He can play that Jim Clancy/Kent bottenfield role of below average 5th starter that gets the brakes beat off him every time he pitches
Looking highly doubtful to me. Walker Buehler just got $21M plus incentives. Looks like any pitcher worthy of a rotation slot is gonna get 8 figures which puts them out of Houston’s price range unless they trade Framber or Pressly.
It’s sort of low key crazy not to trade both, and sign one more really good OF with that money (as well as getting one in a trade. We’d have zero offensive holes if we did that (other than maybe Pena against RHP but at some level who cares?), we’d be below the tax line (which matters to Crane) we’d restock the farm system somewhat, and we have enough pitching depth as you mentioned, with Pre on the way. You have to believe on Hunter brown and Arrighetti as TOR guys, but I happen to. But that uses the Astros competitive advantage in developing good to really good starting pitching fully to our advantage and makes the lineup really good. Santander signing with the money from trading Framber/Pressley plus a good OF (Paredes quality) coming back in the Framber trade and this lineup ****s.
You’d like to think he will be back in August. Most guys are. We have been snakebite if he could be back in time to be a bridge guy in the playoffs that would be really helpful.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6014575/2024/12/23/carlos-santana-guardians-house-sale/ • Is it possible the availability of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is clogging the market for free agent Alex Bregman? The Cardinals, in their negotiations with the Houston Astros on an Arenado trade, were willing to include $5 million per season, leaving the Astros with approximately a three-year, $49 million commitment, sources briefed on the talks told The Athletic’s Katie Woo. Deferrals would have further lowered the present-day value of the Astros’ obligation if Arenado had not blocked the deal. Arenado, who will play next season at 34, is three years older than Bregman. His OPS the past three seasons has dropped from .891 to .774 to .719. Bregman’s has fallen from .820 to .804 to .768. A team could bet on Arenado bouncing back, rationalizing he would be a better gamble than Bregman at a guarantee that could approach or exceed $200 million. • A rival executive makes a good point about the Red Sox potentially pursuing either Bregman or Arenado: If the Sox wish to move Rafael Devers off third base, why bother pursuing an external option when numerous internal options are available, or soon will be? Those options include Trevor Story, who is under contract through 2027, as well as two prospects — Marcelo Mayer, who could wind up at shortstop or third; and Kristian Campbell, who seems more likely to land at second. Of course, prospects are prospects, and Bregman, in particular, brings a special leadership intangible. But the Sox ranked ninth in the majors in runs last season. Their greater need remains pitching. • First baseman Christian Walker, in moving from Chase Field to Houston’s renamed Daikin Park, is leaving the second-most run-friendly environment last season for the seventh. Walker is so consistent, it shouldn’t affect him. His OPS+ the past three seasons was 25 percent above league average, 22 percent above and 21 percent above.
