Option 3 - None of the above. If a team takes a chance on an injured player, the TEAM should get the option.
What do THE ASTROS think gives them the best options: 7-13: (Meyers OF, McCormick OF, Y Diaz 1B/C backup, Hensley IF backup , Dubon OF backup, Lee C backup, Maldonado C) OR OF replacements adding Conforto, Brantley, Pollock, Gallo or Benentendi (estimated 8-21M) C replacements adding Barnhart, Alfaro, Casali, Perez or Sanchez (estimated 2-7M) RP 12, 13 Maton S Martinez OR Add Kluber, Eovaldi, Wacha, Lyles, Smyly, Cueto or Bundy (estimated 10-16M) Add LHRP Rogers or Chafin (estimated 7-14M) Do you think THE ASTROS value any of the above options enough to push one of the 7 hitters or 2 pitchers to AAA or into a DFA? Which moves?
Mine: I think the Astros now wait on C until Spring Training. I think they give Diaz, Lee and Maldonado the month of February to compete for roles and demonstrate health. A late move for C is probably likely IF 2 of the 3 show signs of struggle or health issues in February. I think the Astros are looking at both SP and RP currently, but are only looking at bargains for depth and situational pitching. I think they are more likely to roll with Maton and Martinez. I think the Astros are very likely to roster Dubon, Meyers and Chas in the OF. I think Hensley is a lock. I think one OF will be added in February or March to displace one of the 3 C. That is probably 90% Brantley. My projections: 1-6 Brantley McCormick Maldonado Hensley Yainer Meyers Dubon 1-6 SP 1-5 RP Maton S Martinez
Precise Luxury Tax lists vary somewhat widely, even from the same source. For instance, Spotrac lists: The Mets: $294,866,666 Active AAV Payroll $315,283,332 as Proj. Tax Payroll $347,195,339 Proj. Tax Payroll + Arb est. + Prearb est. Penalties in 2023 $233M Level 1 $253M Level 2 $273M Level 3 $293M Level 4 Houston on the other hand: $138,523,810 Active AAV Payroll $158,940,476 as Proj. Tax Payroll $197,293,816 Proj. Tax Payroll + Arb est. + Prearb est. I'm a bottom line type of guy. But that's the one they chose to not make a sort-able list.
I wonder what the Mets plan is with their 4 catchers? Surely one of McCann or Nido will be traded/released?
1.We would obviously be getting money to offset that contract 2. Not like he is known as some huge injury risk. I thought his injury last season was healed and not one known to linger.
9-0 against the current staff the Yankees have in the Playoffs since 2017. However, I still think we need to fill some more holes. Astros are still clearly the best team in the AL regardless.
Astros don’t have any big chips to trade. We need the 6 man rotation for depth. McCullers most likely gets hurt again.it happens every year. Hunter Brown is a rookie and could struggle or tire as season progresses. Out of the 6 pitchers, someone might take a step back. This is stuff everyone on this board is thinking about. or… Astros could have a killer rotation and so could Yankees if they stay healthy.
It’s all about our playoff rotation and how we stack up against the other team. Mariners and Yankees look to have a strong playoff rotation. Great pitching beats great hitting. Our staff last year was outstanding
I had plantar fasciitis in my junior year of college. The pain is awful (like having a nail in the heel of your foot), but it’s not a structural issue. Eventually the skin underneath your heel dies, comes off, regrows and the pain goes away, but it takes months. Generally not an indication of anything else. If you haven’t had it, it’s debilitating. Can’t imagine playing with it.
Not much has changed. A lefthanded bat that can play the OF (Brantley now seems most likely but Conforto, Benintendi, Happ, and possibly Reynolds or one of the Arizona OF are also options). This is still almost certainly going to be addressed. A backup C (Barnhart and Alfaro are the best remaining options but Jansen would be a bigger move). This is looking less likely and it now would not surprise me if they stood pat here and let Lee and Diaz compete for the job. A pitcher (this has been up in the air depending on whether they traded away a starter and how the market evolved, but with the financial flexibility Houston has they can afford any free agent pitcher remaining the market; Kluber, Cueto, Eovaldi, and Duffy make sense as potential SP depth while Taylor Rogers makes sense as an elite lefty RP). I think the way the position player market has evolved has made it slightly more likely that Houston signs at least one free agent pitcher and possibly 2. Adding Taylor Rogers would give Houston potentially the best bullpen in the league and 5 guys who could close for many teams. A veteran SP like Kluber or Duffy would give them 7 viable SP and provide addl protection against innings limits and injuries while also maintaining some young SP trade chip depth to allow them more flexibility at the deadline. Brantley, Kluber, Alfaro, and Rogers would round out the roster pretty well: 2B Altuve SS Pena LF Alvarez 3B Bregman RF Tucker 1B Abreu DH Brantley CF McCormick C Maldonado Bench: Alfaro, Meyers, Hensley, Dubon Rotation: Framber, Javier, McCullers, Kluber, Garcia, Urquidy Bullpen: Pressly, Montero, Abreu, Neris, Rogers, Stanek, Maton
Astros and the Yankees have a lot of similar questions going in with the SP. If the Yankees' starters are healthy, they will have one of the best rotations, but that is a huge if*. I do not expect Cortes to be as good as he was last year. Sev is never healthy throughout the season. Montas is currently a question mark. With Houston, Valdez is one guy you can trust. LMJ isn't durable. I like the guy a lot but too many can't see the forest past the trees when it comes to his health. Javier should be great, but he is about to pitch the most innings in his career. Garcia and Urquidy are wild cards. We don't know what we have with Brown. I think it's important for Crane and company to add one more pitcher. Houston's lineup is better. If the Yankees end up signing Benintendi, it will look better but still not better than the Astros. I think the Yankees may look to sneak in the Swanson sweepstakes. SS is an issue for the Yankees. Bottom line, Astros are better, but the Yankees did improve themselves on paper.
Thanks for the input. That's what I always thought about it. I have heard it is extremely painful, but not chronic.
$36 million to spend before the first level. Id rank our priorities as follows: 1) #7 hitter 2) #8 hitter/bench bat 3) AAAA catcher 4) #7 SP 5) LHP Reliever On the lefty reliever, I can’t bring myself to sign an inferior pitcher and send Maton or Martinez down to the minors just so we can have a lefty. It’s arguable whether any free agent would even be better than Taylor. At catcher, I’m not sure who would sign that very likely wouldn’t be on the opening day roster. What SP better than our AAA options is going to sign when they likely won’t be on the playoff roster? We don’t “need” anything, but the most obvious way to improve this roster is in adding legitimate bats to the bottom of our lineup.
I could be talked into Eovaldi. He could be a pretty affordable SP2 given Rodon’s contract. Could ease the stress of our still relatively young staff. Kinda like a JV-lite
2023 is a big swing year in Javier’s career trajectory. Coming off a year in which he dominated in 148 IP plus 12 postseason IP, this year is pivotal because the opportunity and need is there. On the top end, he could put up 170 innings of Cy young finalist level performance. That would go a long way to showing his durability and confirming his dominance. If he banks a year like that, he profiles as a true classic SP1 going forward. in a mid case scenario, maybe he bumps up to 160 regular season innings, and his performance fades to SP2 with the additional workload and more forays into the 6th inning. Or he repeats last year’s 148 innings and shows he has some ways to go before becoming a horse. In a bottom quartile (but not disaster) scenario, Javier logs 130 innings of SP2 performance due to fatigue from the combined workload from 2022 reg season and postseason. Astros end up needing to throttle back on his workload to preserve him for the postseason.
