It is the same strategy that they have utilized for many years. When they have deviated from it --- (Abreu, Walker) and just paid what it took, they have not had a good outcome. Even when they got Hader -- they were not first in line, they made their interest known and when his deal was less than expected, they pounced. We will see what happens --- I am very satisfied with the last decade. They could have easily won another title or two, but also could have lost the first one. I would be fine with a rebuild - but also am fine with them seeing what they can get done. There are a lot of starting pitchers out there available.
A lot of their loser strategy today is because of Abreu, Altuve, walker, montero etc. It’s time to recoup those monies. Walker could still work out but the foolish k’s gotta come down unless his power goes way up. .717 OPS at 1B for 20 mil. most of the season he was sub .700
I imagine the levee-breakers on the free agent side are Framber, Suarez, and King. On the trade side I’m assuming it’s Gore. Everyone else it seems like Houston would either be involved in or it wouldn’t really affect their plans.
Christian Walker's season was excruciatingly difficult to watch for long periods of time. I am optimistic for him because he did have an .800 OPS in the second half of the season and his glove improved as well. The weird thing about him is that he struggled at home -
I would think so - he didn't specifically mention anyone. It sounded like some of the guys that are in on the top free agents could shift their interest to other guys, maybe even pitching to hitting. It is also possible that one of those top guys slides some - like a Suarez and if they slide enough the Astros may get involved. However, guys like Gore for example are also held up because the market for their services could go up in demand depending on which team strikes out on Framber/Suarez for example. I was told that some of the early guys signed were either hometown guys or overpays - if you want a guy before the market shakes up, the price is just higher.
Well he did have a .488 SLUG in the 2nd half and a .800 OPS. He's always going to K a ton so that's not going to change. His home/road splits were crazy though. Just looking at his 2nd half numbers, he had a .464 OPS at MMP and a .983 OPS on the road. His K rate was substantially higher at MMP - 37% compared to only 24% on the road. I don't think it's because we faced much weaker teams/pitching on the road either, because looking at other Astros in the 2nd half, they all have pretty even splits. I wouldn't be surprised either way if he rebounds or sucks again
Even during his better second half, he was frustrating. Too many non competitive at bats in crucial situations down the stretch.
I feel you but it would have been a lot less frustrating if the team had been healthy and weren't relying on him to be the primary guy driving in runs. If Walker hits like he did in the 2nd half this season and Yordan/Pena/Paredes are all healthy, I think we'll end up being very happy.
Yep, based on the his 2nd half alone he was on pace for 44 walks and 193 Ks, it did come with 31 2B and 39 HRs. Which would have been his 2nd highest 2B total of his career and his highest HR total of his career, but with his 2nd lowest BB rate and highest K rate. He really fed into the all or nothing approach. I hope that our new hitting coach resets the whole lineup away from the pull everything approach that lead to horrible ABs. It is ok to have 1-2 players like this in a lineup, but when the entire lineup has the same poor approach the offensive numbers are going to be heavily inconsistent. It's also horrible baseball to watch, especially when you add in the overall lack of athleticism on this team.
That is part of the package - I don't expect that to change. He had an OPS of 800 in the second half. He is an 800-825 OPS type of guy the last 4-5 years. He swings and misses and strikes out a lot, and he off sets that with 35 home run/35 double power, Gold Glove defense. That is why I was concerned when he hit in the cleanup spot - he really is someone that ideally hits 5-7 in the lineup.
Yeah a big part of the disappointment with Walker is the role. If he were only being relied on for a Josh Reddick style role as a solid fielder hitting 7th or later, no one would really be talking about him. But the Abreu debacle, his contract, and seeing him written into the middle of the lineup all drew a lot more attention to his struggles. That is why my standard for whether the offseason is a success is if Walker hits 7th or later and if Javier is the 4th SP.
You think Parades will be worse than Altuve out there? I dont. Parades has avg speed and being a former SS I'm pretty sure he can handle LF at the Dyke, Boston/NYY/Sacramento A's/Rangers etc.... You probably can get 100-120 games of avg LF from Parades and you're covered if any of the INF goes down with an injury.
Too many Non competitive at bats in crucial situations, down the stretch, should never be an expected part of a 20 mil a year package.
I would like to see the Astros make a run for it in 2026 and then reevaluate at the deadline and start fire-selling if things aren't working out by then. The crazy amount of injuries last year, coupled with a lot of great pitching talent, warrants another attempt before we mail it in for a 3-4 year rebuild.
That works well for a 1B Paredes/Walker platoon. Paredes at home to capitalize on the Crawford Boxes, and Walker on the road to take advantage of his better splits... And they can still DH Paredes on the road.
Very reasonable I see Walker with his power hitting 6th or 7th. We're in total agreement about the pitching and Javier being SP4. I dont know enough about Weiss to have an opinion as to if he can be a viable SP or not, but if he can this would free Arrighetti up to be part of a deal that could get them the LHB OF they're looking for.
Yes, he is coming off a near tear of his hamstring from the bone. Didn't have surgery and we have received conflicting reports on his health this entire off-season. So you want him to play a position he's never played in his entire professional career while having to worry about whether or not his legs are 100%. It was a disaster to move Altuve there and you want to double down on that stupidity again.
Yes I do if they cant find a LHB OF. If his legs are as bad as you think they are then he should've already been traded. Playing OF is actually easier on the legs IMHO.
Yep so much easier that the best hitter on the team is unable to play an entire season there because his legs can't take the stress.
One more thing to add here Yordan being in his 20s is irrelevant here We aren’t signing him long term, Yordan has 3 years remaining in Houston max Just like the those comparing his situation to Judge, the Skankees would have viewed that situation totally different also because they knew they could keep him for a decade or longer. That isn’t the case here
