Assuming Springer is unaffordable, Marisnick is willing to sign for something like $15M/2yr, and there aren’t any reasonable values on the trade market, I would not be at all opposed to a Tucker-Marisnick-Brantley outfield next season. Beyond Springer there are not any CF options in free agency that stand out as big upgrades over Marisnick. Other guys like Bradley, Pederson, and Pillar will get more money than Jake but I don’t think they’re much better. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Enrique Hernandez or Jonathan Villar signed to play CF. I’d almost rather spend $100M giving 3 year deals to Hernandez, Brantley, and James McCann rather than give Springer $150M/5yr.
Reddick is obviously out. I expect Springer and Brantley will be gone as well but I’d be pleasantly surprised to have one or both back. Brantley Marisnick Tucker would be a win for the offseason.
They should be able to keep Springer at least as long as they were able to keep Berkman. Similar "late" callups. Similar wear/tear concerns (albeit Springer far more athletic). Similar post-season success. Similar endearment amongst the fan base. I do think a deep post-season run, with Springer being a key component, could sway decision making... even though it shouldn't.
It will be interesting. I will be very surprised if both of them are gone, but I will be even more surprised if both are back. If we can work out a deal with Springer, I imagine we cobble together something cheap in LF (Tucker is good enough if necessary in RF, if not ideal). If we sign Brantley, I think it means we have an extremely strong belief that Springer is a lost cause, and we would then have to go pure glove in CF. As for Reddick, he looks completely done, even his defense isn't valuable anymore. I'm sure somebody will give him a camp invite, maybe even a guaranteed deal, but I honestly can't see what he brings to the table that you can't get from a million triple A players with added upside.
I’ll admit I am a bit out of the loop. But I have to ask. Does Springer even want to be back here? Is it possible he is sour at how to Astros cost him a year ?
Here is the thing from my point of view. If Springer wants the best offer, he wont be back. If Springer does not want to be here, he wont be back. Only if he wants to be back AND take a lesser offer will he stay. Seems overwhelmingly likely he wont be back. To answer your question, I have not seen anything that explicitly makes clear Springers feelings. Many have taken other things he has said and done as indicating he doesn't intend to be here. The tea leaves seem clear, but no one seems very certain.
I think that practice of holding players down is so common , and has been common forever has to be far in the past for springer at this point . Imo the no state income tax helps the astros out . The agent will want the biggest longest deal possible for their commission , but ultimately it’s up to springer. I think with us , the risk is lowest if the numbers are close . Springer will always be loved here , if he goes to a new team and struggles out of the gate , or even for a season will the new fans take to him ? Here , he won WS MVP . it might be the last hoorah for Reddick , but how does springer like playing with tucker and Brantley ? Is springer interested in moving back to right everything else equal ? These are the questions the Astros care about imo .
My and my brother used to debate who was better Gerald Young or Eric Yelding. I was a GMan fan myself.
If Osuna who’s been in a throwing program for three weeks, Joe Smith and Pruitt return there’s really just three offseason needs for 2021.. 1. Maldonado 2. Gurriel 3. Altuve 4. Bregman 5. Correa 6. Tucker 7. *FA CF (Springer, E. Hernandez, Marisnick) 8. *FA LF/RF (Brantley, Castellanos) 9. Alvarez 10. Stubbs/Garneau 11. Diaz 12. Straw/McCormick/Toro, etc 13. Straw/McCormick/Toro, etc 1. Grienke 2. *FA SP (Minor, Ray, T. Walker, Odorizzi, etc) 3. McCullers 4. Urquidy 5. Valdez/Javier 6. Osuna (on track) 7. Pressly 8. J. Smith 9. Pruitt 10. Valdez/Javier 11. Taylor 12. Paredes 13. Scrubb/James/Sneed/Raley/C. Perez, etc etc Payroll drops from $214 million to $113 million with Springer, Brantley, Reddick & Peacock hitting free agency. Before adding in Gurriel’s extension and arbitration it’s probably about $135-$140 million. Crane can also recoup the $33 million he’s paying JV to rehab after 2021 ends. That should be upfront additional free agent spending $$$ I think Astros are in line for offering better deals than most of the teams in baseball.
I agree there’s a chance Houston could have a good amount of money to spend. I have wondered if they wouldn’t skip over Springer and make a run at Realmuto. That’s probably pipe dreaming but an offseason haul of Realmuto, Marisnick, and Brantley would have their lineup looking insane: 3B Bregman LF Brantley C Realmuto DH Alvarez SS Correa RF Tucker 2B Altuve 1B Gurriel CF Marisnick Bench: Diaz, Maldonado, Straw, Toro
Would the Skeeters even sign Reddick at this point? Btw... Willy Taveras washed out from the Sugar Land last season...
I kind of like Reddick's personality, he kind of reminds me of a Sam Rockwell character, but the Astros can't upgrade his position soon enough.
I think Reddick will get a big league contract, but it will be in the $1-5M range. But it also wouldn’t shock me if he had to settle for a minor league deal.
Why would you re-sign any of these clowns when you have Toro and Mayfield. **** it, Oliver Perez is a free agent. Bring him back too.
People were concerned that Altuve wouldn’t consider any possible extensions because of how the first contract turned out. People were also concerned that the handling of Bergman’s non-raise between his 2nd and 3rd year would leave a sour taste. In the end, money talks. The Astros can likely afford a front loaded deal, but likely nothing beyond 5 years.
It's a shame Reddick's skills have deteriorated so quickly. He'd be a good, probably cheap sign as a 4th outfielder, lefty off the bench. He just had twins and built that big house out in Crosby so maybe he knew he was going to retire after this season and didn't put in the work in the offseason. Who knows.
It has been commonplace for teams to hold back a prospect but Springer's mindset now on that subject may be weighing on him. Had Springer become a free agent after the 2019 season he would have had a much bigger payday. He could have signed a big deal before the sign stealing scandal report was released but perhaps of even bigger impact, before the COVID season. Contracts likely aren't going to be as big this offseason. Astros keeping Springer down may have cost him upwards of 100 million.
