I'm fine with this, so long as there's no hesitation to yank him from the everyday lineup should he not rebound. Really, Pena is just one year removed from a .819 OPS season, so there is some upside here. Despite the low batting averages, his OBPs have actually been respectable (.330, .357), which tells you he has competitive at-bats. Kind of the opposite of Pedro Feliz, in that regard. And he's reportedly a great clubhouse guy. I like the idea of having a disciplined, professional hitter to help mentor all the youth. All that said... Pena is 34 years old and coming off a .684 OPS year, so there's certainly a chance that he's no longer a viable starter. If he's struggling mightily by mid-May, pull the plug and let him be the "clubhouse glue guy" from the bench. As long as his contract doesn't eliminate that possibility, I think he's a solid low-risk gamble.
I thought he was great in Moneyball, really had me believing he was a real actor. Should be good for the Astros TV ads, except I still can't see them...
agree with this and The Cat above. Not excited, but not upset. Not blocking anyone, slight chance of flipping him at the deadline with no payroll issues to speak of that make this a problem. I wonder if there's some element of wanting to have a slightly higher payroll to not draw the attention/ire of people around the league after having the crappiest team 2 yrs in a row AND the lowest payroll with no significant vet on the books this season.
I don't really see the point of this. Awful hitter. Power is on a steep decline. K's on the rise. I know we're not going to go out and sign great free agents, but this guy serves no purpose. He's not even a stop gap. He's just a guy to come in and suck for a year? For what reason exactly? I mean seriously. Worst batting average out of qualified players in 3 out of the last 4 years. His declining power numbers don't make up for that. .684 OPS? I don't know how you even make an offer to a guy like that.
Not a terrible signing (more accurately not the end of the world signing, because I still hate it). Like Max mentioned, it reminds me of Feliz, which at 1 year is really no big deal, but still would have preferred a different guy for similar money. Freiman would probably play against lefties, with Wallace/Pena both playing against righties. Pena is a good fielder, so it stands to reason that he will be the regular 1B. With the exception of last year, he has been a very good hitter against righties, but terrible against lefties. I'm not sure Wallace isn't on his way out. Assuming we carry 12 pitchers we have: 1B: Pena 2B: Altuve SS: Lowrie 3B: Dominguez C: Castro LF: J.D. CF: Maxwell RF: FMart DH: Freiman Bench: Tyler Greene/Marwin Gonzalez (Utility, has to play SS) Carlos Corporan (Backup C) Jimmy Paredes (4th OF) That would leave one spot open for Wallace, Laird, a 5th OF, etc.
As the 40-man roster was already full, someone had to go. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>To make room for Carlos Peña on the 40-man roster, RHP Mickey Storey has been designated for assignment. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> roster is now at 40.</p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/280796028310007809" data-datetime="2012-12-17T22:06:04+00:00">December 17, 2012</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Really? How do you figure? The only thing comparable is that they are both low-average hitters. The difference is the Pena can deliver value even with a low batting average. Feliz didn't break an OPS of .720 in the 4 seasons before he signed with Houston, and didn't draw more than 40 walks in a single season during his career. Pena had an .819 OPS season as recently as 2011 with Chicago, and has averaged 90+ BB per season, even while batting under .200 in 2 different years. In 2009, the season before signing with Houston, Feliz hit .266 and managed an OBP of .308. In 2012, Pena hit .196 and had an OBP of .330. Is this a breakthrough signing? Definitely not. But Pena can bring value even if he only manages to hit .230. If he hit's .260, he could be an All-Star. It's a low-risk deal on a guy with some upside. I think it's a good move.
They are both guys who play great defense with some pop. They are the same age. The deals are potentially for similar money. Pena hasn't hit .230 in over 4 seasons. Not sure why anyone would expect him to do that.
You're completely overlooking the fact that drawing 90-100 walks per year adds significant value. That was 3 seasons' worth for Feliz. Also, Pena hit .225 the year before last. Do you know how many more hits he would have needed to get to .230? 3 more. Look, I'm not saying it's likely that Pena has a good year. I'm saying he's one of those guys who is undervalued because he adds value where most people don't see it. That is the opposite of an Ed Wade guy like Feliz, who always appeared to have more value than he really did.
Certainly a valid point. I'd feel a lot better from the Astros end if he was 24 and not 34. Best case scenario is that he performs well and the team moves him to a contender at the deadline.
Low risk move. If he plays well, we can flip him for more prospects. You don't put a young player in your DH spot. If you don't get this move, I can't help you.
Its an ok move , I would have rather signed Carlos Lee .. We have the money to spend on him for a one year deal and his production is much more reliable than Pena.
