[Official] Astros Off Season Thread

I wish they would stop characterizing the importance of winning the West and getting to the playoffs. They need to start making moves and acting like the best in the AL . . . I'm not saying spend money on a drunken bender, but be the best. Getting to the playoffs and we'll see . . . ugh, if Brown comes up with another phrase like that . . . barf. The AL should be a cake walk for the next year or two. TAKE ADVANTAGE. Roll the dice in the WS . . . not the first round.

Getting Santander, yes, please! Make some smart trades and sign the man - or sign him and then make trades later this year . . . .

 

And the Dodgers do it again

 

And with Santander, he's a OF and the IF is already set. With Bregman, you're hoping someone like Paredes can play the OF and be decent at it.

 

And Paredes won’t be decent in LF

 

We don't know this.

The majority of players who have played all 4 infield positions at the MLB level are fine in LF.

I'm not saying it's a good idea, but it's not fair to say he will definitely not he decent there.

Santander is not exactly a wiz with the glove either.

A case could be made that Paredes could end up as the better LF.

 

Their bats aren’t comparable right now either.

Paredes not built for the outfield. We already have a crappy defensive left fielder in Yordan.

Also Santander probably ends up in RF

 

You can look this up for me, but what's the Postseason (not "playoffs") success rate of Division winners vs WC teams over the past several years?

 

I like where you are going (i think?) and I prob agree with the sentiment - only the West sucks compared to the rest of the MLB of 2025. Winning the AL West in 2025 might as well be a gold star from my son's 6th grade math teacher.

I did find this . . . I'm not good with numbers and only kinda think they matter on a macro level: "Division winners still have a distinct advantage in the Wild Card Era -- of the 56 individual World Series participants from 1995-2022, 42 won their division that year."
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-postseason-has-a-history-of-parity

 

Now there's the expanded Postseason so I don't know what the hell to think

 

Now that's surprising, 15 for what didn't seem like a great season.
Is this setting the table for JV?

 

Every round is AT MOST a 60/40 proposition and normally closer to a coin flip. So, after a 162 game grind, you almost double your chance at the real prize by having one of the top two records.

THAT should be the goal ... not just a division win.

 

Hadn't really thought about it until now...last few WS =

24: 1 (Division Winner) vs 1
23: WC vs WC
22: 1 vs WC
21: 1 vs 1

 

First

 

We made Yuli and Bregman both play LF their rookie year...

 

Look up the total games


And consider where paredes is in his MLB career vs where those two were

 

Goes to show how desperate Baltimore is for starting pitching. Would be nice to get JV back but not at that price. Ideally $5-10M plus incentives structured around innings pitched.

 

Orioles just signed…..

 

...the ghost of Gaylord Perry?


eta:

 

Agreed on the range for JV.
It'll be interesting to see what scherzer and Kershaw get.