And why are they cap strapped? Was there any real need to trade for Correa when SP was the issue? When they didn't resign Kukichi (who performed incredibly with them) for a very reasonable 3 year, $60 million deal? A 1 year rental is not a long term solution. There is no way he stays for year 2 if he even performs close to average. This is what happens when you have a front office that lacks foresight.
Completely disagree 1) Correa filled the single biggest need and 2 of the top 3 this team had at the deadline last year. They had no clubhouse leadership and a huge hole at 3B. Dubon was starting at 3B and Pena was hurt, making Zach freaking Short the starting SS. I'm not saying starting pitching was not AN issue, but it wasn't #1. 2) You never pass on an opportunity to get a potential TOR starter because he isn't willing to commit to a longer deal. There is always risk but its stupid to pass. At least if he ops out they are not still paying him, and can give him a Q O. AND consider Blanco, Wesneski, and Walter should be back from injury plus Javier and Arrighetti are another year removed from injury, so hopefully even better by 2027. Plus this team has a deep and solid group of SP at AA so its likely that 1 or 2 if them also hit You can't pass on a chance to improve 2026 because of possible issues in 2027. Ask the girl to dance, don't stand leaning against the wall watching everyone else.
It was due to Paredes injury, not Pena. You know, the 2nd best hitter on the Stros. The issue is you've got All Star potential at 3b and SS already with Pena and Paredes, and an albatross contract at 2B in Altuve who's a legacy player so benching him is tough and trading him is impossible. Then you add Correa to the mix and it creates a logjam where there didn't need to be one + massive salary commitments. Altuve's contract is on the books for another 4 years... it's going to be a massive problem. So now you're left with having to trade Pena - the most productive player on the Astros last season. You see what happens when you keep losing your most productive players, right? Everything is downstream in organizational culture. If you're late to the game, the game gets away from you. Letting Kikuchi go, assuming McCullers could contribute and knowing you couldn't resign Framber... not getting Suzuki from the Cubs, well, it's a team that's scrambling. I , for one, find it insulting tp be a feeder channel before NY or LA team decide to swoop in. And if Imai doesn't work out, then you're still paying him like Christian Walker. It's always worth a shot, but you can't have championship mindset and celebrate 1 year rentals.
As long as they've got elite pitching they've got a shot at a championship. If they can trade Walker and they can if they attach a top 10 prospect then that will clear probably 10-15 mil off of the books. Clear the logjam and allow Dana to trade for another OF bat and probably a relief pitcher. This is the price to pay for the Walker signing. If they decide to keep Walker then Espada will have to figure out how to juggle his lineup. I could see them keeping Walker because Altuve should be playing less games and Correa has an injury history. Plus it's not like Walker is a bad player, just an overpaid player.
You are all over the map with a lot of revisionist history. Suzuki had a no trade clause. You don't know if he would have waived it for the Astros, and just because very early reports mentioned Suzuki being in the Tucker deal doesn't mean it was ever a real possibility or even true. A perfect example of the media being wrong just happened yesterday. None of them had Imai coming to the Astros. You really think the Astros shopped Tucker all over the league but didn't take the best deal they could get? Also, where is this extra money coming from to pay Suzuki last year? Revisionist history that adds payroll the Astros weren't willing to spend is a little too fantasy land video game GM for me. Especially when the Astros were dumping salary last off-season with the Tucker and the Pressly trades. The Astros had a massive hole at 1st base that had to be filled, and the vast majority of people were excited about the Walker signing. The only better guy available was Alonso and that wasn't a realistic option because of the cost and he didn't sign until February. The Astros weren't relying on McCullers to start the season last year. The rotation was Framber, Brown, Blanco, Arrighetti, and Wesneski. It's kind of hard to account for the fact that 3/5 of your rotation was going down with injuries in the first 2 months when Arrighetti broke his thumb in April and then Blanco and Wesneski went down with Tommy John surgery a month later.... Starting pitching was not the biggest need last off-season. First base and third base were the biggest needs after the Abreu nightmare and Bregman leaving. Saying the Astros should have spent another 20 million on Kikuchi when they had 5 starters plus a bunch of guys scheduled to return from injury while they had a massive hole at first makes no sense. No team can account for the amount of injuries the Astros had last year especially in the rotation. But sure... in your world the Astros roll with a 280 million dollar payroll and can fill all the holes with the perfect moves and make no mistakes...
