Top 30 Astros Prospects with ETA of 2022 or 2023 Pitchers 1. Hunter Brown (Already arrived) 2. Shawn Dubin 3. Forrest Whitley 4. Jayden Murray 5 Jaimie Melendez 6. Misael Tamerez OF 1. Corey Julks 2. Pedro Leon 3. Justin Dirden 4. *Quincy Hamilton AA 5. Colin Barber A+ C 1. Korey Lee 2. Yanier Diaz IF 1. UT David Hensley (arrived) 2. 3B Joe Perez This is our reserve for injury. The cupboard isn't bare. And that's not even counting on fast risers getting here early or players who haven't made a list...yet. Like Blanco.
Ronel Blanco isn't making any lists if that's the Blanco you were speaking of. He pitched even better in winter ball last year and then was an average AAA pitcher. He's 29 years old. He might be able to cobble together a few years of middle relief work on some major league team at some point. Ullola is a guy that you didn't mention that is probably in the same boat as Tamarez. Both strike out a ton of guys and walk a ton of guys. Not sure either of them make it to the team by 2024 but it also wouldn't surprise me if they did if bullpens arms are needed by then.
Agree, Astros won’t be signing Tucker. Tucker will be young enough for a long term deal as a FA and they are handing them out like candy right now. Astros could buy out his remaining 3 years and add 5 more if they believe in Tucker long term.
The best time to get a player to sign an extension is within the first 2 years of their callup. After that, the player is more likely to just ride it out (especially if they were really young at the time of their callup). The second they sign a contract that buys out a free agent year, it will depreciate. Tucker may give Crane 1 year if they announce a deal this off season, but in 3 years the average contract for an all-star/gold glove caliber player will likely be at least $35-40 million per year. MVP player at least $40-45 million per year. A complete package player $50 million per. Ohtani getting $500 million guaranteed next off season is not so far fetched.
The likelihood is they buyout his arbitration years, but not his FA years. They hate what arbitration does to attitude. That can be year to year or the rest.
Unless we are offering him 45-50 million AAV for those 5 years, there's no reason for Tucker to even consider a deal that would eat all his prime years, and none of his sub prime years. The entire point of these huge deals is to get paid for years you aren't expected to be good anymore.
It wasn’t really Luhnow that found the guys…. LA Times article: At the time, Álvarez’s size was misleading. In his final season in the Cuban professional league, he mustered just one home run with a .351 batting average in 125 plate appearances. He was a giant contact hitter. But the Astros, specifically a scout named Charlie Gonzalez, saw potential. Álvarez moved to Florida after defecting from Cuba and establishing residency in Haiti. Gonzalez, a Florida native, built a close relationship with him. The scout tried convincing Luhnow to sign Álvarez in 2016, but the team already was over its international budget and couldn’t match the Dodgers’ offer.
That’s about what Trout is signed for now. Ohtani will get something even more ridiculous… like 8/500. He’s at least a $30 million/year pitcher. And he’s at least a $30 million/year hitter. There is absolutely zero reason why he shouldn’t get a deal that pays him for both his combined talents.
Ohtani (assuming he stays healthy and productive this season) will truly test the limits of how large a contract can get and how high of an AAV teams will offer. He is the most valuable player in the league. But there has to be limits to how much resources a team is willing to commit to one player.
Only 2 star level free agents remain (Swanson and Rodon). Only 5 other free agents even project for 2+ fwar: Benintendi, Segura, Narvaez, Turner, and Eovaldi. Other hitters who project for wOBA >.320: Conforto, Belt, Brantley, Martinez, Carpenter Other SP who project for ERA <4.00: Duffy
Its clear that risk goes out the window for these deals made by teams that are well equipped to absorb any risks. Its also less risky to lock players up for long term deals at a fixed rate vs. shorter term deals at higher rates (where injury risk still there and more impactful) as in a few short years, the AAV won't look so prohibitive.
As media revenues continue to rise, and overall franchise values continue to appreciate, there really is no limit at the moment.
Sure, Ohtani is a wild card though. At this point I wouldn’t be shocked if the Stros let Tuck walk, even though that would piss me off. It just seems status quo. At least we locked up Yordan on the most team friendly deal I can remember.
Yordan isn't really "locked up"... they bought out his remaining arbitration years and 3 free agency years. Very similar to what they did with Bregman except Yordan is younger. He will still be a FA at age 30, same age Judge was this off-season. For now, these seem to be the only sort of deals Crane is willing to offer larger AAV's for... and 3-5 year deals will be the most they offer anybody in actual free agency.
Has the league nixed deals in the past for assuming the signing team is going to release the player before the end of the contract or is there something else that's egregious here from SF's side?
Yordan will be 32 his first free agent year. https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/houston-astros/yordan-alvarez-20070/
