Astros Major Press Conference at 4:30 (UPDATE: Astros trade 3 for Jason Jennings)

Does Astro kool aid taste good in the morning?

 

Dunno. Does b****ypiss taste good in your wheaties in the morning?

 

My initial reaction is that we overpaid, especially if he deosn't re-sign for a reasonable number. I have no problems taking in Jennings, who I think is solid. Willy T and Buckholz are average at best for thir positions, but Hirsch has been a pretty highly regarded prsopect who didn't really get much of a chance yet. I would have preferred Garland or Peavy.
The other thing is that I don't see why we couldn't have made this deal and held onto Pettite. It's one thing if have to pay Garland $10-12 mil/year, but Jennings salary is very reasonable and doesn't seem to break the bank. Now, we're back into this overinflated FA pitching market. I'm guessing Drayton's gonna pocket the change (or use it to pay Lee) and go with the guys we have.

 

As msn will tell you,I'm ususually hypercritical of Drayton and our boys............THIS is a good move.

 

I think Jennings will do fine here. I was just hoping that a package including Willy and Hirsch could have yielded us Dontrelle Willis. Maybe we catch lightning with Troy Patton as our 3rd long term term solution to the top of the rotation. All I know is you have to have 3 very, very good starting pitchers to be WS contenders. Not 1 great pitcher and 2 mediocre to good pitchers but 3 very, very good pitchers that are all capable of winning 20 in any year and at least 2 of those 3 starters being Cy Young quality.

Don't see any way really to add a Wells or Jones type player now though. Just don't think we have enough tradeable assetts to pull off a major acquisition for a major piece since we gave up so much with this trade for Jennings. We'd better hope Pence is the real deal, that Luke Scott continues his play from last year and has spent more time in the batting cage than at the shooting range this offseason, and that one of Albers/Sampson step up and give us quality 5th man innings, that Woody don't break down, and that Roger wants to make one final run in July.

 

I tried to explain in another thread that anyone who thought those guys could net Dontrelle were dreaming. A few years ago maybe those prospects get you a guy of that caliber, but in today's market it wouldn't come close. Jason Irsh is just not good enough as a pitching prospect to be the major trading piece in a Dontrelle trade. The Marlins wanted more from the Yankees than Phil Hughes, who is a significantly better prospect than Hirsh.

As to this deal, Garland is a better pitcher than Jennings so if I'm the Astros, I'm nervous right now. Jennings had a good year last year and if he can do better than that it's a good move. But how can anyone be sure that it wasn't an outlyer year? His statistics don't bear out that he's been this good ever before. What if he ends up being a 4.5 era guy? Hirsh could have been that. Garland is better as a pitcher in ERA+, K/BB, and WHIP, three of the best stats to measure a pitcher by.

 

we let him walk in FA then... and we don't have to deal with boras and trying to overpay to keep willy t.

 

Well I don't give a flip about trading Willy T. The guy is overrated as all get out. I don't understand people's fascination with fast guys who can't hit.

 

I'm not nervous, because even if Jennings is a flop, I don't think we gave up that much to get him. People are over-estimating the value other teams put on Hirsh and Buckholz (probably because of the hype in the local media when these guys were in the minors). Willie T. was more tradeable and probably could have helped out in a trade later on, but this trade was a gamble worth taking.

Our local media and Astros fans are now thinking Pence and Patton are the next coming. That is very understandable for Astro fans, because we want it to be the case very badly, but that doesn't mean they are as highly rated by other teams. Most of what I have read puts neither in the top 50 prospects in the minors. That doesn't mean they won't be great (I personally think they should both get a shot this year), but it does mean that Purpura is probably having trouble making trades using our prospects when there are seemingly better options available from other teams.

 

has anyone even mentioned Jimerson? this will be his oppurtunity to show the astros he can play in the big leagues....he didn't do too bad last yr w/ his brief stint w/ us....but he's prone for strikeouts....

 

sorry he is black

 

So is 100M Carlos Lee. This joke isn't funny anymore.

I bet Jimmerson will have a chance as a bench player (pinch runner, etc.) He looked good last year, but he would have to prove he has solved his strike out problem before he gets a chance at anything more. He may also not be on the 40 man roster and if not I would expect he'll be picked up by another team.

 

I haven't looked at the splits, but I read that Jennings ERA at Coors last season was around 3.5. That sounds good, but that means his ERA everywhere else was higher than the 3.78 he had overall. That makes me think that the only real breakthrough last year was that humidifier. I remember there being talk that the runs had drastically dropped at Coors it one of the lowest scoring fields. I haven't looked at all the stats, but now I'm starting to think that the humidifier actually gives pitchers an advantage and that makes Jennings look better than he is.

 

I think he is close to 30 that's about the age the Astros bring up thier "kids" right?

 

According to the Chronicle:

0-3 with a 10.47 ERA. *gulp*

Do I see the glass as half empty? Of couuuuurse I don't.

Am I a little nervous? Sure I am.

 

Yep. That's about right.

 

I am nervous that Jennings won't be the answer, but am I more nervous than an Oswalt, Woody, Hirsh rotation? No way! This trade was worth the gamble. Once Andy left we had to make a trade. I'm convinced this is the best we could get with the players we were willing to give up.

 

Jennings pitches better at HOME.....period.

 

Jennings will have much better numbers pitching for the Astro's than he had up at Mile High Denver. Hirsch will have problems like Kile had in Denver, no break in the breaking ball, so his numbers will not haunt us.
Willie T's power numbers should increase at Coor's, more power to him.

 

It's been great for the past 12 years that the Astros have been in contention so often that they haven't had the need to rebuild nor the opportunity to give tons of playing time to "kids".

That being said, the following is the age of a sampling of current rostered players and the age they were given an opportunity to contribute:

Lidge - 26 (probably earlier if not for numerous injuries in the minors)
Oswalt - 23
Qualls - 25
Nieve - 23
Berkman - 23
Ensberg - 26
Everett - 25
Burke - 25
Scott - 26

In addition, the players they just traded were all under 25 when given their opportunities.

It is not easy breaking in on a team that has been comprised primarily of proven verterans over the years.