Based on his contract and 40 man spot. Lance will be part of the rotation, even if it is just as a long opener. He looks washed, yes. But I think they will give him every opportunity to start, just like last year. We aren't moving him and I doubt they will cut him.
Wasn't Isaac Paredes crippled during the time of the Correa trade and that the offense was beyond anemic? And starting pitching would not have been an issue if Framber was not hot trash.
Every opportunity in spring training... beyond that... we learned how much just one game can make a difference in making the playoffs or not.
McCullers is going to have to earn a rotation spot in Spring Training. His contract is a sunk cost, and the Astros know how unreliable he has been the last three seasons. He’s guaranteed nothing. Weiss, McCullers, Arrighetti, Blubaugh, Jason Alexander and Nate Pearson are all candidates for the #5 spot behind Brown, Imai, Javier and Burrows.
Am I wrong to still want Verlander? I love this kid. Kudos to the Astros. All I needed to read: his passion to take down the Dodgers and not join them. Which, is why I want JV back. He had a strong 2H last season. Is it possible? If so, how?
Paredes, Alvarez and Jake Meyers (who had an AVG above .300 and a .774 OPS at the time of his injury) were all hurt when the Astros made the Correa trade. Jeremy Peña was about to return from missing a month, too, but it could have taken him time to find his stroke at the plate. The Astros have such a tight budget this offseason in large part because one of their assistant general managers made a mistake in crunching the impact of Correa’s salary on CBT numbers when finalizing the Correa trade. Instead of being slightly under the first CBT threshold, they ended up being over. If they go over again this season, the penalties are very steep for 2027. That assistant general manager was let go after the season.
It’s really only possible to bring Verlander back if they could salary dump a decent-sized (most likely Christian Walker) contract. They are not going over the CBT this year because they do not want to deal with the penalties for being a repeat offender in 2027.
Possible?? Probably not with money tight and have other needs. But then again Crane loves him so who knows lol. But.... 1)Brown 2)Imai 3)Javier 4)Burrows 5)Weiss(in a interview said he's not a relief pitcher. I wonder if he was told he would start if he signed with Houston) 6)McCullers (Probably will get injured) 7)Arrighetti (trade piece??) 8)Blubaugh, Alexander, Gordon 9)Pearson(said reason why he signed with Houston was because he was told he would have a shot at starting. But I guess if he sucks, you release him). Yes Verlander would slot in at 4 or 5 and everyone else moves down a spot but too much of a log jam.
I agree. This will be the first time he's (at least at the moment) entered camp healthy in the 2020's. Maybe he's back to old Lance. But even then, how much can you trust it when every little thing takes him down for weeks? They can't afford to give him the benefit of any doubt. I think they'll make a decision relatively early in camp on if he's going to remain a starter or if they move him to the pen.
No. Astros pitching, despite using a bunch of no-name players, was pretty good last year, especially with Framber and Brown at the top of the rotation (Framber hadn't melted down yet). The offense was an epic disaster and was losing them games routinely and they were playing multiple scrub players every day due to all the injuries. Your obsession with Kikuchi is weird, especially given that he was not good last year and he was a free agent and picked a west coast destination like many others do - there's no indication he had any interest in staying in Houston, and unfortunately for your fantasy GMing, teams don't dictate where free agents go.
If LMJ is not good enough to start, he might not be good enough to open or to relief. I will not be surprised by any outcome for LMJ this ST.
The only reason McCullers is still in Houston heading into Spring Training is the 5-year, $85 million contract he signed. He has to pitch well in Spring Training, or he stands a real chance of not making the Opening Day roster.
2026 is the last year in his five year contract, so this might be the end of the line for Lance. Dana Brown, who is not to be trusted, especially on this, has said that Lance has pitched well this off-season and will be ready to go for ST. Like most things Astros, we will see.
