I'm taking over 110 OPS+ for both of them and over 100 games played. Both are on contract years and looking for their last decent sized deals. My 2 biggest concerns coming out of camp aren't position players at all. They are McCullers's arm and Pressly's velocity.
OK! Player prediction thread: 1. SS Pena - 110 OPS+ 2. 2B Altuve - 125 OPS+ 3. LF Brantley - 115 OPS+ 4. 1B Gurriel - 115 OPS+ 5. 3B Bregman - 125 OPS+ 6. DH Alvarez - 150 OPS+ 7. RF Tucker - 135 OPS+ 8. C Maldonado - 75 OPS+ 9. CF Meyers - 110 OPS+ 1. LSP Valdez - 150 ERA+ 2. RSP Verlander - 150 ERA+ 3. RSP Urquidy - 125 ERA+ 4. RSP Garcia - 135 ERA+ 5. RSP Odorizzi - 120 ERA+ 6. RSP McCullers - 125 ERA+ Astros 101-61 WS Champions
I'm happy, I just realize that the Stros are currently not going to be nearly as good as the 2019 team because of bad choices that were made. They are operating like a small market team. That's all I'm pointing out. Do you think they are operating the same way they were under Luhnow? This is a slow tear down.
I think you might want to take a look at what true "small market" teams are doing. They certainly don't spend 25 million on Verlander and the 4 smallest teams have 26 man payrolls less than what the Astros are paying Verlander and Altuve.....
I'll pass judgement as the season progresses. I won't make knee jerk reactions before a single pitch has been thrown. They don't need to spend money just to spend money. I assume (and correct me if I'm wrong) that you felt the exact same way last season at this time since they didn't make any big splash except to sign Brantley.
Good Morning It's April Fools Day Treat it like any of the other 364 joke days of the year. With suspicion.
I will be pleasantly surprised, maybe even shocked I’m also a little bit like Clooney in Oceans 12 where he turns to Pitt and is having an entire conversation with himself about “we need another guy”. I wanted us to add Nelson Cruz at the deadline last year and we had a surplus of bats. Until we didn’t. In the World Series. Where it was the difference between a title and not (not Nelson Cruz- just hitting in general). just figure if you get LMJ back by August 1 that’s a win. I bet Presley ends up fine. Hard to get too jacked in Florida in March. Emotions a big part of the deal for closers, and velo is important to him but not his calling card.
And if we are being honest I am not so sure Luhnow would have re-signed Brantley. The two worst contracts on the team (of productive players so not Baez) are probably Brantley and Odorizi. They aren’t bad contracts per se- there just isn’t any value. I think you could get out of either of them tomorrow and I think you’d get back no actual value for either of them. So, not bad. But not a cause to crow about either. I bet JV is awesome this year and a real value at $25 million.
Could not like harder. I’m a season ticket holder to the tune of 25,000 a year spent ?aests, tickets, parking food etc) yes- a lot of that is for my business (that’s the justification to wife and partner) but I love it and make it work. I’m bullish on our team. But 19 was historically a great team. And we traded Correa and Springer (I’m talking about the $60 million they are actually playing for) for Odorizi, Baez, Diaz, Goodrum, that scrub middle reprieved we signed this year (maybe he’s awesome), Montero and payroll flexibility. Because if you add all those things up thats 60 million. Which is Springer and Correa money. It is what it is but you are so right.
This is the line-up of the GM many want: 1. CF R Mike Trout $426,500,000 1.8 WAR 2. LF R Mookie Betts $365,000,000 4.2 WAR 3. 2B S Francisco Lindor $341,000,000 3.1 WAR 4. SS R Fernando Tatis, Jr. $340,000,000 6.5 WAR 5. RF L Bryce Harper $330,000,000 5.9 WAR 6. C R Giancarlo (Mike) Stanton $325,000,000 3.1 WAR 7. 1B L Corey Seager $325,000,000 3.7 WAR 8. 3B R Manny Machado $300,000,000 5.0 WAR 9. DH Nolan Arenado $260,000,000 4.1 WAR SP1 RHP Garrett Cole $324,000,000 5.7 WAR SP2 RHP Stephen Strasburg $245,000,000 0.0 WAR SP3 RHP Max Scherzer $130,000,000 5.9 WAR SP4 RHP Trevor Bauer $102,000,000 3.0 WAR SP5 LHP David Price $217,000,000 0.5 WAR SP6 LHP Chris Sale $128,000,000 1.0 WAR $4,158,500,000 53.6 WAR PLUS Bench and Bullpen.
