From what I can gather, Osuna is in denial about needing TJS, so there is no way Houston tenders him what would be a $10M salary. I don’t necessarily think Houston needs to add an established closer, as I think Pressly, Javier, and Paredes all could be elite RP who could potentially close. But I do think there is a need for an established veteran in the pen (in addition to Smith, Pruitt, and Pressly). RP would be 4th or 5th on my list of priorities, but it is a need. Maldonado is a very good catcher and in a 60 game season he was fine as the everyday guy. But he is not a very good hitter, and in a normal 162 game season the backup will likely play 60+ games, plus you don’t want to be totally screwed if Maldonado gets hurt. There are a lot of really good 2nd tier catchers available who would serve as excellent complements/insurance to Maldy.
I think you would have to give up more to get these guys. I really like Mancini if he's recovered from cancer. (Hope this happened.) Any idea what Cobb's spin rates look like?
Assuming Pruitt and Smith are healthy and ready to go, I quite like the way Houstons bullpen is structured even without adding: 2 young arms who have been pretty effective but should probably be limited to low leverage (Scrubb, Taylor) 2 veteran specialists (Raley, Smith) 1 veteran multi-inning guy (Pruitt) 2 young arms who have potential to be elite relievers (Paredes, Javier) 1 established elite reliever (Pressly)
I agree on your point on needing a backup catcher. Garneau wasn’t the answer, and I’m not sure Garrett Stubbs is as well...thought Dusty may elect to give him a shot. The Mets declined Chirinos’ option yesterday
He has good spin on his curve but poor spin on his FB. He was pretty bad last year in underlying stats. Maybe not a great target after all. my assumption in that hypothetical trade was Cobbs contract is well underwater, and Severino and Santander overall haven’t been that valuable. I also assumed the Orioles really like the pitching prospects in Houston’s system. I could be way off. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/alex-cobb-502171?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb
Cobb's making $15m next year and hasn't been a quality pitcher since 2014. I'd like to get more than a 4.87 FIP and 6.5 K/9 for that price.
Bauer will be too expensive, but he is exactly what this team needs. A guy that dominant and can go deep into games will make a huge difference if you have the right lineup behind him. Boy, I wish.
I'm not familiar with Santander, but my initial reaction is Garcia probably isn't moved in a trade that Cobb and Severino are the two first names listed.
Santander hit 11 HR in 37 G this season. He plays a decent RF. In roughly a seasons worth of PA since he broke into the league he’s been a roughly average hitter and slightly below average fielder. If you think his 2020 offense is legit then he’s a good everyday RF, otherwise he’s not very valuable. His ISO will come down but I do think he would be a good enough addition. Severino profiles similarly. That prospect package may be too heavy.
I love what I saw in Javier this season. I hope he can earn a spot in the rotation as a 5 or 6. He’s doesn’t have to eat up too many innings during the regular season and be a dominant long reliever for the playoff.
Liam Hendricks would be my choice if we can sign the guy. Not sure we can trust and watch Pressley in a full season.
Id trade pressly. Paredes is your closer. The difference between pressly and garcia or torres or someone else they plug in will be minimal imo relative to the difference in cost. I wouldn't look to add any relievers.
Thanks for putting this into context. I really like the idea of this bullpen. Get a reclamation project starter (Minor or someone like that) and we should be solid.
If Santander is good, he would be only guy in that deal that is worthy of having Garcia included. Considering Garcia still has options, he's likely a very valuable part of the Astros team as a replacement starter. I'd much rather Astros sign a couple of OFs than trade a guy like Garcia.
