[rquoter]The Astros finished off a busy Tuesday by agreeing to a contract with free agent Jack Cust, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Cust will be under contract for 2012 and the Astros hold a club option for 2013, meaning Cust could become the team’s first designated hitter when the Astros move to the American League in 2013, as most of his career experience is bat-only. Cust, 33, is coming off a rough 2011, when he was released by Seattle after hitting .213 with a .344 on-base percentage and a .329 slugging percentage as a DH. He was subsequently signed and released by the Phillies without making the big leagues. He was at his best with the Athletics from 2007-10, when he hit .247 but supplemented that with walks in a staggeringly high 17.6 percent of plate appearances and an average of 24 home runs per year. Financial terms were not available, and the signing is not official yet. The Astros will have to remove a player from the 40-man roster to add Cust.[/rquoter]
HOOOOOLLLLEEEEEEEE SHEEEEEET!! YESSSSSSS!!! JACK CUST IS THE ANSWER TO THIS TEAM'S NEEDS! TAKE THAT YANKEES AND RED SOX!!!!!!!11
wring your hands! freak out! call for heads to roll! the next Willie Mays will deteriorate in AAA because the Astros signed filler for a plug nickel!
It isn't the end of the world, but a seemingly pointless move with Bogey and Bourgeios in the fold. I'm assuming they still make the final roster, but Shuck will begin the year in AAA.
Probably several things 1) He has a strong first half and is dealt for a good prospect 2) He's a good veteran mentor to our young outfield I don't expect he'll be an Astro in 2013 Low risk, potential high reward
they weren't going to compete with the Yanks or Sox this year, anyway. we're in a rebuilding phase...the Astros new ownership has been pretty blunt about that.
The thinking is obvious. Cust was a very good hitter from 2007 through 2010 before falling off the map at Seattle's pitcher's paradise in 2011. If he can recapture some of his prior form (Bill James forecasts him to rebound to a .780 ish OPS), you either have your 2013 DH at a reasonable cost or someone you can flip at the deadline. Yes, he's 33 - but Lance Berkman was 35 and many assumed at the end of his career this time a year ago (after a very poor 2010, by his standards). Didn't turn out that way. As far as playing time, do the Astros really have any legitimate prospect to worry about "blocking"? In the outfield, you know Martinez is penciled in, as is Schafer because of his defensive ability in CF. The other presumed starter is Brian Bogusevic, who at 27 isn't a real prospect. Plus, his decent 2011 is misleading because of a sky-high BABIP. At 1B, you have Carlos Lee who may well be traded by opening day - and if not, likely isn't a part of plans beyond 2012. If Cust comes in and looks good in spring training, I'm not going to lose sleep if he takes some ABs from Bogusevic and Lee. There's a decent reward if you have your 2013 DH at a reasonable price or can flip him for a prospect at the deadline. If he isn't good in the regular season, the downside is that you lose a month or so of ABs for two players that aren't big parts of your future. Not a big deal. As for his defense, what does it matter at all? We all know the 2012 Astros are hopeless. The idea is to see if he can still hit, which would be his only role on the 2013 Astros or the team he's traded to. Low risk, potential high reward - exactly the kind of move the Astros need to make, given their situation.
I want our pitchers to have good defense behind them. Since they are either young and could use the confidence, or veterans that we are looking to deal.
I'm not supporting the signing by any means, but I can at least see what they were going for. Someone (I believe Zachary Levine) tweeted that Jack Cust had a terrible season last season and yet his OBP (or OPS, forget which) was still significantly higher than the Astros team percentage. He's a high on-base guy with some pop in his bat. He's one of the prototypical "Moneyball" guys, which is good news for the future. Not because the Astros are going to become the new A's in terms of selecting players, but because they are at least beginning to think outside of traditional scouting methods.
I think we caught your sarcasm, except for one poster. I think you've made you stance clear on these small signings. Deal is official, 1-year $600,000 and club option for next year. Don't yet know who they are cutting from the 40-man yet.
Speculation is ... Cust in, Leon Gone? I'm guessing Arecenio Leon is next in line to be designated for assignment. Leon, 25, pitched in 47 games for the Hooks in 2011, posting a 4.59 ERA in 64 2/3 IP.
To me, this deal signals the direction that the Astro front office is headed. Cust is definitely a Moneyball player - a low average, high K hitter (which scares off most traditional analysts) who has some pop and walks a ton. The problem is that he's 33, he sucked last year and he has no position (having said that, his .344 OBP in 2011 is the highest of anyone on the roster not named Hunter Pence). So while I like the overall symbolism of the signing, this specific player is essentially useless to the team.
