Pretty much, who cares. If the dude like Trump let him like Trump, it's fine, go vote next year if you don't like Trump.... but it's OK for people to have different opinions.
10 guys got QO’ed: Cole Strasburg Donaldson Rendon Abreu Odorizzi Bumgarner Wheeler Smith Ozuna Abreu should accept. Ozuna and Smith should consider it. Everyone else should reject it.
Great article about the Astros offseasons from the Athletic. It is a testament to the talent and depth of players on the Astros roster that they remain in enviable shape even after subtracting the best starting pitcher on this offseason’s free-agent market in Gerrit Cole. But as general manager Jeff Luhnow plans for 2020 and beyond, he and his front office face new challenges. The team’s payroll flexibility is limited, even if owner Jim Crane decides he’ll exceed the first competitive balance tax threshold of $208 million. The farm system is no longer flush with trade assets. And three of the top six hitters in the lineup are entering contract years. Reinforcing the margins of the roster will require creativity from Luhnow, who just completed his eighth season running the team. The Astros are set to return virtually all of their 2019 lineup, and Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr. will be the top three in their rotation. But they also begin the offseason with no proven catchers and almost half a bullpen to fill while already having a projected opening day payroll pushing that $208 million mark. “Every team has limits. There’s not unlimited spending potential for at least most teams. We’re one that has limits,” Luhnow said. “We have to spend wisely. That’s part of the front office’s job, and we’ve done that in the past. We’ve been reaching all-time payroll highs every year for the past four or five years and that will probably continue next year. “How we allocate those resources is something that we spend a lot of time thinking about and how we commit resources for the future, as well. Because committing resources for 2025 right now comes with a lot of risk. We’re going to do all of that analysis, we’re going to be negotiating hard to try and figure out how we use the resources we have. But I’m very satisfied, as the head of baseball operations, with the support that we’ve received from ownership and expect that to continue.” Luhnow’s objective has always been to build a sustainable winner, not a team with a limited contention window that has to undergo another rebuild. After falling eight outs shy of a second title in three years, the Astros are primed to contend for another World Series next season. But as he seeks reinforcements for 2020, Luhnow will also be cognizant of any given transaction’s implications for 2021 and beyond, when several of the team’s best players could be elsewhere. Meanwhile, he must also confront the fallout of Brandon Taubman’s firing. The disgraced former assistant GM’s influence in the team’s baseball operations department was vast, and it remains unclear as to how Luhnow will restructure his front office in the wake of the dismissal of his top lieutenant. Outside hires or internal promotions could be forthcoming. The confluence of all these factors will make this a fascinating next few months for the Astros. What follows is a guide to their 2019-20 offseason, which began in earnest on Monday. Free agents These eight Astros became free agents on Thursday and will be eligible to sign with a team as soon as Monday at 4:01 p.m. CT. RHP Gerrit Cole* RHP Will Harris C Robinson Chirinos C Martín Maldonado LHP Wade Miley RHP Joe Smith RHP Collin McHugh RHP Héctor Rondón *The Astros will extend Cole a one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer before Monday’s 4 p.m. CT deadline to do so, which he will decline. If Cole signs with another team, the Astros will recoup a compensatory draft pick in Competitive Balance Round B, which follows the second round. For context, the Competitive Balance Round B picks in the 2019 draft ranged from Nos. 70-77 overall. Salary guarantees 2B José Altuve, $145 million over five years 3B Alex Bregman, $100 million over five years RHP Justin Verlander, $66 million over two years RHP Zack Greinke, $49.3 million over two years* RHP Ryan Pressly, $17.5 million over two years* LF Michael Brantley, $16 million over one year RF Josh Reddick, $13 million over one year 1B Yuli Gurriel, $8 million over one year *When the Astros acquired Greinke, they agreed to pay $53 million of the $77 million he was owed through the 2021 season. It is unclear exactly how much of that $53 million the Astros owe Greinke in each of the ’20 and ’21 seasons, as his six-year, $206.5 million deal with the Diamondbacks included salary deferrals and a signing bonus to be paid out in various installments. Spotrac projects the Astros to be on the hook for $24.6 million in ’20 and ’21, so we’re using that figure for this projection. *Pressly’s contract also calls for a $10 million option for 2022 that vests if he pitches in 60 games