If we really needed a 2nd baseman that had a good bat, but couldn't field then we should have just kept Kent. We wouldn't have had to give up any players that way.
I don't think you can say his production is slipping after one season. He did put up similar numbers to last year like 70 less at bats. Or Bobby Abreu. I don't remember why we lost him.
Abreu was lost in the expansion draft for the Devil Rays and the Rockies. The Astros could only protect one of Hidalgo and Abreu, and they chose Hidalgo. The funny part is that the D-Rays immediately traded him to the Phillies for Kevin Stocker, a SS. We all know how that worked out. Seems like the D-Rays were idiots from the first day of operation.
Remember, if you judged Maddux by his 'stuff' no MLB team would touch him. However, he can locate, he can move his 'fastball' (87mph??) and he can think! He knows WHAT he wants to do to that batter. He's got a gamer mentality. You can see that Redding is a mental case. It's not that he can't pitch but he loses focus if ONE FREAKING MAN gets to second. He can put zeros for 3 innings and then BLAP! a guy gets to second and Redding gives up 5 runs. Backe took the hill and BATTLED in 2 of the biggest games in our history. He throws strikes, his ball moves, he's emotional and HOPEFULLY, he knows HOW to pitch. Right now, he looks really good to me...even as gay as that sounds!!
If we could get Soriano for Backe I think its a no brainer. As good as the rotation looks right now, it doesn't completely overshadow the lack of run producers our lineup has. I think Soriano would be the perfect 2 hitter in this lineup. I never heard that he refused to play CF...that being said, I would only trade for him if we knew we could extend him for 3 yrs or so. I think with or without Backe, we still have the 2nd best rotation in the NL...and in the division for that matter (behind the Cubs) so its not like we would sacrafice all that much. My feeling is that we will wait to see how the offense pans out before we consider making a soriano-like trade. I just hope that Backe is still worth then what he is worth now if we do have to make a deal.
Hey... I came here to start a new thread about my Brandon Backe story, and to my suprise, there's one already. Anyways, me and some buddies were out at Yaga's (bar) in Galveston last night, and low-and-behold, Galveston's finest (Backe) was there as well (w/ an entourage of Ball HS friends). He's a REALLY cool guy... we went up to him and said, "We just gotta say that we were at game 5, and it was one of the BEST pitching performances in a big game that we'd ever seen..." His response: "Thanks a lot man... yeah, that game was awesome." (then he paused a moment... and began to yell...) "Tony Womack... Tony f****ing Womack!!... how the hell does that guy get the one hit off me!!" (We were laughing hysterically... too much to remind him how Beltran saved his ass on Renteria and how MMP saved him on Sanders). Meeting guys like that, and seeing how they are in their element... not conceded, very down to earth, great sense of humor... makes me very happy that he's on our team. Needless to say, after I stumbled home, I started watching game 5 again at 4am... and never thought I'd do that when we didn't re-sign Beltran (frankly, I was ready to erase them from the tivo... too much pain) There's a pic (RockHead rule) of all of us with him, but I have no hosting capabilities.... so if somebody knows about that, just let me know how to do it.
It's not just that he doesn't want to play in the OF...he has refused to play ANY position OTHER than 2B.
I remember when Backe was signed last year and they had him on Astroline here at Live for the first time. He was such a laid back person and he looked more excited to be here then the people listening to him. He was a really nice and guy and continued that way. He even came in like the next 3 weeks to watch the show and play Golden Tee with Jeromie Roberston at the time. Last year no one got his autograph and we had a small crowd. This year roles around the place is full of girls and people getting autographs.....what a difference a year makes lol.
What gets me excited about Backe is his relative experience on the pitcher's mound. It doesn't seem as far fetched to me that he would suddenly break out like he did (hopefully did) in those last few starts of 2004. Sure, he could fall back(e?) to earth and bust (as much as any player CAN bust when he is obtained for Geoff Blum), but when a player like that shows that kind of mental toughness and potential, it doesn't surprise me at all that the club really wants to hold on to him. Especially since I think the Astros would prefer to have a kickass rotation rather than a kickass lineup.
who was obtained for Chris Truby, who was obtained as an amateur free agent. It was the moves like that, that made the Hunsicker/Purpura era very good.
I think the reason that we want to hold onto him is because he stepped his game up during the playoffs. Yes, he may not win 20 for us, but he is at his best when it matters most. That is a hard thing to come by.
