Situation perplexes Purpura Drop into cellar forces GM to take a different look at trade options By BRIAN MCTAGGART Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Complete Astros coverage PITTSBURGH — Astros general manager Tim Purpura glanced at the National League Central standings on Thursday and couldn't believe his eyes. He then searched his mouth for words to describe his team being tied for last place. After winning seven of 11 games heading into the All-Star break, the Astros were swept by the Chicago Cubs and lost two of three earlier this week at Washington. That dropped them into a last-place tie with Cincinnati, which won Thursday to leave the Astros (40-55) alone at the bottom of the Central. "It's totally unexpected," he said while working the phones from Houston. "In some ways, you can't believe that we are where we are given the kind of talent that's on the club." Outside observers agree Purpura, who is responsible for putting the team together, is understandably biased about his club, but he says he has been hearing similar thoughts from general managers of other clubs. "Even at the All-Star Game," Purpura said, "a number of people from other clubs said, 'Don't give up because you're a lot better than you're showing,' and they point to the fact we swept Seattle and they went back and got in the race. "The fact of the matter is bemoaning our fate right now and wallowing in our misery is useless. We have to find a way to get out of it and not give up hope and continue." With the non-waiver trade deadline 11 days away and the Astros 14 games behind first-place Milwaukee, they are in a precarious position. Do they try to make a trade that will help them make what would be a miraculous second-half push, or do they approach the deadline by looking to the future? What's certain is the Astros have three high-priced veterans in pitcher Roy Oswalt and sluggers Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee signed to long-term contracts, meaning rebuilding isn't an option. "This time of year, it's always challenging," said Purpura, who last year acquired Aubrey Huff before the trade deadline. "You're looking at the immediate future and you always have to look further down the road. "Certainly this is a more challenging time than the past because by now in the past couple of years we've started to jell and play better. So far, we haven't done that. It makes the decision certainly more difficult in what direction we go and how you handle the trade deadline issue." Purpura said he has had trade conversations with every club, but says no deals are on the table, though there are several deals that could be made. Purpura shot down a report out of New York that the Mets were trying to trade for Oswalt, who has a no-trade clause. Berkman and Lee also have no-trades. "I've not had discussions with any of the players that have no-trades," Purpura said. "If (the Mets) are after Oswalt, they haven't called me. In general, there's a lot of interest in our players, and now the question becomes how sincere is it and what can you get in return?" Free agency a factor The Astros have said publicly they are not interested in trading closer Brad Lidge. But infielders Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta, both free agents at season's end, are coveted by several teams. Jason Jennings, who has lost his past five starts, also will be a free agent. Purpura said last month his focus would be on adding pitchers to the bullpen, and even though the relievers have pitched better after an awful stretch in late June, pitching remains a priority. "If we're going to get younger players that can help you this year or next year for example, the cost is going to be a little bit higher," Purpura said. "It doesn't make any sense for us at this point to look to next year and make (wholesale) changes on the club. We've certainly got a core of guys, and we have to improve that core."
This guy is in over head. Other GMs said I have a good team! LOL. They are your competitors, man. I thought this was a .500 team at BEST. What does this team do well? Nothing. There are holes all over the place, and this was before we brought up Pence.
relax, the chronicle braintrust is on it. hopefully, timmy still has a subscription. among many choice cuts, my favorite (sarcasm set to stun) was justice's brilliant suggestion to throw "at least $120 million" at the problem. bravo! on a less irreverent note, mctaggert very nearly had me until he suggested they find gary and wyatt to help create some fantasy catcher that doesn't currently exist ("Get some offense at catcher. Imagine a world where a catcher could hit about 20 homers, drive in 80 runs and still manage the pitchers well."). but i did enjoy this, also from mctaggert: "Acquire a center fielder so Pence can move to right. A prototypical speedster at the top of the lineup would do wonders. Oh, right, they already had one of those." burn.
and guess what? they STILL don't have a #2 starter. and as soon as the season ends, they'll continue their search. assuming it doesn't intefere with their search for a defensive centerfielder with speed who can hit at the top of the line-up...
Well ideally wouldn't they like Burke to be that guy, sans the cf part. So that just leaves finding a more capable rf if there's one available.
To me, Burke is the ideal #2 guy - also with speed (though not as much), but with a bit more pop. That means the middle of your order is Berkman/Lee/Pence/3B, with Burke & Taveras (or someone like him) being the table setters.
How the hell can this guy think we had a gooooood team?? Our pitching SUCKS!! even coming into this season after signing LEE we had no pitching beside Oswalt Jenning? Woody? Sampson? Wandy?
The Willy T of last year didn't take walks. Actually he's a pretty good leadoff hitter this year, but he still has less than a .700 OPS on the road. He's not that special. And would he have matured at the plate in Houston the way he has in Colorado? Dunno. Bottom line, though, is we lack talent on the field and in the front office. I'd start with fixing the latter, and then the former.
in all seriousness...how do these guys have jobs as sports writers? i don't know these guys personally. they may be princes. i have no idea. but the baseball analysis...wow. (your gary and wyatt comment is absolutely, undeniably brilliant! )
So you knew Jennings would suck? The trade was defensible at the time it was made. You disagree. Fine. You and Nick have your very own thread dedicated to b****ing about that trade.
Only a blind homer would of thought this team would do anything this season. I said they would be around 500 and I was way off. Heck I even started a thread listing all the teams that were better than them and got flamed like crazy on this board. *If everything broke right and we made moves around the all star break than I belived there was a chance at winning our weak division but I would of never bet on it nor did I think it was a real possibility. Look Purpura (I hope) knows his team is crap and he has done a terrible job but I am sure he is saying these things to save his tail. ie. blaming the manager for being 15 games under 500 not himself and the "talent" on the roster. Oh and I really question anyone's baseball knowledge who supported that terrible trade that he pulled off out of desperation last winter for some fat douch who has won 1 game. You identify your key guys, Berkman/Lee/Pence/Oswalt and I guess Lidge and those are your core group. Try to move anything else for prospects to help build up your minor league system that should not be depleated at all but is based on many misses in the draft. I'll take a terrible rest of 07 and a terrible 08 if these guys can admit their mistakes and start fixing it instead of trying to reload with no bullets left.
doesn't it read like some of them have an axe to grind? especially JdDO; specifically: "Commit to interviewing a diverse pool of candidates for the GM and manager jobs to avoid duplicating the mistake of hiring Purpura and Phil Garner." garner may very well be gone and he may very well be part of the problem... but would anyone here categorize his hire as a "mistake"? and while purpura may veru well be in over his head... i don't begrudge mcclane for making that hire, either. especially when they have tal smith on the payroll who, i assume, is here for the very purporse of holding the hand of someone inexperienced like purpura. justice's confirms he's likely r****ded - what a horrible "rebuilding" plan: throwing gobs of cash at a bunch of 30+ players and blowing the budget out of the galaxy. mctaggert has the most sensible plan, save for the bit about the catcher and resigning loretta - good player and all, and i'd love to have him back, but he wouldn't rank among my top 5 priorities and i don't think i'd favor him over lamb.
i knew he wasn't worth three young prospects, including our starting CF and lead-off hitter. half of it was, yes - no one is arguing their rotation couldn't use an upgrade. what they gave up, however, wasn't defensible then or now. it was too much and too short-sighted.
Believe me, your point is duly noted and respected. It's beginning, however, to approach Carrian or even Vincian proportions of interfering with other threads.