in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. If Pressly doesn’t make 60 appearances in each of those seasons, it turns into a club option that would be valued between $7 million and $10 million, depending on his number of appearances in 2021. Arbitration-eligible players These Astros are eligible to go through the salary arbitration process this offseason. Most players get three years of arbitration while players who qualify for Super Two status get four. The estimated 2020 salaries below are courtesy of MLBTradeRumors.com’s projection model. Most of these arbitration cases will likely be settled without a hearing. If the sides don’t agree to terms beforehand, the players’ agents and the team will exchange proposed salary figures in January. If they can’t find common ground, an independent three-person panel will hear both sides and choose one proposed salary figure or the other. Player Year of arbitration Projected 2020 salary OF George Springer 4 of 4 $21.4 million RHP Roberto Osuna 3 of 4 $10.2 million SS Carlos Correa 2 of 3 $7.4 million RHP Aaron Sanchez* 3 of 3 $5.6 million RHP Brad Peacock 3 of 3 $4.6 million RHP Lance McCullers* 3 of 4 $4.1 million OF Jake Marisnick 4 of 4 $3.0 million IF Aledmys Díaz 1 of 3 $2.4 million RHP Chris Devenski* 2 of 3 $2.0 million RHP Joe Biagini 2 of 4 $1.5 million *Devenski has a $2.825 million club option for 2020 that will be declined if the Astros, like MLBTradeRumors.com, project Devenski to make less than that salary through the arbitration process. He’s under team control through the 2021 season regardless. It’s simply a matter of determining his 2020 salary. *Sanchez is a candidate to be non-tendered before the Dec. 2 deadline to tender arbitration-eligible players contracts for 2020, which would make him a free agent. The Astros could try to cut a pre-tender deadline deal with him, as he will miss the beginning of next season while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He made $3.9 million last season and had a 5.89 ERA in 131 1/3 innings. *McCullers will make the same $4.1 million salary he had in 2019 through the arbitration process because he missed the season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Notable pre-arbitration players Most pre-arbitration players make only the major league minimum, which was $555,000 in 2019. That figure could rise slightly in 2020. Here are the Astros’ most prominent pre-arbitration players: DH Yordan Alvarez RHP José Urquidy RHP Josh James OF Kyle Tucker OF Myles Straw 3B Abraham Toro C Garrett Stubbs Notable Rule 5 Draft-eligible players Teams have until Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. CT to protect players who are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to their 40-man roster. The Rule 5 Draft will be held on the morning of Dec. 12 in San Diego, this year’s site of baseball’s annual winter meetings. Here are the most notable Astros minor leaguers who will be Rule 5 eligible if not protected: RHP Cristian Javier RHP Enoli Paredes 1B/LF Taylor Jones OF Drew Ferguson OF Ronnie Dawson IF Jonathan Arauz RHP Carlos Sanabria RHP Brandon Bailey
The five biggest Astros storylines of the offseason 1. Gerrit Cole’s free agency The Astros are at great risk of losing one of the best pitchers in baseball and one of the two best players on this year’s free-agent market. Cole, only 29 and very much in his prime, has a chance to set records for a free-agent starting pitcher contract, be it by years, total salary, average annual value or all of the above. He has a legitimate shot at becoming baseball’s first $250-million free-agent pitcher. At the least, he’ll all but certainly become the fourth pitcher in the $200 million club, which currently features David Price ($217 million over seven years), Max Scherzer ($210 million over seven years) and Greinke ($206.5 million over six years). At $34,416,667, Greinke owns the AAV record for a free-agent pitcher. Nothing about the Astros’ past behavior in free agency suggests a Cole reunion is anything more than a long shot at this point. Under Luhnow, they have steered clear of megadeals in free agency, especially for pitchers. It is telling that their three-year, $30 million deal for Scott Feldman in 2014 remains their largest for a free-agent starting pitcher in Luhnow’s tenure and Reddick’s four-year, $52 million deal ahead of 2017 is still the largest overall for any of the team’s free-agent signings. Luhnow’s MO has been to spread the money around in free agency rather than invest a ton in one player’s salary. The Astros could use another starter, though, especially if they plan to non-tender Sanchez. Urquidy could be their fourth or fifth starter, but a free-agent signing or trade acquisition would push Peacock back to the bullpen. Their starter depth to begin next season figures to include Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Forrest Whitley, Brandon Bielak, Francis Martes and Rogelio Armenteros. 