I hope Yuli gets a decent sized contract with the Marlins otherwise I'll be annoyed if the Astros could've kept him on a relatively cheap contract and didn't. As much as I like Jose Abreu, we don't know how he performs in the post-season when the lights are at their brightest since the White Sox never did much. We know for sure Yuli has that clutch gene and nuts up when it matters most. Some of the best hitters can't hit water in the ocean when it comes to nut crunching time. Look at Judge or any Yankees player.
Beltran in 2017 (and frankly Yuli last year) are examples of players who can likely still be productive in the playoff model with many days off throughout those weeks and relying on instinct/tendencies that comes with years of experience. But neither is worth carrying on the roster for entire regular seasons when they can't contribute at a decent level.
This is true in a lot of sectors, not just baseball. Complacency sets in no matter how cutting edge you are initially. Click did some good things in 3 years here. 3 years time is plenty of time to know what you're getting from a GM and whether or not there's another level there. With the roster fairly set going into this and next season, it seems like the ideal time to make a transition. Contrast with the Yankees who before this off-season was employing a braintrust that has been fairly entrenched in their positions for many many years. Now they're bringing in Sabean and Minaya for some "new" voices and its obviously sorely needed when you have the same people giving the same speeches and practicing with the same patterns/metrics/instincts.
This is a good point. would an average defensive CF be worth more than an outstanding defensive LFer with the same hitting? Part of the solution would be to figure out the two unicorns, Trout and Judge, since they both have played both positions. But currently, there are more good Corner outfielders than good CFers (beyond the 2-1). That was not the case 40 years ago. There were athletes that wanted to be Willie Mayes and they drifted toward CF. Now the kids were fans of AROD and drift toward SS and most of the best players are either SS or former SS.
I will be very surprised if Gurriel signs for more than $6M. He is old, limited defensively, and is coming off a bad year offensively. At his age and profile he is likely not open to a bench role. The only way he signs is if a team offers him a legit spot to play everyday, and that is only going to come on a marginal roster likely with a team that doesn’t have much money. I would have been fine brining him back as a bench bat for $6M/1yr on a farewell tour, but I would have been surprised if either side actually wanted that. Sure the fans would like it, but why would Gurriel want to come back to play <100 games and why would Houston want to spend $6M when they can likely get better performance from someone making 10% of that. Aging sucks, I know from experience, but this was inevitable. Here’s hoping Gurriel goes out with a respectable finish to his career and then comes back to Houston as an advisor to help recruit/mentor Cuban players and represent a core piece of this fantastic era of Astros baseball.
I thought I remembered him as one of the 2023 Astros with a higher OPS against pitchers with higher ERA than against average pitchers. We had several such players. I'm absolutely sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong. And I welcome it.
Damned. It's been 51 years since a 21 year old Cesar Cedeno played CF for the Astros. Time flies. Can someone find a time machine and go back and get him? 1972 21 Cesar Cedeno CF 162 OPS+, 55 SB, 21 CS, 56 BB, 62 SO, 22 HR (in the dome - old fences), 0.3 dWAR, 7.6 oWAR, 8.0 WAR, 6.2 WAA.
Imagine that. Interjecting politics into baseball. Who would do such a thing? Just glad this Astros discussion is 100% free of politics. Anyway, back to baseball…
I'll keep throwing it out there Iann Happ as a CF would be nice. Let McCormick get his at bats on days off. That's where he thrives. Would be an easy deal to make.
MLB Shredder 2023: Astros RP - 6th SP- ? 1B - 4th LF - 1st and 8th CF - 10th RF - 4th 2B - ? SS - ? 3B - ? We know we will be in the top 10 in the next 3 positions, and likely top 3 at second and third base. Interesting to see where they position Pena. Do they factor in his post season success and claim him as one of the elite? Valdez will be top 10 and outside shot with Javier (I'd be shocked to see him in the list). Yep, this team will be a tough one to bring down in 2023.
Let me throw this out there. Only the 2022 version of Happ is any help whatsoever. 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 versions are useless.
