I would look at signing Jeff McNeil. Can play all infield positions minus SS and LF. He's got a solid glove and can hit in the.270-280 range. I don't know about his obp. Should be cheap due to injury issues.
If you resign Bregman, try to get Profar and Wade. Trade Framber for prospects. Look to trade Pressly for a lottery ticket. In the deal for Wade try to include Meyers. 2b - Altuve (.350) lf - Profar (.380) dh - Alvarez (.392) 3b - Bregman (.315) rf - Tucker (.408) c - Diaz (.325) 1b - Wade/Dezenzo (.363) weighted average ss - Pena (.308) cf - McCormick/Trammel (.280) weighted average That is a more balanced lineup with free swingers and guys that work the count, obviously tough to figure out an accurate average for Trammel/McCormick considering the lack of PAs for Trammel and the bad season by McCormick. I wouldn't necessarily say it should be a complete R/L split, more like 65/35 for McCormick.
Only because of injury, the guy can hit. Oh well, this is a moot point, he's under contract with the Mets until 2027.
That lineup may buy us a cup of coffee to the post season, but forget about any extras. Profar is a hard no for me.
I agree on Profar, unless he gets no bump from his big season. He always sucks outside of SD and is about as unpredictable and inconsistent year to year aa you can get.
If Bregman does not return, how do the Astros budget a competitive team for 2025? Let's just say the pitching staff is set. Catcher: Diaz. Do they keep Caratini or trade him to save money and use Salazar as the backup? 1b: Singleton CAN be a low end starter vs RHP but is unplayable vs LHP. Do they bring in a fulltime starter or a platoon partner? Do they use Dezenzo or Whitcomb or Caratini? If they bring in a fulltime starter does Singleton make the team? 3b: Is Dezenzo or Whitcomb ready for MLB and if so, does he have the glove to be a starter at 3b? No other legitimate options. If Dubon and/or Kessinger start even semi-regularly this team is in trouble. LF: Brown sounds like he is willing to give McCormick a chance at the starting spot here. That makes sense, since there are other holes that are the priority. Lets hope 2023 Chas is back! Do they bring in an insurance bat? If they strike out on Bregman or a big bat at 1b, do they use this spit to improve the run production? CF: For now, it looks like a Taylor Trammel/Jake Meyers platoon. If Brown truly believes in Melton (or Cole?) this may be a reasonable stop gap for 1 season or until "the next Jake M" is ready for CF. I would prefer a real upgrade, but there aren't a lot of options. 1b options: FT starter: Walker, Goldschmidt. Platoon: Santana, Canha, France 3b options: Bregman, Moncada, Urshella, Iglesias Lf options: T. Hernandez, Santander, Conforto, Canha, Verdugo, O'Neill, Pham, Profar, Winker CF options: Bader, Michael A. Taylor.
It might be something minor, but I do think Houston will make some kind of move in the next 4-5 days.
Seems like a lot of pessimism going around, and for good reason: Houston’s trajectory is negative based on wins, playoff advancement, and player ages. But I think there’s also reason to think Houston can keep this thing going, and here are the 3 main reasons: 1. They have one of the 5 best hitters on earth under below-market control for 4 more seasons. 2. They have a bevy of controllable starting pitching. Hunter Brown looks like he might be a legitimate ace, and he’s under control for 4 more seasons. Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti, and AJ Blubaugh all could emerge as playoff-caliber starters next season. The upper levels of their farm system are well stocked with high ceiling arms, which should keep the bullpen stacked over the next half decade. 3. The Astros have weathered an unprecedented draft pick penalty and should start to come out of that starting in 2025. The picks they lost in 2020-2021 are players that would be reaching the majors by now, so by 2026 that gap would have been flushed out. If Dana Brown is who Jim Crane hoped he was, his talent for drafting will start to really show up in the next few years. Their pitching and outfield depth is already top notch and I consider it likely those areas of the farm will provide quality players moving forward.
Current Astros projected position player roster/lineup Altuve 2b Tucker rf Alvarez dh Diaz c McCormick lf Singleton 1b Pena ss Meyers/Trammell cf Dezenzo/Whitcomb 3b 4 bench spots: Dubon, Caratini, and the non-starter from Meyers/Trammell take up 3 if them. As of now both Whitcomb and Dezenzo make the team.
That top 4 is elite (Altuve is regressing though), but the last 5 is ass. Please don't go into the season with that lineup.
I meant to expound buy something came up. I think either Whitcomb or Dezenzo should be in AAA. That would open 1 spot and 3b should be the #1 priority. Then, either get a regular starting 1b and drop Singleton or the other of Dezenzo/Whitcomb (Jon would need to be DFA'd/traded) or a regular starting LF or CF which would require one of McCormick/Meyers/Trammell losing a roster spot. 2 of 4 positional weaknesses are addressed. More to come
