LF Brantley (he gets on base a lot and his slow running speed should keep Altuve from doing something stupid) 2B Altuve 3B Bregman DH Alvarez SS Correa 1B Gurriel RF Tucker CF JBJ C Maldonado Bench: Diaz, Straw, Stubbsy, Toro Rotation: Greinke, McCullers, Valdez, Javier, Urquidy Bullpen: Pruitt, Smith (or Scrubb if he opts out again), Raley, Taylor, Paredes, Hand, Pressly, Hendricks
I can't see both Hand and Hendricks signing with Houston. I think both will want closer money and and would want to be the closer. If Houston signed Hand first, then Hendricks looks elsewhere. If Hendricks signs first, Hand looks elsewhere. Just get 1 of those guys, have Pressly as a setup man and sign a cheaper relief pitcher that is more suited for the 7th.
Canó receives 162-game PED suspension https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/robinson-cano-suspended-for-full-season This source words it a bit differently. If we have shortened seasons coming, a 162 game suspension could last well into a second year.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone within the Mets organization implored MLB to do some testing on Cano to help void the $24 million in salary. And of course, we now have another repeat steroid offender from the last Yankees World Series team.
So would Houston only sign 1 of Brantley, Bradley, or Ozuna? Each have pros and cons. Who would you want? Brantley-pros....won't be too expensive. Passable LF. Can produce offensively. Cons...health is an issue. Although he can play LF, can he play it full time? Bradley-pros....cheaper contract unless a bidding war takes place. Plays CF and at a elite level. Cons...not the greatest hitter although looked improved in 2020. Can he keep it up? Osuna-pros...solid hitter. Can make up for the lost offense of Brantley/Springer. Cons...expecting a bigger contract out of the 3. He took a 1 year deal last year so probably looking for a long term deal this time. Awful on defense and with Alvarez at DH, can't slide him into the DH role (unless you give Alvarez some days off or give Alvarez some games at LF). Although an article I read said if the Astros signed him, adding him to the lineup will make the offense much more potent. They might score enough runs to offset his bad defense. I'm hoping they can sign Bradley and 1 of Ozuna or Brantley. Bradley's D might help with Ozuna's awful D where as, Ozuna's bat might offset Bradley's not so great bat.
Mr. Manfred, with all due respect, and remember I'm sayin' with all due respect, Major League Baseball ain't worth a velvet painting of a whale and a dolphin gettin' it on.
Brantley, easily. He’s the most consistent hitter of the group and a passable defender, whereas Ozuna is basically DH only at this point. Bradley is a great defender, but he’s inconsistent at the plate.
I’m hoping for a miracle on this front, too. The Astros have a ton of payroll flexibility in 2022 (only $42 million in current payroll obligations if Yuli’s option is declined) that should enable Crane to pay both Springer and Correa if he’s smart enough to realize it’s worth the one-year financial hit to do so.
I would love to get Brantley back and pair him with with an inexpensive elite CF like Marisnick or Pillar who have their moments with the bat. Marisnick can probably be had pretty cheap if healthy. If Brantley is too pricey then you look at Ozuna but pair the cheapest one of them with a Marisnick/Pillar type. If that doesn't work out then maybe look at Kike Hernandez? Still think Marisnick needs to be patrolling CF for us no matter what as long as he can be healthy which is a big if. He can bring back some of the good clubhouse vibes that we will lose with Springer.
Yea, you can't just look at that 42 million. Bregman's salary goes from 13 million in 2022 to 30.5 million in 2023. Framber Valdez will be in aribtration in 2022. Tucker, Urquidy, Paredes, Javier, Taylor, and Yordan will be in arbitration in 2023. You also have Greinke, Verlander, and McCullers as free agents so starting pitching will likely need to be acquired unless more young guys step up.
