As currently constructed or with the idea of adding some bats? The only three I could see batting before him would be Pena Paredes Yordan
Pretty lame after they didn't want him back. Although I do wonder with teams running it back like Philadelphia. If you aren't getting improving, where's the hoping from? Off-season optimism I suppose.
Too many one pitch outs. Declining abilities. Straight pull hitter who doesn’t walk enough. so if we don’t add bats- 5th If we do - 6th maybe 7th
From current roster: Pena Paredes Yordan Correa Altuve Walker Diaz Smith/Sanchez/Cole Meyers 6th is where I would put a slug first lefty bat if they add one. Smith has ability to move up to 6th if he can regain his May/June production and maintain it. Thats actually possible and would be a huge boon but can't expect it.
A team trading fo Yordan wouldn’t care a bit about him having less “excess value”, a team trading for Yordan would be looking at him as the piece to get them over the top I also disagree with the sentiment that trading Yordan means a full rebuild. Yes he is a generational hitter. But his injury issues are real, we have a situation already where we have guys who would be better at DH than anywhere else (Altuve, Paredes) I wouldn’t be looking to move him But if someone like the Sox came with something like Tolle, Bello, Anthony for Yordan, I’m listening.
I like this lineup the more I look at it. It's easy to look at last seasons results but 120 games from Yordan would change the season. It may be a stretch but maybe the updated medical team will help him stay healthy. If paredes didn't get hurt that would be our 1-2 punch. We have the potential of three 30 homer players, three 20 homer guys and two 15 homer guys. A healthy Yordan and he'll set his career high of homers. Correa isn't that far removed from his great 2024, career ops over .800 and near.800 when he joined us. Based on what Yaz was paid, I'll take my chances with Sanchez.
The Astros are not the team trading for Alvarez. I don't care about them and all my comments are about the Astros. The team getting him would consider him the piece to get them over the top and for the Astros his trade ujwould be the reason they did not get to the top. If you have a generational talent, the reason to trade him is to extract his excess value. If there is none then you aren't getting better by trading him. You are equal at best. My point about trading Yordan is there are zero scenarios where you trade Yordan and improve your World Series chances. Stars win, bunches of lesser players (even if they are only lesser due to age/experience) don't. Last year this team has better odds with Tucker, average 3B, and average #5 SP than with Cam, Paredes, and Wesneski. (even if they were all healthy) You don't have to do a full rebuild if you trade Yordan but you are wasting a season if you don't.
Royals gave Lane Thomas $5M. Chas McCormick may end up getting more than he would have in arbitration.
You do realize that if Parades had stayed healthy for 10 more days the Stros would've nade the playoffs. BTW, I'm ok with grading Parades if they can get a young pitching stud like Tolles/Early (SP?) as long as as Dana gets a LHB OF too, even if he's gotta throw in Matthews to make a seal work
Alvarez was a generational producer. His future is uncertain at best. He could bat every day next season but there is no reason to believe that he will. He is just as likely to repeat last season as not. His trade value may or may not be at its lowest point but his zenith is surely behind him.
Why? MLB players have injury-plagued seasons all the time and rebound from them. Just from the Astros' recent years, Correa, Altuve, Springer, Bregman, and Tucker all had them. The Astros even signed a perennially injured guy in Brantley and got multiple amazing years out of him. Yordan is 28 years old and when he came back towards the end of last year, he was hitting the ball as well as ever. Maybe his injuries will be chronic, but he played 150 games in 2024 so it's not like its been an every-year issue. And even if he is hurt, his contract is small enough that if the Astros manage to get 80-100 games plus a playoff run out of him, that's still a positive value. And the advantage of him being a DH is that if he needs rest or gets hurt, he's super-easy to replace in the lineup without needing a minor-leaguer to fill in for a specific position.
If you trade Alvarez then you're committing to a rebuild.Crane's not going to do this. Espada's job is to figure out how to manage the Altuve/Alvarez situation. It really doesn't matter though, the Dodgers are going to win multiple WS until the next Luhnow comes along.
This is why I like this forum so much, a lot of really smart people who dont look down on avg fans like me. We can all agree to disagree but we respect each others opinions. Thanks guy, I love talking roster building/ball with you guys.
I think Espada's job is to get the Astros through this soft rebuild, and won't be replaced until they retool on some young players that hit. I see this year being another non-playoff year unless Seattle falls on their face then maybe we win the division by default. In this case I agree Yordan is not going anywhere.
I have a different opinion, but I think you can do both. Personally, the farm system isn;t in as bad of a situation as the national media makes it out to be. The key is the Stros have some realyy good pitching in the lower minors. Then they've got Neyens/Alvarez/Janek/Frey/ I'm still really high on Gomez etc... The only major weakness I see in the farm system is the middle infield and I've got faith in Dana being able to fill that hole. Maybe I'm wrong, but I see a bright future. I do worry about Dana the GM though
