Same, I'm too old for that ****. We're not sleeping on the ground at some campsite, we're renting a house or bigass RV. No more 30-packs of Keystone or whatever, it's all premium cans. There will be a steak night involved. If you want to go old-school on the tube, that doesn't affect me at all and is a personal decision if you want to pinch pennies there.
My current expectations for Houston’s offseason is Victor Caratini ($12M/2yr), Matt Moore ($13M/2yr), and an Altuve extension. Not what I would do, as I think they should spend some money on another OF bat and SP which both improves the 2024 roster while opening up the possibility of trading a couple young players to bolster the barren top of the farm. But just those 2 3rd tier free agents fill the holes and make them a surefire contender for 2024 without going over the tax threshold.
Bingo! I am older and can afford it - so I am going to do it. Having a group of friends over for a party? hotdogs? No, good steak and maybe some well marinated chicken as a change of pace. Company is great, but so is good food and good beer with company. There is going to be higher level beers to choose from. If someone cannot afford it, I understand and no problem. Just don't be cheap just to be cheap.
Moore is someone that the Astros have liked so he makes sense. With his age, the Astros may get a good deal signing him. There is always risk involved with his age. I wouldn't rule out the Astros targeting a starter that can burn innings with the idea of moving someone to the pen.
It's crazy to see stats like this when you consider how brutal injuries were to the Astros pitching staff this season. If they had close to full seasons of Urquidy, Lance and Garcia, how much higher might that number been than the rest of the league?
Really? 130 games? 80%? So you are saying 20% of the time the Astros should intentionally rest the starter and play an inferior bench player? Why don't they just start the season 0-15 then start trying to win 95+ of the remaining 147 games? Even in this injury riddled season, 5 players had more than 130 games played. Star players should play closer to 150 if they are healthy and a team actually expects to win.
Is Jordan Hicks a free agent? Any chance he gets his money but takes a hometown discount? Apparently he was decent in St Louis but pitched better in Toronto. Also does Sousa have a chance at making the team? Or was this season a fluke and small sample size? If Astros believe in him, perhaps he's the lefty and they pass on Moore?
I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday. Buddy coming in from out of town to attend the games. I’m looking forward to it.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/10/projected-arbitration-salaries-for-2024.html Was shocked at how low the estimates are for Houston’s players: Framber Valdez (4.163): $12.1MM Kyle Tucker (4.079): $12.6MM Jose Urquidy (4.049): $3.5MM Mauricio Dubon (3.162): $3.1MM Luis Garcia (3.083): $2.1MM Bryan Abreu (3.022): $2MM Chas McCormick (3.000): $3.1MM This puts their 2024 projected 26 man payroll for tax purposes at around $205M, assuming Neris rejects his player option. That should give them enough money to sign a good backup C and a good RP and probably get at least one extension (Altuve) done, while staying a reasonable amount under the tax to be able to maneuver at the deadline as well as continue to negotiate extensions.
I think extensions are Brown's priority, and should be. Tucker and/or Framber would be a grand slam but I still have little to no faith they want to sign before testing FA. Bregman should be the next priority. It shouldn't be difficult, as he loves the city and team and has shown a willingness to extend before. There are no can't miss prospects ready to replace him, though Dezenzo may be if he has a good 2024. Chas and Bryan Abreu should be next. They don't project to be $100+M FAs and are early enough in service that the AAV will still be low. Altuve is next and I make him last because he is the most likely to sign even if it takes right up till his FA and is old enough the commitment won't be extreme. I would like to see: Bregman: 7yrs $175M + player option $18M/$5M buyout ($24M AAV $180 guarantee) starting in 2025. Abreu: 5 yrs $34M. ($2M-$4M-$8M-$10M-$10M) relievers are always risky but he is young and has been exceptional for 2 years in a row. Chas: 5 yrs $50M ($3M-$6M-$11M-$15M-$15M). If he plays everyday next year this could go up drastically ( or down) but as of now he is viewed as an averagely talented overachiever who hasn't played everyday throughout a season. Last chance to extend him for under $15M+ AAV. Altuve 4yrs $100M starting in 2025. Total AAV increase would be $10.8M more than the estimate I'm responding to (2024 only). That puts 2024 CBT payroll at about $216M leaving about $21M under the threshhold. This keeps the team under the CBT even if either Tucker or Framber happen to sign an extension @$30M AAV. But it also leaves the team little room under the CBT for at least the next 2 years.
