Just thinking about the what ifs and hindsight with the Astros over the years similar to the Rockets passing on trading Ralph Sampson for Drexler and Jordan... Thought I would share a few of my own... Astros convince Randy Johnson to stick around... have a rotation in the early 00s of: Randy Johnson Johan Santana Roy Oswalt Mike Hampton Wade Miller With 3 of them in pre-arbitration the Astros could have paid Hampton/Johnson... Wade was awesome until he got hurt... Another one... not being cheap and doing Padres deal as well as knowing what they had... CF Kenny Lofton 2B Craig Biggio 1B Jeff Bagwell LF Luis Gonzalez 3B Ken Caminiti RF Steve Finley SS Andujar Cedeno C Tony Eusebio Curt Schilling Darryl Kile Shane Reynolds Pete Harnisch Mike Hampton
Another one... they take Jeter instead of Nevin because they aren't being cheap and are willing to pay Cammy... CF Lofton 2B Biggio SS Jeter 1B Bagwell LF Gonzalez 3B Caminiti RF Finley C Someone's Mom (does it matter?)
Neither Randy Johnson or Carlos Beltran were returning. The biggest "What If" for the Astros remains JR Richard. Ryan and Richard with Niekro's knuckleball in the middle would've been unstoppable.
Disagree on the later: https://houston.cbslocal.com/2016/1...astros-owners-for-his-exit-after-2004-season/ We were very much in play for Beltran, and he wanted to stay in HOU IIRC, but Drayton wouldn’t budge on the NTC.
What would have been different about the franchise had they gotten to that Game 7 with Scott on the mound...win the pennant..and go on to beat the Sox to be the 1986 World Champs? I think about that a lot.
My inclination is that that is just talk after the fact. Living through it, the fans and media knew the Astros would have to blow the others out of the water $$$-wise to get Beltran to return, and that he very much wanted to go to New York. The odds of him returning seemed even lower than what happened with Springer over the last few months... “Honestly, they were (my first choice),” the veteran told the radio duo in regard to the Yankees [in 2005]. https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/12/20/carlos-beltran-introduced-at-yankee-stadium/
Dickie Thon doesn’t get hurt, maybe Astros win it all in the late 80s. Pujols doesn’t hit that blast off Lidge, maybe Astros win it all in 2005. Correa doesn’t bobble that ball against KC in the playoffs, who knows what happens.
That's a great one.... and Mike Scott would have shown up at the tail end if everyone stays healthy...
An Astros equivalent of Stockton's 3 at the buzzer of game 6 in 1996... robbed us of Rockets/Bulls...
Astros retain JD Martinez. This means no Fiers or Gomez. JD Martinez and Josh Hader both on the recent Astros teams without all the drama
How bout Astros don’t trade Ramon Laureano for Brandon Bailey. Astros protect him from the Rule 5 and he is up and down in 2018. Houston makes a salary dump trade of Reddick in December of 2018. Astros would be entering this season with another cost-controlled star, hell maybe they win it all last season.
IIRC Santana didn't learn his killer circle change until he went to Minnesota. Without, he would have been very mediocre, like Mike Scott before he learned the split finger.
Pretty sure that bomb was in 04 when we did not advance to the WS. That team was incredible and could’ve taken out BOS, who won their first WS that year since, what, 1908?
no, it was 05. Stros won the next game and won the series and advanced to the WS. the 04 team was taken out in 7 by the Cards... thanks to the heroic Jim Edmonds catch (which followed the previous day's extra inning walk-off HR).
Fair point about the rotation being different but it was the hitting that got us the loss that year... most of the pitching was good enough in the series...
