It would require both, and perhaps more, and I'm not doing that. Frankly, if we want postseason success, we would be crazy to give up Backe. With his mental makeup, his value to us, pitching at home, his home, is far greater than his value to another team.
I'm not proposing or suggesting swapping Ensberg for Konerko, who is a free agent anyway. I'm just saying that if we had Konerko hitting 4th for us and Chicago had Ensberg hitting 4th for them, we'd probably be up in the series right now.
I don't know why you guys want to get rid of Ausmus. He's not the best hitter in the world, but consider this: -The free agent market is VERY weak this offseason, especially at catcher. Who is avaliable that is a) more productive than Ausmus and b) not overpriced? -Ausmus isn't that bad of a hitter for a catcher. Really. If he was surrounded by better hitters in the lineup, nobody would be complaining about him. -The pitchers love him because he calls a great game. I don't want to mess with the great pitching we had this year.
Guys, Bagwell is still guaranteed for next season. So he is getting his money whether he plays or not. If Roger does leave though, that opens up 18 million to play with plus the fact that we still threw a lot of $ at Beltran even with Clemens possibly coming back. Go after an outfielder that can bat clean-up. Berkman stays at 1st, Ensberg moves deeper into the rotation where hopefully he can bring us some power once he figures out how he wants to bat. Everett is great defensively but he needs to swing that bat better. Burke and Lamb are great pinch hitters and Burke is insurance for Biggio. Lane might be a good tradeable asset or he can stay in RF if we want to keep him.
If he decides to retire because of his injury he still gets paid but Drayton doesn't have to pay it. Drayton's got an insurance policy on Bagwell to take care of this.
If Bagwell retires, it won't be until the end of spring training. The athlete is always the last to figure it out.
This team has some interesting positional problems. You figure the following positions are locked up: 2B - Biggio 1B - Berkman 3B - Ensberg CF - Willy T. C - Ausmus That leaves RF, SS, and LF to be improved (alternatively, you can improve 1B and move Berkman to LF). But bottom line, you've got 3 spots to play with. The chances of finding a replacement for Lane are minimal. He's cheap and hit 25 HRs and should improve. It's not financially sound to improve marginally there, really. So that leaves SS and LF. You also have questions on how to fit Burke into the lineup and Luke Scott has lots of potential. Do you give those two a chance, or get a free agent? That's going to be a tough call whether to go get a LF and relegate Burke to the bench for a year. My personal preferences: Carlos Lee and/or Rafael Furcal. None of the other options, as far as free agents go, make a lot of sense to me. With Lee you get a legitimate #4 guy to protect Berkman. With Furcal, you put ridiculous speed between him and Willy at the top of the lineup. If Bagwell retires, you save $17MM per year and might have enough to get them both.
Lee and Furcal would be amazing. Carlos has been really consistent over the past 3 years with around 30 HR's and 100 RBI's, and Rafael is a high .270's hitter with speed to burn. Re-sign Clemens for another year, and I think you could definitely call us World Series contenders again for 2006.
Sign Giles and AJ Burnett....and ask Bags to retire regardless of how politically incorrect it is...he will still get the cash thru insurance and everyone is happy
I can't disagree more on Giles and Burnett. Giles will want a long-term deal, but I wouldn't give it to him at his age. And this team has enough pitching to where they don't need to break the bank for a free agent like Burnett.
While I would not give up Ausmus for anything, Benji Molina is a free agent this year. That is the only catcher I'd consider if and only if Ausmus moves on. Really, Ausmus only has 3 choices...remain with the Astros, retire, or play for the Padres. I don't really think there is any question that he will be the starting catcher on Opening Day for the Astros. I wouldn't mind an upgrade at backup, though. If there is someone available through trade at SS, I would do it in a heartbeat. I like Adam Everett, but I just don't think his offense will improve at all and it has gotten to the point where it is a detriment. It has overtaken any ability he has on defense. He simply cost up many more runs on offense than he saved on defense. My guess is that Bagwell will give it a shot at rehab this offseason. I just don't think he'll be able to get his arm back. I would love to see one more season out of him and the chance, slight as it may be, that he and Biggio go out together. This makes it possible for them to go into the Hall of Fame together. What a sight that would be for Astros fans. If Bags is back, Berkman will be in left. His knee will be a lot closer to 100% and should be moving a lot better. He was a good OF before the injury. I would love to see at least an attempt made at Brian Giles and another starting pitcher. I don't think Roger will be back. I'd like to see Paul Byrd brought in as a 3rd or 4th starter. Overall, I don't think that wholesale changes are necessary. A lot will depend on retirements. Looking foward to 2006 already! GO ASTROS!
I was listening to those two clowns marc and rich but they did point something out, we really are screwed payroll wise next year... Berkman gets about 14 million, Oswalt gets 11 million, Pettite gets 17 million or so, Bagwell gets 17 million, Biggio gets 4 or 5 million and Clemens if he comes back gets from 15 to 20 million. That total right there is pretty much equivalent to this year's payroll. Also not to mention that both Lidge and Ensberg are due arbitration so their salaries will go up as well. So either Drayton breaks the 100 million barrier or we get the same team next year... Also Ausmus cant go to San Diego. Ramon Hernandez has that job locked up. And Clemens won't come back to houston if we dont resign Ausmus so I have a feeling he'll be back next year.
