I like signing Grichuk since he's a local kid. I believe signing them both would be a mistake. That's sounding like the plan for an off-season the Reds, Rockies and Pirates have. I'd rather we still trade Framber for a real bat or two and a prospect.
Give me Winker and Heyward for like 10-12M combined to pair with Chas and Meyers in a platoon situation, sign Goldy for 10M plus heavy incentives if he ends up being awesome, and trade Framber for the OF equivalent of Paredes that can be a 3 WAR bat (plus some prospects). That lineup would be plenty good enough. I think we’d have enough pitching. That’s a playoff team that sits under the tax line and has a lot of optionality at the deadline and is better than the org was heading into this offseason post 2025.
Paredes would be just fine in LF. And if there’s a good player at 3B and 1B I’m totally fine with a Dezenzo/McCormick/Paredes OF, especially with Meyers and Dubon available as defensive replacements (and to hit against some LHP for Dezenzo). LF Paredes 2B Altuve DH Alvarez C Diaz 1B Walker/Goldschmidt 3B Arenado/Bregman CF McCormick RF Dezenzo SS Pena Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Meyers, Singleton/Whitcomb/Hummel/Trammell/Kessinger/Leon
Pretty sure Paredes will be at 1B. He doesn’t have the arm to be relied upon at 3B. They can not go into 2025 with one LH bat in the lineup. They must get atleast one of Profar/Verdugo in the OF.
Pitchers and catchers report in 53 days. There’s ~60 free agents left who project to have meaningful roles on their next team. Gonna be a busy next couple of days then a hectic January for these guys. If I were an agent of a free agent with an 8 or 9 figure offer, I would be strongly encouraging the player to sign this week. Bold prediction: the Astros sign Bregman today and trade Framber for an OF bat and 2 prospects on Friday.
Still trying to get more money than teams are willing to pay at this point. Astros are monitoring him.
Thinking we are targeting Santander and maybe really its more like Heyward and Gamel? Maybe some of the lesser rated outfielders bats may be improved in our high octane offense? Gosh. Gamel and Heyward got some good swings and good timely hits last year. Heyward blistered a smash for the final out that wooda won the durn game v Tigers? And if Arenado comes to handle 3rd base and Goldschmidt 1st base Paredes is able to handle rf or lf?
I wonder what the price points are. I'd love him back for $5M. For me, $10M is the max I see. I read an article the other day that talked about him signing for the minimum, which seems crazy to me.
Reading between the lines, the Astros appear to interested in signing a SP1 to a long term deal this off-season. I suspect that their first choice is Framber.
Even bolder prediction: the Astros do not trade Framber now but sign him to a long term deal once in the new year after the big fish FAs have signed.
Jason Heyward can play RF everyday and CF in a pinch ... and does not suck hitting RHP ... and might settle for a 2 years 10 million per deal?
That’s 120M for the position roster. 40M in dead money with Abreu, Montero and Javier. SP- Framber, LMJ, Brown, Arrighetti, blanco, Cubs guy, Garcia, blubaugh- 45M Bullpen- Hader, Abreu, filler- 30M That’s 235 before you get into the extras which are running 25M or so- 260M/ that’s trading Presley. Thats probably 1 too many bats and probably need to trade Framber too. get under the luxury tax with trading Framber and signing 1 of the 1B/3B guys and trading for the other spot. I’d do yours for sure. I’d do mine as well. Either way that is a team that could win a World Series, IMO, if healthy and things broke right/we got hot or lucky.
I’d be fine with signing JV to a 5M base with the following incentives: 5M for 125 innings pitched. 10M for all star appearance 10M if he receives cy young votes. 20M if he wins the cy young. So- that nets out to 5M guaranteed, 10M if he stays reasonably healthy, 20am if he’s an all star, 30M if he’s in the running for cy young, 40M if he actually wins it. That seems like an imminently fair deal for a guy of his stature that is his age with his injury history. You aren’t trying to get over on him, you are just saying/ hey- we will literally pay you what you are worth. If some other team wants to do more shake his hand and say thanks for the memories.
