Astros Next Step After Clemens: Signing either Redding or J. Robertson

Personally I don't think we should trade any of our extra starting pitching...mainly because it seems our rotations are always injury prone and Clemens is only here for one year, so this is nothing more than an excellent tool for making a push at a World Series THIS season. We might very well need guys like Redding, Robertson, Duckworth, etc in the very near future.

 

Hidalgo is signed through the 2004 season. I believe the Astros have an option for 2005 but it is at a high salary.

 

It is also not a given that that the Astros will keep MIller, when his first big $$$ contract comes up.

 

Exactly. Whatever excitement is dwindled whenever I remember that he's only going to be here one year is rekindled by realizing what kind of long-term effect Clemens will have on our young pitchers, from Oswalt/Miller to Redding/Duckworth/Robertson. I say keep them all for insurance this year and what the two former Yankees could influence in the next few years.

Here's a question. Who do y'all think will win more combined games, Oswalt/Miller or Clemens/Pettitte? I'm going to go with the former. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Oswalt won 22-23 games this year in the third spot. Hell, he nearly won 20 a couple of years ago as the #1. If he can stay healthy, I don't think 20+ is out of the question at all. If Miller can return to his 2001 and 2002 level, I don't think 20 wins is out of the question.

 

You realize that just because he's in the 3rd spot doesn't mean that he always faces the other team's number 3 pitcher, right? The only time that it really matters what hole the pitcher's in is really the first series of the year, because after that everyones' schedules are different. If I read too much into your post, my apologies.

 

We'd have to trade Steve Francis and/or Yao Ming to get Beckett!