Woof.....this team is so inconsistent. Pitching is hit and miss at a time where pitchers should have the advantage (early in the season) and Walker has been bad. "IF" we can turn it around in the next few weeks I have hope but to be honest, it doesn't look like they're having fun and I just don't think Espada is the guy, I wanted to give him a chance, but I am out on him...................at this rate Framber will be dealt at the All Star break
Astros are not going to scare many teams. The "run" obviously ended last season. We are now trying to stay afloat in a sea of mediocrity. I know, it is early, but the powers that be (currently) appear not up to the task of building a powerhouse. Playoffs?!!! What playoffs?
If Yordan, yainer and walker, who have a combined average ops of probably close to .900 over the last three years, have a combined .500 ops, there is not much you can do about it. Who would you propose gets replaced in this lineup? Cam smith could be a bit better but the rest of them would be who you would want to have in the lineup if you drew it up. They are just hitting poorly. I would trade Framber though and bring up Blubaugh. Get the rebuild going in earnest
They didn’t trade Bregman - they only traded Tucker and I don’t know how good they would be without Paredes, Wesneski and Smith. Lots of talent has walked out the door the last 3-4 years.
The Astros listened to offers on Valdez and the market just wasn’t great from what the Astros would get back talent wise. The starting pitching and bullpen are good enough to win a title. The problem is the lack of offense and lack of guys that start every day. My guess is at the deadline they will decide whether to buy a legitimate bat or move Valdez.
Do they have a lack of guys that start every day or do they just not start guys every day? The constant rotating of the lineup, especially on days (like today with a day off tomorrow) that didn't call for it, has to have an effect on the team. Espada needs to quit acting like this is Spring Training and realize that he has a lineup and stick with it for at least 5 days a week. He can find the time for Caratini and Dubon and Chance. But he has to stop changing it every single day. Have we had even 2 games in a row with the same 9?
I said it when they made the signing, giving a big contract to a guy who is 34 was a bad idea. This is starting to look like another Abreu. Should’ve just resigned Bregman!
Tucker is not a 10 WAR player. He ended up with 4.7 last year while being on the IL for 79 games. That works out to 9.2 over 162 games. He is off to the best start imaginable and is on pace for 8.9 But let's say he IS a 10 WAR player eventhough I would bet everything I own on the under. At some point, multiple lesser players over several years will exceed that 1 magical season. What do you think that takes? First of all, not all WAR is equal. I readily admit a 10 WAR player is worth more than 2 5 WAR players. But is he worth more than 3? Or 4? What exactly is the exchange rate? I want to make this exercise as unfair in favor if your viewpoint as I reasonably can. Let's say a 10 WAR season is worth 100 points and we are trying to find out how many lesser WAR seasons equals that 100 points. 9 WAR = 81 pts 8 WAR = 64 pts 7 WAR = 49 pts 6 WAR = 36 pts 5 WAR = 25 pts 4 WAR = 16 pts 3 WAR = 9 pts 2 WAR = 4 pts 1 WAR = 1 pt Basically multiply the WAR by itself to get the value. 3 years of Paredes = 34.5 pts He is on pace for 7.6 WAR which is 58.8 pts for 2024 alone, but fangraphs projects 4.2, 3.7, and 3.5 WAR for his 3 seasons, so let's go with that = 34.5 pts. 5 years of Wesneski = 12.7 pts This one requires some projection. He is currently on pace for 2 WAR which would be 20 pts over 5 seasons. Fangraphs projects him for 0.5, 0.7, 0.8 WAR for 2025-2027, but thats based on a 50/50 split of starts and bullpen appearances. So I doubled it and kept the pattern for the remaining 2 seasons: 1.0, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 WAR. Cam Smith: 52.8 pts needed to = 100 6 3 WAR seasons = 54 pts Now obviously I just invented this value system, but it shows that even if Tucker has an all-time great season, it is very very likely that the Astros got more than enough value for him.
The problem with this is that if Crane continues to refuse to give out 6+ year contracts, impact players under 32 will never come to Houston.
Hitting coaches don't actually hit. Baseball is not the NFL or NBA, so stop thinking like they are. Coaches simply don't have enough impact to matter. Especially coaches that are sharing a player's attention with his own personal coach.
You are assuming players are coming to the system as free agents. Free agency should always be a last resort, used sparingly, for as little time and money as possible.
Nah. I’m also fine with Houston not giving out 6+ year deals. There are enough lower tier free agents still in their prime age that can fill Houston’s gaps, which if they are doing a good job in scouting and drafting and trading, won’t be too many. Just as an example, I would much rather have had Houston sign somebody like Michael Conforto or Jorge Polanco for more than they ended up getting than give Walker 3 years.
People panicking way too early. Thinking Alvarez, Diaz, Walker, Paredes are all going to hit well below their career numbers is absurd. Pitching is contention worthy and we have more on the way. They do need to settle on a lineup and stick with it. Cam is showing signs. They need to pull the plug on the Roger’s experiment send Altuve back to second and start Dicenzo and Smith everyday. If they are within striking distance at the deadline make a trade or two to lengthen the lineup. If not, bring up minor league players and/or make trades for prospects. If we miss the playoffs, but get 2 position players the experience they need to hit the ground running next year, the window re-opens quickly. Espada obviously is not the answer, but I don’t know who is.
