Would have liked him back, but not sure I would have paid him that much given how inconsistent his career track record has been. It isn't as if last season was the first time he's ever looked good. Wish him nothing but the best, he did everything we could have possibly hoped for when we picked him up. We do have some pitching depth...at least on paper, so it's a loss we can sustain. Does likely cut down on trade avenues potentially moving one of our own guys.
I think it’s a fair contract with as much upside as downside. I would have been fine with Houston signing Kikuchi for that price. Still, deepening the lineup is a bigger need so as long as they add 2 good bats Im more than ok missing out on pitchers.
Why, nothing of signifigance was traded and the trade at least felt like an attempt to win a championship.
I wish they would've kept Wagner and put him at 1B. Many here have stat'ed me to death telling me why Wagner isn't good enough to be a regular on a MLB team.
Agreed and I was hoping Dana would find a way to bring Kikuchi back. If Garcia/LMJ/Javier etc... dont make it back from injury, I'm confident he can find another Kikuchi only this time hopefully the lineup will be much deeper in the playoffs.
2025 rotation if no changes are made. I'm going to be optimistic and say there is a 30% chance McCullers is healthy for opening say. 15% he is in rotation. 15% he is in the bullpen. Framber and Brown are the horses and will make every start if healthy. Brown can be pushed back a day occasionally, if another SP's schedule lines up, to keep him fresh. Arrighetti will start exclusively but get an extra day frequently when the schedule allows. Blanco is #4 but could potentially get skipped or be a piggy back guy if schedule has frequent off days. If in rotation McCullers should be babied, having frequent extra rest days and on pitch count. Always have a long reliever/swing guy available. Garcia is #5 if no McCullers (85%) and swing/piggy back guy if Lance is in the rotation (15%). France/Gusto/Gordon one will be the swing/piggy back guy if Lance isn't in the rotation. They will be in AAA if he is. The good news is that they don't have more than 6 games without a day off until week #9 of the season
Framber, Brown, and Blanco will be horses slated for 180 ip if they stay healthy. Arrighetti will not be on a limit but doesn’t consistently pitch deep into games, so somebody like Scott or Dubin or Whitley will need to be fresh when Arrighetti starts. My WAG is Garcia will be limited to 120 ip but that won’t be a factor until the 2nd half when Javier or someone from AAA will be more than ready. Assuming everybody stays healthy, Houston will open with a 6 man rotation and McCullers will be treated with absolute kid gloves often being skipped as off days allow; if he throws more than 80 innings then the season will be a wild success for him.
Wagner actually looks like he is going to be a solid major leaguer And the one everyone always forgets (even so soon) is Bloss. Dude barely had any minor league buildup, there is a strong chance he turns into a legit mid rotation type, it just might be another year or so before they see it
Carlos Guillen was a 3-time all-star. Freddy a 2-time all-star with Cy Young votes in 2 years and led the league in ERA. Halama had a 5.6 career WAR. Big Unit was a bigger name than Kikuchi, but in terms of actual return and outcomes... sadly equal.
I would bet meaningful money that Loperfido/Wagner/Bloss finish with less than half the career the Guillen/Garcia/Halama did. If we use WAR: Guillen/Garcia/Halama = 67.5 bWAR Loperfido/Wagner/Bloss = 1.0 bWAR I don't think they get to 30.