I have a feeling that Clemens wouldn't mind taking a little extra money if Drayton would use it to bring in another player.
This would be my offseason plan for the Stros: 1) Get everybody out of the stadium on a positive note. We had a great season and nobody can deny that, we just came across a team that could score more on us than we could on them (that will be remedied). Spend the next few weeks with coaches from the farm teams and get an accurate idea of who we expect to move up in the spring. 2) Get Bags into a doctors office and get an idea of what we can expect from him next year. He is going to be here, the question is what will he be doing? Hopefully he can play 90 or so games at 1st. 3) Get Clemens in and talk him into one more season. He is going to have to take less money, but now that his mom has passed (RIP) there shouldn't be any hurry to hang'em up. Another season, another $10 million. 4) Go hard after Garciaparra (.283, 9, 30), sign Cruz Jr. (.251,18,50), and get another decent arm or two for the pen. 5) Make sure that most guys get plenty of time practicing at positions other than their primary ones so that we can have more options The team would look like this next year: C - Ausmus/Quintero (or Chavez) 1 - Berkman/Bagwell 2 - Biggio/Burke 3 - Ensberg/Lamb SS - Garciaparra/Everett LF - Burke/Berkman CF - Taveras/Cruz RF - Lane/Cruz
Pettitte signed a 3 yr 30 mil deal....next yr is the last yr in that deal....was it that severly backweighted? Bags shd retire and take the insurance money If Clemens comes back, he will be worth it
The biggest problem going towards the future is complacency. If the Astros get comfortable with their core, they could be setting themselves up for mediocrity for many years to come if they overestimate and over value their current assets (Ensberg, Lane, Everett, and Taveras). Those four guys, along with Berkman and Burke, are going to be the faces of the franchise for the next 4-6 years. I'm advocating near wholesale changes, if it means adding another bat to the lineup. Obviously, the first big decision is going to be what happens with Clemens and Bagwell. If they both wait a while to see if they want to (or can) come back next year, the Astros will miss out on signing suitable replacements. Clemens made $18 mil this year and Bags is on the books for $18 mil next year. If he plays a game for the Astros next year, they're on the hook for the entire contract. If he gets a medical disability, insurance will cover it. That's $36 million that can be spent on adding 2-3 quality pieces to the team. We'll need another pitcher of Clemens retires and another bat (LF or SS) that can take some of the offensive load off of Berkman and Ensberg. They've got some tough decisions to make on the young kids. There are some in the minors needing a chance (Luke Scott) and some in the majors who deserve more playing time (Chris Burke). Hopefully Purpura and McClain are going to make the best decision for the future of the franchise. Next year might be a transition year for the team, and I think 2007 will be the year that the Astros move onto the next era of their organization. 2006 (projected w/o a major FA signing and Baggy returning) 2B Biggio CF Taveras LF Berkman 3B Ensberg 1B Bagwell RF Lane C Ausmus SS Everett 4th OFer - Burke 2006 (projected w/o a major FA signing and Baggy retiring) 2B Biggio CF Taveras 1B Berkman 3B Ensberg RF Lane LF Burke C Ausmus SS Everett 4th OFer - Scott 2007 (projected) CF Taveras 2B Burke 1B Berkman 3B Ensberg LF Scott RF Lane SS Everett C Quintero I'm not a huge Lane guy myself, if you could get something for him I'd move him. I think the team will realize the only place they can really upgrade offensively (barring a trade of an OFer) is SS. If Baggy comes back next year, our 5 outfielders are Berkman, Taveras, Lane, Burke, and Palmeiro (Scott at AAA). I'm really hoping that he knows one way or the other early on if he can make it all the way back or not.
Pretty much agree with the guy above me. I think its important that we realize that alot of our "young" guys aren't exactly the greatest hitters out there. In fact looking at Lane, Taveras and Everett I'd say they are at best average for their position. The problem is knowing if Lane has already peaked with his 26 homers a year, if Taveras never learns to actually hit well and if Everett defense is really worth his .240-.250 average. Honestly, I don't have any answers right now. Maybe when I look over some free agents, I'll have my take.
A guy I'd like the Astros to take a look at in LF is Aubrey Huff in Tampa Bay. He was available at the trade deadline, and had an off year this season, mainly due to a slow start, but still managed 22 homers and 92 RBI. In 2003 and 2004, he was a .300, 30 HR and 100 RBI guy. Based on his play last year we might be able to get him for a package of Zeke and another prospect. As alot of people have said, I feel like Burke needs to get a look at SS in spring training, to at least see if he can pull it off. I want his speed and bat in the line up. I'm really hoping Bags retires, I don't want to see him out there if he can't pull his weight just because he's been amazing over the last 15 years. 2006 Opening Day Line Up 2B Bidge CF Taveras 1B Berkman 3B Ensberg LF Huff RF Lane SS Burke C Ausmus
