Meyers need to be gone and an upgrade over his bat has to happen either by trade or FA. Cant have 3 guys that cant hit in the lineup. I dont want a placeholder, I want a MLB proven bat and would do what it takes to add not one, but two OF bats. Even if this means giving up a few highly valued prospects. I never want to see Meyers/McCormick together as regular starting OF'ers. In fact I would let both of those guys go and use guys like Melton/Cole/Hamilton as the 4th OF to free up money for said bat.
Shaw was #13 in the 2023 draft. He's far better than Brice and more advanced. I don't even think the cubs would even part with him for Framber unless they work out an extension. I believe in Dezenzo as much as I believed in Cameron Maybin, a former top 10 prospect in all of baseball. Even the best prospects often fail. Dezenzo isn't a great prospect.
You have this attitude about prospects like Dezenzo, yet you want Dana to trade for a prospect. (Shaw) I think Dezenzo will become a solid everyday 3B. The only question I've got is when is he going to be ready to be an everyday 3B?
The Astros have a 40 man roster problem. If you remove the pending FAs from the current 40 man roster and add back the 60 day I.L. guys ( Nov 14th deadline from my research) you get 41 players. Furthermore, rule 5 eligible players the team wants to protect will also need to be among these 40. The following players are on or have been on MLBpipeline or Fangraphs top prospects lists: Hamilton, Ullola, Tamarez, Gordon, Kouba, Y.Encarnacion, Barber, Cerny, Santos, Melendez, and E. Batista. Palma, Daniels, Murray, Robaina, Santa, L.A.Rodriguez have also had short cameos on those lists but not finished any season recently on them. I would expect 2-4 of those players to be protected, requiring 3-5 of the current players to be non-tendered or traded before that date.
The way MLB bullpen are run, at least 3-4 of your relievers need to be shuttled back and forth between MLB and AAA to keep fresh arms available. Hader, Pressly, Abreu, and Scott have no options. They are established, full season relievers who should remain on the 26 man all year (pending health) A 6 man rotation, I think is going to become more and more common, and is optimal IMO for the Astros with Garcia, McCullers and eventually Javier returning from injury and Arrighetti, Blanco, and Brown coming off larger usage than previous seasons. That leaves 3 pitching spots on the 26 man. Dubin, Martinez, Ort, and Whitley have no options so, if still in the organization, will need to stay on the 26 man all year. These are the players most likely to be traded or non-tendered (besides Urquidy) IMO to clear 40 man space that is needed by November 14th. Hummel is also out of options so likely won't make the cut.
The only player on your list that is pretty safe to be protected is Ullola. The only other player that I think might is Gordon
No, I see all prospects being far from sure things. Prospects that are top 10 across all the league frequently fail. You're acting like someone who isn't close to top 100 is the better gamble... neither are good odds. The more opportunities the better the chance you land on a quality everyday player.
Lots more than just that to consider. Reduced: K% swinging K%, Looking K%, AB/HR, AB/RBI. Increased: Bb%, pull%, FB%, OPS, pit/AB,
I hope the Astros continue to invest in players that are strong defenders as well. This year 1B play especially made me appreciate players like Yuli even more. Heck even Trey Mancini played passable defense and had a huge play in the WS. Kessingers play at 2nd a couple of weeks ago is another example. Those defensive plays are what make the difference in close games.
Nope, I just dont value media lists as much as you do and I think Dezenzo will be an avg hitter with power and a good fielder.
You get three years of options though. Unless I am missing an obscure rule. Dubin has only been optioned in two years and Whitley just barely made it to the bigs so he has two more option years.
Not an obscure rule. Options start happening when a player makes the 40 man roster and is either sent down after joining the major league team, or they are optioned back to the minors after Spring Training, whether they played a big league game or not. Whitley actually had a 4th option year granted this year by MLB due to past injuries.
