Part of the issue with Verdugo is that he has a really negative reputation around coaches and front offices. He isn't known as a hard worker either.... couple that with him believing he would get a multi year deal - and I think that is part of the issue. He has a lot of talent but he still has to actually care and produce.
Dubin has had some great outings over the past 2 years. He has been thrown to the wolves a few times. Contreras and Hernandez have options, so will be up and down all season but won't get DFA'd or waived. Dubin has shown enough that he will make this team, either opening day or as soon as he is healthy. Then he stays as long as he's effective, then will get DFA'd/waived.
I feel like I've seen enough to call Hernandez a AAAA player. He just doesn't seem to have the stuff to get major league hitters out but works over the AAA guys like nobody's business.
Dubin walked too many batters last year. Part of the problem with being a low leverage RP is they are often left in even when they are struggling so their numbers often don’t reflect their stuff, and honestly they are more exposed to injury by getting overused in multi-inning appearances during blowouts. Dubin has top notch stuff; in short stints his FB sits 96-97. He needs to go to just throwing his FB and Sweeper. His curve and change up have good movement but have not been effective. I have come down on him quite a bit, and this season is make or break for him since he’s out of options, but he should be on the big league roster to start the season if he’s healthy.
This… what a lot of people don’t know is Pressly wanted to stay in Houston regardless if he was the closer. He didn’t like being demoted, but he wanted to sign a deal that would have kept him here for another year with an option. I’ve watched the 2022 World Series several times, and I can tell he should have been the MVP. They don’t win without him. It was the right move to trade him, but I have a lot of respect for Pressly in and outside of baseball.
What he did in game 5 was an all time leverage situation. For those 5 outs alone he should forever be a god in this city. That's not even mentioning closing out a no hitter, and getting the save that closed out a WS.
The Astros were going to move Paredes off third for Arenado when Arenado blocked the first trade…. Nightengale is a well known reporter but I can say with 100% certainty that the Astros would move Paredes off third for Arenado. As for Astros talking to Cards about Arenado - they have been. It is possible the agent for Arenado told the Astros to move along… he wanted to go to a California based team according to Cardinals. Cardinals GM is going to have some uncomfortable conversations with ownership about how they cannot deal Arenado, Contreras and Gray because he gave them no trade clauses that they will not waive. You would think at some point these three would waive their no trade protections but Contreras really wanted to play for the Cards and I wouldn’t be shocked if he plays out his contract. Gray doesn’t pitch so well in larger markets so he may be choosy about who he will agree to be traded to. Arenado also seems to know exactly the one or two places he will go to.
Is that why they're rumored to be entertaining offers for Fedde? Can't move Gray so Fedde it is. Although he only makes $7.5 mil. Yes, it's a lot but for baseball, seems low. Like Gray is due for $25 mil and $35 next season.
Read something interesting in a fangraphs article today: only 10 of the projected top 100 hitters in baseball (OPS+ >110) are scheduled to reach free agency in the next TWO years, and 6 of those are 1B (Vladito, Alonso, N Lowe, Naylor, O’Hearn, Yandy Diaz) 2 others are best suited at DH (Suzuki, Arozarena). If a team wants to improve its lineup via free agency in the next 2 years with a player who also has defensive value, the only two players who will be available are Kyle Tucker (2025) and Jazz Chisholm (2026). With a huge healthy year, Tucker may be looking at $500M. No sure how that affects the Astros but I would think if McCormick has a big rebound year he might be a trade candidate next offseason if Houston’s OF prospects develop.
Good chance Bregman will be available again next off season. With such a bad class, maybe he will get a decent deal after all if he performs well this season.
The results were great, and YES overall he pitched great to get those results. But Trey Mancini and Chas McCormick would like a little recognition for those results as well. Probably another great play or two ( Pena?) that I'm missing. Please don't take this as a diss to Ryan. He was nails. Sometimes it's better to pitch to contact, especially if you have been used heavily and hitters have seen you so changing pitches is smart. It's a team game and every individual performance requires contributions from other teammates to happen.
It depends. If McCormick posts an 850 ops and Dezenzo or Melton or another prospect dominates AAA and maybe has a successful stretch in the majors as the 4th OF or injury replacement for Meyers, then maybe it makes McCormick expendable. But the idea is that the pickings will be so slim in free agency that good position players will have high trade value. If facing the choice of trading McCormick for a valuable prospect package and replacing him with an (nearly) equivalent internal option vs losing him in free agency, it might make sense to make him available. It’s a similar approach to why Houston traded Tucker.
Is Chas going to be a FA in 2 yrs? If not and the young guys develop I'm probably keeping Chas and putting him in CF. Depending on the package that would be offered.
