If it's a Houston sports team (other than the "Morey" Rockets) and free agency, prepare to be disappointed......
So predictable. A couple players sign elsewhere that didn't really even make sense for the Astros, and the negative nancies start showing up in here. I think the funniest thing would be the Astros signing a low cost veteran SS like Galvis or Iglesias as their first move signaling the end of the Correa era. Heads will explode in here. Astros have a lot of flexibility on how to fill their holes. They aren't going to be the team to set the market. They will explore every option and jump in when they see the best value.
He's not still the best defensive SS. I'd still have him as elite last season. I'm not sure whether he's elite going forward or not. He probably needs a big rebound with the bat and not lose any more defense to be a starter.
Any idea if Seiya Suzuki can play CF? Or is he just a RF? If he can play CF, any interest? Mlbtraderumors.com predicted a 5 year $55 million as a possibility which means after the posting fee, it would be $65 million. Huge risk since he could be another Tsutsugo but then again, maybe he can hit like Ohtani.
I had the same thought. Haven’t seen detailed review of his defense outside of “competent outfielder” type blurbs. He did steal 73 bases last season so he’s gotta have some speed.
Edit: I was wrong. Him being over 25 means that his contract wouldn’t affect a team’s international spending limit. But a posting fee WOULD be necessary
Posting has to do with contract status with Japanese team. He will be posted and the MLB team will have to pay Japanese team. I think the age thing comes down to the type of contract with the MLB team. Ohtani was locked into IFA signing rules that limited his pay dramatically based on his age. Edit: It looks like posting fee is based on the salary of player. As Ohtani was younger than 25, it significantly limited his posting fee to a portion of his signing bonus which was limited by his age. Caveat: The Astros haven't gotten close to signing a posted player so I have no idea if there is more intricacies with the posting system based on age.
So whats the vibe right now yall? Is CC gone? I just can't see how Crane could not pay a cornerstone in a potential dynasty. Pieces are there at least another year or 2 if CC stays and JV can take his ass somewhere else. Frustrating .
Nah. Even in an absolute worst case scenario where the only additions are a couple of relative scrubs like Freddy Galvis and Brad Boxberger, the Astros would still very likely be favored to win their division and would be armed with a ton of money/prospects to use at the deadline.
I don’t know much more than what I posted. According to my friend, the marketing team wanted Verlander to throw out the first pitch of game one of the ALDS games, and Correa told Crane the team was against it.
I'm just ready for this Correa thing to finally be over with. To be honest, as good as a player he is at ss I was ready for him to leave after the season when he made the announcement right after the trade deadline. It's like he did that on purpose so he wouldn't get traded (which was pretty smart on his behalf). I feel he's not coming back and we have Diaz, Leon and Pena to vie for that role next year. Regardless, I think the offense is good enough to get back to the playoffs by winning the division, but the pitching still has me at odds. Odorizzi and McCullers are two players you can't really count on with their injuries in the past (McCullers has missed the last 2 world series now with injuries). And I don't want to have to hope for another decent season from Garcia, Urquidy and Javier. It feels like we have two #3 starters in McCullers and Framber and the rest rounding out the #4 and #5 slots but no ace or #2 guy. McCullers with his injuries takes those away from him for now. Not sure if Ray would be an option for the Stros but I would have loved Strom still being here if it were. And Iglesias would be awesome out of the pen. But those are all most like wish lists then anything. Correa and Verlander are gone though in my book.
This made me think about what would a “best worst case” scenario be, where the Astros addressed all their areas of concern, but were limited to only 1 year deals for <$10M each. This was what I came up with: SS Jose Iglesias: good defender, not too old, rarely strikes out. Lacks power. Would be a fine patch until Pena is fully ready. Other options: Leury Garcia, Andrelton Simmons, Ronny Torreyes, Matt Duffy, Chris Owings, Freddy Galvis, Marwin Gonzalez CF Kevin Pillar: solid defender, doesn’t strike out too much, decent power. Aging. Other options: Leury Garcia, Odubel Herrera, Jake Marisnick, Chris Owings SP: James Paxton: low mileage for 33, held his velocity when he did pitch last season, elite when he is able to play, which is rare. Other options: Rich Hill, Danny Duffy, Johnny Cueto, Brett Anderson, Dylan Bundy RP: Archie Bradley: only 29, history in high leverage, potential untapped ceiling. Other options: Brad Hand, Jake Diekman, Dellin Betances, Mychal Givens, Yimi Garcia, Brooks Raley, Mark Melancon
Of course, we all would, and it’s extremely likely the offseason will result in Houston acquiring better players that Galvis. I was just pointing out that even in that extremely unlikely worst case scenario, the Astros would still be projected to make the playoffs.