2. An extension for George Springer? Before each of the last two seasons, the Astros have locked up one of their cornerstone position players. In March 2018, they ensured Altuve would be with the team through 2024 via a five-year, $151 million extension, the largest contract in franchise history. This past March, they signed Bregman through 2024 via a five-year, $100 million deal. Whether Springer will be next figures to be the biggest storyline of next spring training. The three-time All-Star will be a free agent after next season, his age-30 campaign. The 2019 season was the best of his career despite his lowest games played total (122) since 2015. Each of Springer, Brantley, Reddick and Marisnick are in line to be free agents after next season, and Tucker is the Astros’ only young outfielder close to or already in the majors who looks like he could be an everyday player in 2021. Alvarez can play left field part-time but might always get most of his at-bats as the designated hitter. 3. Will the Astros move Josh Reddick? With Tucker having nothing left to prove in Triple A, Reddick is an obvious trade candidate to clear a corner outfield spot. However, the $13 million the Astros owe Reddick for 2020 looms as a significant obstacle to any potential deal. Reddick, who will be 33 next year, has been a below-average offensive player in consecutive seasons. In 2019, he had only a .728 OPS that equated to an 89 OPS+. The Astros would probably have to pay down some of his salary to move him, and in that case they could instead opt to bring him back as a part-time player. Active rosters expand to 26 players next season, so the Astros could theoretically carry both Tucker and Reddick even at full strength. Marisnick is another trade candidate, as the Astros have Myles Straw ready to assume the defense-first backup outfielder role. 4. Who will catch? The Astros enter the offseason with only one catcher on their 40-man roster in Garrett Stubbs, who is unproven as a major leaguer. They could look to re-sign one or both of Robinson Chirinos and Martín Maldonado, two veterans who complemented each other nicely and collaborated well behind the scenes. Both Chirinos and Maldonado played the 2019 season on one-year contracts, Chirinos for $5.75 million and Maldonado for $2.5 million. At this stage of their respective careers — Chirinos will be in his age-36 season next year and Maldonado his age-33 campaign — both are likely looking at one-year deals again this winter. Other free-agent catchers include Yasmani Grandal, Alex Avila, Yan Gomes and ex-Astro Jason Castro. 5. Reinforcing the bullpen With Osuna and Pressly back next season, the Astros have their closer/set-up man combination in place. But Harris is a free agent, and his consistency over the last five seasons could set up the 35-year-old righty for a contract in the range of two years and $6 million to $8 million annually. The Astros are also down Smith, Rondón and McHugh. James will be back, and Devenski and Biagini are set to return as lower-leverage options. The acquisition of a starter would push Peacock back to the bullpen, but they would still be short a couple middle relievers. Bryan Abreu is a candidate, but there’s also a non-zero chance the Astros try to continue to develop him as a starter in Triple A. (Photo of Gerrit Cole: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
MLBTR Free Agent Predictions 1. Gerrit Cole – Angels. Eight years, $256MM 2. Anthony Rendon – Nationals. Seven years, $235MM 3. Stephen Strasburg – Nationals. Six years, $180MM 4. Zack Wheeler – Phillies. Five years, $100MM 5. Josh Donaldson – Rangers. Three years, $75MM 6. Madison Bumgarner – Twins. Four years, $72MM 7. Yasmani Grandal – Reds. Four years, $68MM 8. Nicholas Castellanos – White Sox. Four years, $58MM 9. Hyun-Jin Ryu – Rangers. Three years, $54MM 10. Jake Odorizzi – Twins. Three years, $51MM 11. Marcell Ozuna – Giants. Three years, $45MM 12. Didi Gregorius – Reds. Three years, $42MM 13. Will Smith – Twins. Three years, $42MM 14. Dallas Keuchel – White Sox. Three years, $39MM 15. Cole Hamels – Braves. Two years, $30MM 16. Jose Abreu – White Sox. Two years, $28MM 17. Michael Pineda – Brewers. Two years, $22MM 18. Mike Moustakas – Braves. Two years, $20MM 19. Kyle Gibson – Cubs. Two years, $18MM 20. Tanner Roark – Blue Jays. Two years, $18MM 21. Julio Teheran – Mariners. Two years, $18MM 22. Will Harris – Cubs. Two years, $18MM 23. Drew Pomeranz – Dodgers. Two years, $16MM 24. Wade Miley – Angels. Two years, $16MM 25. Corey Dickerson – Padres. Two years, $15MM 26. Travis d’Arnaud – Brewers. Two years, $14MM 27. Chris Martin – Phillies. Two years, $14MM 28. Daniel Hudson – Nationals. Two years, $12MM 29. Avisail Garcia – Marlins. Two years, $12MM 30. Howie Kendrick – Twins. Two years, $12MM 31. Rick Porcello – Giants. One year, $11MM 32. Brett Gardner – Yankees. One year, $10MM 33. Robinson Chirinos – Astros. Two years, $10MM 34. Jason Castro – Angels. Two years, $10MM 35. Craig Stammen – Mets. Two years, $10MM 36. Steve Cishek – Diamondbacks. Two years, $10MM 37. Yasiel Puig – Tigers. One year, $8MM 38. Edwin Encarnacion – Rays. One year, $8MM 39. Alex Wood – Mariners. One year, $8MM 40. Adam Wainwright – Cardinals. One year, $8MM 41. Brock Holt – Diamondbacks. Two years, $8MM 42. Josh Lindblom – Astros. Two years, $8MM 43. Dellin Betances – Rays. One year, $7MM 44. Kole Calhoun – Pirates. One year, $6MM 45. Shogo Akiyama – Diamondbacks. Two years, $6MM 46. Rich Hill – Dodgers. One year, $6MM 47. Michael Wacha – Tigers. One year, $6MM 48. Ivan Nova – Mets. One year, $6MM 49. Pedro Strop – Red Sox. One year, $5MM 50. Drew Smyly – Pirates. One year, $3MM Honorable mentions: Brett Anderson Todd Frazier Brandon Kintzler Martin Perez Starlin Castro Jonathan Schoop Ben Zobrist Eric Thames Hunter Pence Jordan Lyles Yoshitomo Tsutsugo We realize that a Top 50 Free Agents list with one set of specific team predictions will leave some fanbases dissatisfied. A few notes on certain clubs: Most teams will meet some needs through trades and free agents who fell short of this list. The Orioles, Royals, Indians, Athletics, and Rockies did not end up with any free agents from this list. Certainly they might be in play on some of the more affordable names. With this list, we try to present one possible puzzle where everything could happen. Once we start to get picks wrong, it has a ripple effect. While some teams’ key needs have gone unaddressed, we wouldn’t recommend reading into it. There are only a handful of impact starting pitchers on the free agent market this winter, and in this iteration we haven’t given one to the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, Cubs, or Padres. Some of those teams will be involved on the big names and one could easily land one. If that doesn’t happen, the trade market presents other scenarios for improvement. While we’ve made spending capacity estimates for each of the 30 teams as part of this exercise, those change quickly with trades, non-tender decisions, and unexpected payroll changes. We’ve projected quiet offseasons for the Astros and Red Sox largely because of payroll constraints, but those aren’t set in stone.
Award finalists: Rookie: Yordan Álvarez, Astros; Brandon Lowe, Rays; John Means, Orioles Pete Alonso, Mets; Mike Soroka, Braves; Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres Manager: Rocco Baldelli, Twins; Aaron Boone, Yankees; Kevin Cash, Rays Craig Counsell, Brewers; Mike Shildt, Cardinals; Brian Snitker, Braves CY: Gerrit Cole, Astros; Charlie Morton, Rays; Justin Verlander, Astros Jacob deGrom, Mets; Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers; Max Scherzer, Nationals MVP: Alex Bregman, Astros; Marcus Semien, Athletics; Mike Trout, Angels Cody Bellinger, Dodgers; Anthony Rendon, Nationals; Christian Yelich, Brewers
The more I look at it the more I don’t really see the need for a bullpen arm unless they just don’t see any hope of Biagini and/or Devenski redeeming themselves or they don’t think Abreu or Framber are ready. Those 4 plus Peacock, James, Pressly, and Osuna are an 8 man bullpen that I think would easily rank among the top 5 in the AL.
So if the Angel's got Cole for that price two of their players would cost them around 68 million. Wow. Plus Pujols is making 29 million in 2020. I just dont see it happening. Dodgers or Padres would be my bet.
I could see Texas getting stupid like they did with Arod. New ballpark and take him away from the Astros... they are dying to steal some of our shine.
Anyone uniform except for the Yankees will do for me. But if I’m the Yankees, I would go all-in on Cole because they need him more than any teams to get over the WS hump. For that, Boras will used the Yankees to get more money from the Angels at the end of the day.
they link Houston (whether specifically or tangentially) to Wheeler, Bumgarner, Ryu, Hamels, Pineda, D’Arnaud, Hudson, Porcello, Chirinos, Castro, Cishek, Lindblom, and Betances. There are a lot of good values in those predictions to my eyes. I don’t relish the idea of giving Wheeler $100M+, but the Odorizzi/Hamels/Keuchel/Pineda/Gibson/Porcello group looks very affordable, and the catching contracts they predict for D’Arnaud and Castro also look reasonable. A Chirinos/Castro catching platoon could be star quality. Current opening day 40 man prediction: CF Springer 2B Altuve LF Brantley 3B Bregman DH Alvarez SS Correa RF Tucker 1B Gurriel C Castro Bench: Diaz, Chirinos, Marisnick, Toro Rotation: Verlander, Greinke, Porcello, McCullers, Urquidy Bullpen: Peacock, Valdez, Biagini, Devenski, Abreu, James, Pressly, Osuna Optioned: G Stubbs, Mayfield, Arauz, Straw, R Dawson, C Perez, Javier, Emanuel, Armenteros, Martes, Deetz, Sneed, Paredes, Torres Traded: Reddick
I would rather have Kyle Gibson than Porcello. I also believe they will add at least one reliever. I don't see the Astros spending on both Castro and Chirinos. I would expect one of them plus Maldonado or Avila and Maldonado. I think Marisnick might get traded and Straw would take his place. Marisnick's estimated arbitration is around 3 million. Not sure he is worth 2.4 million more than Straw.
