It also matters who is pitching. A McCormick-Meyers-Altuve OF is ok when Framber is pitching and probably fine when Brown is pitching. But it would be a real drag on their odds of winning with Blanco or Arrighetti on the mound and when Hader comes in. I’m a bit surprised that they didn’t have Dezenzo playing RF in winter ball instead of LF. It seems like with his arm and speed he’d be a great fit for RF. If I were Dana Brown and wasn’t confident on adding any other bats, I’d have planned to end up with a RF Dezenzo-CF Melton- LF McCormick OF by June 1st. It’s seems like that might still be their plan just with McCormick in RF and Dezenzo in LF.
Is the primary concern with Chas in RF his arm? With the aforementioned players he should put up at least comparable numbers.
Yes his arm is the major issue. By some metrics, it's worse than Meyers' but always gets a pass for some reason. But also I prefer him in LF because of his potential for injury ( back in 2023, hamstring in 2024) and the wear and tear of CF and RF vs LF.
RoFlo likes Verdugo but comparing their past two seasons, Heyward seems like a better option. Of course that'd depend on contract. Curious to see who will get the 7th inning this season.
Well, metrics typically say Chas's arm sucks ass, but turning three run doubles into inning ending outs is much more important than occasionally a guy going from 2nd to 3rd due to a weak arm.
The line to sign Heyward to a 2 year contract ought to be very, very short. Heyward fits the Astros need like a glove and the Astros may be able to promise more starts than other teams. We will see.
Give Heyward a 1/8 deal with a vesting option of another 1/8 if he gets to 350 plate appearances. Play him in RF every day against RHP and defensive replacement for Altuve or whatever other IF gets moved out there if we sign Bregman. It’s insurance in case Chas still sucks or Dezenzo is overmatched or whatever.
Well that depends on how common both issues occur. If he makes 10 catches that would be run scoring doubles that sounds great unless 50 players on 2b scored on typical singles that would normally result in advancing to third. I'm not saying that is the ratio, only that the ratio matters. And as I also pointed out, this OF needs him, so I am also worried about his back/legs and prefer him in LF because of that.
If this team is $4Mish below the CBT, then 1 of 2 things will happen: Either they sign Bregman but keep payroll below the 3rd threshold but 100% MUST get below CBT in 2026. This gives them about $43M for Bregman + other additions. Or they don't sign Bregman and stay under CBT limiting spending to under $10M even if they trade Caratini. Either way, that looks like only 1 yr very small deals work - besides Alex
I'd like to know how many times in history a team has a 7,8,9 of all outfielders. Can't possibly be too often. Or even a 6,7,8 pre-DH.
Chas doesn't get a pass but it's easier to overlook his arm when he's hitting well (like he did prior to 2024). Defense gets talked about more when you are on the field solely for your defense, like Jake. If Chas hits like he did in 2024 again, he won't be playable. I agree with preferring to protect Chas's wear and tear, but I'm thinking the Astros brass prefer to give a newcomer with no OF experience the easier assignment to learn. If Dezenzo adjusts well to left, maybe he can get some exposure to RF in the future.
Former 35th overall pick and fringe Top 100 prospect. Early comps were to Brett Gardner. Never really dominated the minors but was moved up consistently. Was probably disproportionately affected by the pandemic season. Saw time in the majors from 2021-2023 but never got 200 pa in a season. Thru 359 MLB pa he has been replacement level. Hes a plus defender in the corners, passable in CF. Has value on the basepaths. Theres probably some upside to him that is more than typical for someone his age (26). Projects as a league average bat who plays LF, which makes him more of a 4th OF or AAAA guy. He is out of minor league options which makes him slightly more likely to make the opening day roster. For me I think the front office sees him as a LH guy they can take a chance on while they wait for Melton or Dezenzo to warrant a callup (or just gain an extra year of control).