Inspired by efforts of Snake Diggit and many others, I have come up with my own offseason plan of attack to get the Astros back to the Series in 2021 I used SPOTRAC for current payroll figures and projected market value (AAV) I used the MLBTR projections for both Free Agency & Arbitration as contract estimates where available MY 40-MAN ROSTER BREAKDOWN Holdover Locks (17) <$108.3M> H (7) - Altuve, Bregman, Correa, Tucker, Alvarez, Yuli, Maldonado <$61.7M> P (10) - Greinke, LMJ, Framber, Urquidy, Javier, Paredes, Pressly, Taylor, Smith <$46.6M> On the Bubble (19 - competing for 4 open 25-man spots) <$13.5M> H (6) - Aledmys, Straw, Toro, Stubbs, Jones, Chas <$5.5M> P (13) - Raley, Whitley, Scrubb, James, Pruitt, Garcia, Bailey, Bielak, Abreu, Perez, Armenteros, Castellanos, Nivaldo <$8M> Holes to Fill (4) H (3) - CF, LF, C2 P (1) - R9 Cuts (10) <$53M> H (4) - Springer, Reddick, Garneau, Mayfield <$35M> P (6) - Osuna, Devo, Peacock, Biagini, De Jong, Sneed <$18M>
MY MOVES PRIORITY #1 - Find / Keep starting CF & LF RF - Reddick is a goner Tucker entrenched himself in right for next 5-6 years with breakout 2019 LF - Prioritize bringing back Brantley on another short deal Seems like Crane/Click agree as rumors have them already negotiating a return deal Perfect LH contact hitter to balance lineup and great vet presence in clubhouse 2yrs @ $28M (PO) CF - Let Springer walk and aggressively target Jackie Bradley Jr as replacement I believe George still holds a grudge against Crane for delayed callup, and wants a fresh start leaving scandal behind Also don't think he will age well ... kind of the baseball version of Russell Westbrook who will decline sharply as elite athleticism fades Projected 5yrs @ $125M sounds about right, but I don't want to be paying him $50M for his age 35-36 seasons (think Lorenzo Cain to Brewers) Rather save that $ to resign much younger (and better) Correa next year Really hurts because I also believe he is emotional leader of clubhouse and his (delayed) promotion officially launched the only championship era in the history of the franchise Even Hakeem didn't finish his career in HOU JBJ is almost a perfect replacement in CF Excellent defender and may even be upgrade DEF in center Well above average stick to hit 8/9th Plenty of LH pop and oppo power suited to Crawford Boxes 2yrs @ $16M (PO) These 2 moves fill the only 2 holes in the lineup, solidify the everyday OF, and maintain the depth that should allow this OFF to remain elite PRIORITY #2 - Sign a proven Closer to replace Osuna Pressly could probably get the job done adequately but ... An addition here in FA allows him to return to his best role as the set-up man Also strengthens the depth in the pen top to bottom Luckily 3 excellent options are on the market: Liam Hendricks Age:32 Throws:R AAV=$15.5M All-Star is the best available and likely most expensive Arguably best reliever in baseball over past 2 seasons in OAK Leads all MLB RPs in WAR by a wide margin since start of 2019 Kirby Yates Age:34 Throws:R AAV=$8.5M Coming off lost year ended early with injury and is oldest of the trio Minor surgery to remove 2 bone chips from elbow should not pose huge health risk going forward Completely dominant in 2019 All-Star season finishing 9th in NL CY voting with SD Injury and age should make him cheapest option Brad Hand Age:31 Throws:L AAV=$8.5M Only lefty and youngest of these 3 Led AL in saves with 16 last season for CLE capping off 3 straight All-Star seasons Shockingly went unclaimed thru waivers after surprise release despite only 1yr @ $10M left on contract Overall I prefer the youth, health and consistency of Brad Hand as our best option Unless Hand's waiver pass portends a dramatic regression in the Closer market, I would pass on bidding war for Hendricks Also a little scared by Yates coming off surgery after losing Osuna to IL last year, unless lack of interest makes him a bargain steal 2yrs @ $17M PRIORITY #3 - Sign a veteran backup Catcher Stubbs is a decent in-house (cheap) option to stick as Machete's backup If forced into starting duty by an injury, we would be left scrambling to find a new starter as he is not an everyday option behind the plate With a 34yo starter, I'd prefer to have another solid vet option and keep Stubbs as insurance in AAA Realmuto would be my ultimate pipedream, but he will likely challenge Mauer's record as the highest paid backstop in history McCann would also be a significant upgrade over Machete as the new starter, but is also likely out of our budget Instead, I would target Matt Wieters from among several other decent backup options available (Ramos, Zunino) STL will be focused on bringing back the iconic Yadier Molina While no longer the multiple All-Star he was in BALT, he is still a very solid defensive player Also brings bonus versatility as a switch-hitter for late inning situations 1yr @ $2M