Having a great hitting catcher like McCann was what made that lineup so fun to watch. And J.T. Realmuto is right. there. Ugh, I've repeatedly said in my head "If I was a billionaire and owner of the Astros" over and over. But, easier said than done. Yep, I live in fantasy land.
Realmuto should get a step below Springer money on the market, so it would be tough to make the money work. If we had the money we have now but now outfield/bullpen questions, we may be could’ve entered the sweepstakes
Agent: Morton wants to play in 2021, prefers Rays return The 36-year-old's preference is to continue pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays due to their close proximity to his Florida home, but Morton's agent added his client will also consider deals with other teams. https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2046665
Git 'r done, Morey. I mean Luhnow. I mean, Click. Damn, we just lost all three GMs within one year. Well, we lost two of them, and jettisoned the other...
In 2017 the Astros were paying Springer, Altuve, Correa, and Bregman less than 10 million a year COMBINED. In 2021 those 4 players will be making about 75 million. In 2 seasons after that the number will be over 100 million.
Altuve Bregman Alvarez Correa Tucker Gurriel <empty> <empty> Maldonado 1-5 is predictably great, but the bottom half needs a lot of work. Basically minus Springer and Brantley, plus Alvarez makes us a worse offense, and our bottom 3rd was already bad in the postseason. If we allow Springer to walk, we need a legit bat or we are taking a step backward. JBJ is a fine addition, but doesn’t sufficiently address losing both Brantley and Springer.
the Astros were also at the bottom of the league in spending for over a half decade, so I think it’s appropriate for fans to expect Crane to spend for more than a season or 2. I’m ok with letting Springer walk if we have reasonable alternatives and it allows us to keep Correa long term. But if we lose Springer and Correa over the next 2 offseasons, fans will have every right to accuse ownership of being cheap.
The lineup will take a step back for sure when you lose a Springer and a Brantley. But what I’m hoping for is Correa can give us a full season of MVP caliber type numbers. That would definitely will make up for Springer itself. We haven’t a had a full season of Correa since 2016 and his regular season stats have been average at best in the past 3 years.
Maybe, but there are a lot of better options in my opinion. Folty threw heat but didn’t have spin and wasn’t a very good pitcher. Garrett Richards seems like he might be a good fit.
@Snake Diggit Any guesses on an emerging bat from our prospects? With no minor league season, we don’t really know where anybody is in their development. I think this is the year for Toro. An up and down Rookie year is normal. 2020 threw everything off. Our roster is wide open right now, and there’s multiple spots in our order available if someone steps up. Has he played any LF?
I don’t think there is a prospect in Houston’s system who is ready to be an everyday player on the Astros lineup. I was hoping one of Jones, Toro, or Straw would get established this season but it didn’t happen. Straw clearly looks like a complementary player at best. I still have hope for Toro but don’t relish the idea of penciling him in without some kind of insurance. I don’t know how much hope I have for Jones. Toro could be trade bait, or he could be a guy who establishes himself next season as a versatile, near-everyday player. Chas McCormick was added to the 40 man so there must’ve been something they saw from him at the alternate site. But he’d be a surprise and again I don’t think he’s a guy you stick in there without insurance. I will be watching JJ Matijevic early next season. He could be placed in AAA and has the upside to be an everyday bat. He’s had a rocky pro career and is limited defensively but was posting big exit velocity in fall league last year. Other than those, your guess is as good as mine. The other likely upper level OF will be Jake Meyers, Ronnie Dawson, Drew Ferguson, Bryan De La Cruz, Corey Julks, Ross Adolph, and Chandler Taylor. None of those guys profiles as a future everyday major leaguer but they all have a chance to reach the majors. Again, I expect Click to use pitching depth to trade for an outfield prospect from another team. There are probably 30-40 guys who could be targets, I don’t know enough to narrow it down further than that.
Looking at what they've done over the last 4 years, can you really say Bradley has much more of a bat than Marisnick? His career OPS away from Fenway is under .700. We know Jake can't hit, but I don't see JBJ as being much safer. I agree that Bradley is more likely to have a good season than Jake, and if their price tags were the same, I would go with Bradley. But I get the feeling he would require quite a bit more than Jake.
From Jim Bowden (via The Athletic): George Springer, CF Age: 31 B: R T: R HT: 6-5 WT: 220 WAR: 1.9 OPS+: 140 Springer has proven to be one of the best postseason players of this generation, as shown by his .895 OPS with 19 home runs and 38 RBIs in 292 plate appearances. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger is the best power bat on the free-agent market. He’s been the heart and soul of the Astros, and it’s been surprising that the team didn’t make a better effort over the last four years to try and lock him up long term. Don’t be surprised if he ends up with the Red Sox or Mets in free agency. Best fits: Red Sox, Cardinals, Astros, Rangers, Mets, Nationals. Contract prediction: 5 years, $119 million.