If anything Crane is about competing. You don't go on this kind of sustained run without good ownership.
Signing Verlander to a 2+1 deal would make a lot of sense. Crane is is willing to pay the tax for a contender and we expect to be a contender until 2025. It's about opportunity cost. Can we sign a impact bat that will provide more value in terms of wins for the money we are going to give Verlander? I don't think so. There are only 3-4 bats available that could potentially give us Verlander level impact either through trade or free agency and but none would do a short term deal.
We need someone to take Brantley and Yulis minutes and impact. I'm thinking resign Brantley and Vasquez and then try to get Abreu. Bring Yuli back to take Diaz's role. We still need someone that can play backup shortstop though.
Vasquez is going too be a starter somewhere no way he comes back as a reserve. Plus Lee, is part of the next wave that started with Pena, Brown, etc
It could be a sprinkle of Dubon and Hensley behind Peña. If Peña had an injury I could see them calling up Leon.
See how Lee goes and make a move at the deadline if need be. Never hard too find a catcher. Y. Diaz was AAA player of the year as well.
Actually its very hard to find catchers that hit a little bit, call good games, and play defense. That is why Maldi was so highly valued even though he was injured and couldn't hit. If Christian Vasquez is willing to come back at around what he made this last season, I would resign him.
Yeah, having 2 good catchers is a luxury befitting a championship team, but you also need a third in the wings. I'd try to get Vazquez as the primary and Maldy as secondary with Lee getting some time and looking to move to secondary in 2024.
recency bias is Hella of a thing I can see. JV had a 5.85 era during the postseason and was one loss away from the entire astros fanbase chasing him off. He had 2 good innings in game 5 and other than was garbage. If Phils had one clutch hit during the numerous RSIP that inning none of us would want him back. Don't forget he was also injured last season. JV is NOT worth 40 million a year when we have the pitching depth we have. Spend that money on OFFENSE. If it wasn't for Pena this year we aren't winning a ring. That's the truth. We have too many holes in the lineup. Amen. Throwing 100 million to Verlander is ridiculous. Go back and read the comments after game 1 of the WS. Everyone on this board was willing to throw him off the ship.
He won't be back. This will be his last chance to sign a decent contract at his age and he's only made $20M, he's going to take the biggest contract he can and we won't pay $5M for a backup. I think we use a combo of Maldy, Diaz, and Lee in that order.
Crane and Dusty killed a deal that would have sent Urquidy straight up for Wilson Contreras... https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022...willson-contreras-deal-at-trade-deadline.html
The issue isn’t the AAV to a position where we have depth. It is that any position player of Verlander’s caliber would never accept a 1 or 2 year deal. Verlander also loves HOU. No guarantee any high end position player wants to come here. You don’t pass on Verlander at 1 to 2 years.
Crane ain't trading a strong rotation pitcher for a rental catcher that would only play at most half the time.
Verlander signs with a discount. Tucker and Framber get extensions, Yuli and Brantley come back. They’ll sign a RP to replace montero. They’ll start the year with Maldy and Lee as the 2 catchers. Diaz will get some time behind the plate but will be positioned to take over at first. They give Leon a shot in center, but if the young guys out there don’t produce then they move Urquidy at the deadline for somebody
This would've just been a rental. Dusty/Crane were also skeptical that he would be willing to accept a limited role like Vasquez eventually did. They didn't think it was worth trading Urquidy who is under control for a few more years for a player who can leave for nothing in the offseason. Urquidy is great as a backend starter so I'm glad that trade wasn't made.
