. The Yankees need starting pitching more than Houston does.
The pitchers may perform but not everyone in the dugout likes throwing to him. He is fine at actual defense behind the plate, but he does nothing exceptionally well and he has been an absolute horror offensively. So the Astros upgraded to Maldonado at basically no cost.
Chirinos has caught him 14 times to Stassi's 8, and his ERA is a half run better with Robbie behind the plate (though his OPS against is about 60 points lower).
I agree. How often does the clear favorite (before playoffs start) actually win? Would be interested in that stat.
The Dodgers are looking for a starter with the idea of moving another one of their starters to the bullpen. The Dodgers are stacked though.... no question. As for the Yankees, getting a #2-3 type starter would make a pretty large difference to their World Series chances. I also agree they need starting pitching more than the Astros do. George Steinbrenner already would have dealt for a couple starters and be deep in the luxury tax.... that isn't how Hal Steinbrenner works though.... I am going to be very curious to see if Hal cracks and over pays.
Certainly less than basketball and likely less than football too. The post season in baseball doesn't always correlate with regular season success. That is why a balance between long term and short term has to be reached. It is why it would be foolish to deal Whitley or even Tucker for a player that will be a free agent in months. Getting someone under longer control, well that makes such a deal more appealing.
I'm pretty sure that is because JV and Cole have more weight over who catches them. I was going to make a joke that Miley doesn't care what pitch is thrown as long as it is either the cutter or 4 seamer, but looking at stats suggests he throws a change much more than I realized.
Considering Postseason Odds are reverse engineered from actual results, I would expect the team most likely to win the World Series wins between 20-25% of the time.
Unless something has changed in the last hour, the Astros are fairly confident that they can add a starter.... it just may be a rental. Wheeler of the Mets unfortunately is only a rental but he has pitched better than his numbers show.
Astros are in an enviable position. They are among the top 3 favorites to win the title, as it is. With Cole and Miley about to hit free agency, some tinkering moves to improve their chances may be all they need to do...
Had the issue a lot. Asusming you are on an iOS device you can clear your entire history. Or download firefox focus. That stopped it for me.
