I know he's been injury prone, but that seems like crazy good value for Nimmo. Have Chaz do some platoon work so he doesn't have to play CF so much.
I don't see CF as a need, but at that price, I would like Nimmo if Astros don't get one of the top 2 pitchers.
Abreu as Yuli replacement. Kick tires on Conforto. Still consider re-signing JV but possible opt-out after 2 instead of 3.
Nimmo, Bell, and Abreu seem like great values off that list. I’d be fine with Houston giving JV $130M/3yr, but id rather have all 3 of Contreras, Bell, and Abreu for close to the same total commitment. 2B Altuve SS Pena LF Alvarez 3B Bregman RF Tucker DH Abreu 1B Bell C Contreras CF McCormick Bench: Maldonado, Hensley, Dubon, Meyers Rotation: Valdez, Javier, McCullers, Garcia, Brown, Urquidy Bullpen: James, Martinez, Maton, Stanek, Neris, Abreu, Pressly Thats a STACKED lineup.
Do you think the organization feels comfortable committing to Alvarez as a full time LF? I think Jose Abreu would be a great fit on this team.
I don't think there's any way they should sign a player to be exclusively the DH with Yordan on the team. Just sign a position player that gives them flexibility and then rotate everyone through the DH spot.
Which would be Drury. Seems like this year was an outlier as far as his performance goes. I know it’s not wise to spend big on a utility player, but he would be a good bat that could play pretty much any position in the field. This would then allow for rotation at DH to keep everyone fresh.
Yeah, I think those ultra-versatile utility players have been key pieces for the Astros since they got good. Marwin Gonzalez and now Diaz have both given the team so much flexibility when dealing with the inevitable injuries.
I think with Hensley and Dubon on the roster management will look for more of an everyday player with a set position than another utility guy.
Looking at these projections again. You could sign Nimmo, Bassit, and the first baseman of your choosing for not much more yearly than you would have to give 40 year old Verlander. Not saying I would necessarily do that, it just reinforces how uncomfortable I would be going to that kind of number for one player at an advanced age.
Yeah, when you see how well the young pitchers are performing compared to the obvious holes in the lineup, it's hard to me to wrap my brain around spending that kind of money on Verlander. I love JV, but if you take him out of the equation, you still enter next season with an excellent rotation of 5-6 starters. Hell, the Astros are one win away from a World Series and Garcia, Brown and Urquidy have barely pitched. And that $40 million+ could give them 2-3 legitimate inpact bats. It's either that approach, Verlander signs for less (why would he?) or you pay him and look to deal some of that pitching depth for a bat or two.
My current realistic best case offseason would be for them to sign a 1B (Bell or Abreu) and an OF (Haniger or Conforto) and trade for a catcher (Murphy or Kirk). That would give them the best lineup they’ve ever had. Then depending on how their finances look they can survey the RP market, although I am fine with them going with all internal options. Javier, Tucker, and Altuve would be my extension candidates.
Using those prices and if the Astros can't get DeGrom or Verlander: Nimmo, Bell (Rizzo depending on how much the budget rises after the win tonight), Contreras, and Brantley. I'm not sure Brantley is going to get a deal to start elsewhere, but likely still can get worked in for 400-500 PAs in Houston as a backup even if lineup is generally healthy. Those prices generally seem low on position players. It makes me even further in the camp of not wanting to trade a SP under control, but I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer those hitters over DeGrom/Verlander plus one bat.
