coming out of the all-star break, the prevailing sentiment was that the astros were in that middle territory that could make or break their season. were they buyers or sellers? do you give up a promising prospect even when the season was still in doubt? some, such as myself, said that you make a deal no matter what - you can't waste this kind of pitching. it's now inevitable that the stros will win the wild card. even if that is putting the carriage ahead of the horse, they are no doubt in the race for the long haul. i think most would agree that it's highly unlikely that this team fades down the stretch. have matters changed now? although the market is thin, this team could use atleast a subtle addition offensively. while they may be good enough to make it to the postseason, there is no way this offense will cut it once there. it would be a shame to waste this staff. do you now make a deal no matter what or only if the price is right?
A deal has to be made to make sure we get over the hump and make some noise in the post season. I am not sure what deal can be made but we need more power in this lineup. Kudos to Lamb for the big hit tonight but if we have to depend on Lamb for the extra punch needed, we are in trouble unless our pitching staff can pitch even better than it has....which does not seem possible.
Definently don't want to mess with chemistry and the roll we are on so i think they are going to hold off on anything all they can. Everyone is playing their roles and i fear if anyone is dealt it might just bring the moral and the vibe of the team away. this is a team that wasn't supposed to do jack and now they are doing it without Bagwell and turning heads. I say let it ride.
Trading minor league prospects and lets say Burke shouldn't do any damage from the chemistry standpoint.
no definently don't mind that. Just don't any one of a key component being put in the deal. minor league guys and burke im all for.
yeah and bring in everyone in houston chipping in to pay for his salary..unless you got a better idea to come up with 22 million for the year lol
I think another bat would be nice, but not at all necessary. Sure, our offense will be weaker than some of the other contenders - but their pitching is worse than ours, so that's a wash. With the pitching we have (3 of the top 6 starters in the NL), we can manage without as good an offense as we'd like. If there's a good trade out there - go for it. But if it costs too much, let these guys play and see what they can do. We've learned from the late 90's teams that all the offense is the world doesn't guarantee anything in the postseason anyway.
honestly. if drayton was up for it, wouldn't you be? having manny and berkman in your lineup and not to mention a one-hit wonder ensberg? it'll be like last season redux but with stronger pitching.
Of course i would be up for it if Drayton is..He is the one that has to pay him 22 Million. Im just saying it's not going to happen unless Drayton hits his head on something.
I'm starting to get to the point where I hope they don't make a trade. Yeah, it would be great to add a big bat but not at the expense of losing a key contributor (like Backe.) Now if we could make a nice addition just by giving up prospects then I am all for it, but don't screw with the chemistry we've got going here.
One-hit wonder Ensberg? 2 years ago he hit 25. Last year was 10 with a bad elbow. This year it's 27 and counting. Which year do you think was a fluke? Don't make a trade just to make a trade. If the right deal is there (one that does not include Astacio AND Buckholz AND Nieve) then do it. If not, I'm all for seeing what happens with the current squad. The pitching is far better than good enough to get us to the playoffs. As long as we don't start getting shut out every other game like in April & May, we should be fine. Will it win in the playoffs? I don't know. You never know who will catch fire come October and carry us much like Beltran did last year.
I somewhat agree with you. I think our pitching will make up for our offensive struggles against someone like Atlanta, but I just don't think our pitching is that much better than St. Louis' to overcome there far superior lineup. That's what it keeps coming back to for me...I just don't think we're currently good enough to get past the Cardinals, but I suppose anything can happen in the playoffs.
your last thought is right. i couldn't imagine the Padres beating the Astros lineup in 98. i couldn't imagine the Reds beating the A's in the 90 World Series. in the playoffs...particularly in baseball...anything can happen. yesterday, dierker said on the air that he thought it was more of an accomplishment to MAKE the playoffs than it was to advance...since advancing seemed to be left to chance, so many times. in a series, nearly any team can beat another.
I don't think we should do anything, besides maybe adding a bullpen arm for cheap. I keep thinking of the 2003 Marlins, and see a lot of similarities in the way the Astros are built right now. Those Marlins did have a little more pop in the lineup, but they relied on young guys and a strong pitching staff. Their top hitters were Derrek Lee, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, and Pudge. Luis Castillo and Juan Pierre were the get-on-base guys...kind of like Taveras and Biggio (although Biggio has more power). I'd say that our big 3 pitchers are even better than Willis, Beckett, and Penny. The more important thing is that they went on a run at the right time. Right now I think the Astros chances with this pitching staff have just as good a chance as last years team to advance in the playoffs.
If we can get Aubrey Huff for Astacio and another prospect not named Nieve, Patton or Pence, I'd get it done. The last two seasons Huff hit .300 with 30 homers (29 last year) and over 100 RBI. He got off to a slow first half, but has been hot since the break, is left handed, and still only 28. At the right price, Raul Ibanez would be a decent fit, but other than those two guys I think I'd rather stand pat.
