Thing is, that line up will get you in the playoffs and once you are there, I think Verlander being other worldliness ends. We have the bullpen to carry the starting pitching (which is still really good without verlander)
That's Hensley's primary position actually. It's the other positions besides short that he offers versatility. Dubon needs to go away. But he can play center so Dusty thinks he's indispensable.
Dubon is actually a very valuable player Especially for the roster as the Astros are talking about putting it together. Dubon is the perfect 26th man for a team of players with little to no versatility. He simply can not ge treated like a starter or even a 10th man semi regular starter. He needs to be starting max 2 games per month, pinch run for catchers or Abreu, and defensive sub in LF when a guy like Contreras starts there.
So the last 3 full seasons that Verlander has pitched, he has won the Cy Young twice and came in 2nd the other time. The problem is that he barely pitched in 2020 and did not pitch in 2021. So the question really is whether he is fully healthy… his spin rates and velocity showed no decline this year. But 3 years and $130 million assumes full health AND Cy Young effectiveness at ages 40, 41, and 42. That’s not a smart bet.
Kind of glad to hear we aren’t close on Verlander if that’s what he wants. It was a great run with him but time to move on.
Dubon doesn't need to do anything above his skeeze at the plate, but least he could be is his usual bad career hitter instead of the complete dogsh1t failure he was last season
I wonder what the A's would want from us in a Sean Murphy trade. I'm guessing too much, but he seems like a perfect fit with his excellent defense and solid bat and under team control for 3 years.
confirm. I live the LA beach life and it is a rich person's playground. Agree with everything you said- as that is how he should be handled on the roster - except for whatever reason, Dusty loves him some Dubon and will play him like a semi-regular, taking away at bats from better players (ie Chas and Myers) and from assessing minor league up and coming talent. FO needs to trade him away since Dusty just can’t resist playing him a lot to little or no benefit
I agree, but Pena seems to hit better behind Altuve and in front of Alvarez. Other players do not seem to be affected as much with a move in the line-up. Right now, slotting Abreu behind Tucker works because Tucker is an aggressive base runner and might reduce the Abreu DP tendency by a few. But some players will be hitting at the bottom of a line-up which will look crazy in isolation.
Hensley is listed as SS capable in his BR MiL profile, but not his MLB profile. He has SS utility throughout his career including at Sugar Land and 18 innings for the Astros. He is also a position mop-up pitching guy if needed. I want a longer look at him, but we really can't evaluate him properly in his limited playing time in the majors. He looks a bit better than his minor league stats would project in his limited appearances at the major league level.
I guess that's the issue. Even if rich, the rich spoiled brat life-syle has no appeal to me. I'd be that rich guy in a middle class neighborhood that nobody knew was rich. But I would pay for a lawn service.
I don't see anything he's doing that indicates he's beyond the realm of determining his market value. It's part of an astute business approach. But then a decision is made on a more personal values approach. Getting mad at a player because he's collecting information on his value is really unfair. It's what happens afterward that can be fairly criticized. Think of it as a reserve auction. After the bids, you still have a choice to make if the reserve wasn't met.
It's hard to imagine he gets that much... AAV for 2 year guarantee maybe. Of course he may be asking for that much because after NY or CA taxes It's the same as 105 over 3 from Houston. If it's 43 million, I'd sign Nimmo, Gurriel, Brantley, and a veteran starter for the same money...