Don't forget he won the game against the Rockies that put the Astros into the playoffs on the last game of the regular season.
While I was initially reluctant, now that Clemens is back I feel much better about dealing Backe and Burke for Soriano. Here is why: 1. Clemens' return ensures (barring injury) a top three that will win at least 50 games. That means Backe, as the fourth starter, becomes more of a luxury, rather than a necessity. Great teams with bottomless pockets can afford such luxuries; the Stros are not and cannot. As a rule of thumb, most successful organizations (other than NY, BOS) like the Cardinals, Braves and Athletics believe that you deal from a strength to improve a weakness, so I have no problem losing something from the rotation if it means a significant upgrade to our lineup. The Cardinals added Mulder, but lost Renteria from that potent lineup. The Braves added Hudson and Kolb, but lost Drew, Russ Ortiz and their top pitching prospect. The Dodgers added Drew and Lowe, but lost Beltre, Green, Finley, Perez and Penny. If this works out, we added Soriano, but lost Beltran, Kent, WMiller and Backe. If it doesn't, all we have done is lost the same three cornerstones (Beltran, Kent and Wade) without adding a single significant acquisition. And let's not forget that despite his playoff heroics, he is not a proven winner. There is a very good chance he could fall flat on his face this year. 2. With the rotation resolved, it is obvious a lineup that will feature Jeff Bagwell as its best hitter on opening day is in desparate need of some help. I think Burke will be a very good player, but Soriano is a dynamic offensive player already with power and speed. Strikes out too much, and his D isn't good either, but can it be much worse than Kent's last year? I don't think so, and I think Soriano could post better all-around #'s this year sandwiched between Berkman and Bagwell in the cleanup spot than Kent did last year batting 5th. Of course, Kent's value as a clutch hitter will be impossible to replace, but of all the alternatives in the entire league to replace Kent, I'd say Soriano is right at the top. If we can somehow get Cruz without giving up Lane, this is the lineup I want to see: Biggio/Lane LF Cruz/Taveras CF Berkman RF Soriano 2B Bagwell 1B Ensberg/Lamb 3B Everett SS Ausmus/Chavez C While not as good as last year, a middle-of-the-order of Berkman/Soriano/Bagwell is still pretty good. If either Lane, Cruz or Ensberg/Lamb can step up with 25HR/90RBI hitting 6th, we will be fine. Now as for the bullpen...?
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/baseball/10163257.htm?1c Trade of Soriano appears unlikely By Kathleen O'Brien Star-Telegram Staff Writer KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - Rangers second baseman Alfonso Soriano's possible return to New York, perhaps in exchange for 21-year-old Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, was a topic Thursday at baseball's general managers meetings. It is highly unlikely to happen, though. The Mets like Soriano, but not his price tag compared with Reyes, and not his defensive play at second base. The 28-year-old Soriano may be as good as he is going to get, and will likely earn a salary arbitration bump from $5.4 million this season to about $7 million in 2005. Reyes, who has been bothered for the past year by hamstring problems, still seems to be developing his potential, and he will earn near the league minimum of $300,000 next year. "When you have a talent like that [Reyes], I think you have to commit," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. In addition, the Mets would want Soriano to play right field, and he is adamant that he wants to remain at second base. "I think if that is the reason that a team gets me, it's going to be a little bit difficult, because I'm not going to give up my position," Soriano said by telephone Thursday. "I'm not going to pass to another position. I'm going to play second base." Soriano, who was vacationing in Miami with his wife, said he feels so strongly about playing second base that he would prefer giving up baseball or being traded to changing positions. He is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner at second base. He probably does not need to worry about a trade at the moment, though. Both general manager John Hart and manager Buck Showalter said the Rangers are agreeable to keeping Soriano. Although he can be a defensive liability, he is the best offensive second baseman in the American League and is popular with his teammates. And the Mets would not give up Reyes for Soriano alone. Minaya said that no player is untradeable, but also called Reyes and third baseman David Wright the future of the Mets. The Mets are more interested in trading catcher Mike Piazza than Reyes, though Piazza and his contract are not particularly appealing to the Rangers. Hart said the Mets were simply one of 22 clubs that he had met with during the GM meetings this week. "We're real, real early in the game," Hart said. "But teams are playing their hands real quickly. There's more candor right now, which is good." Today is the first day teams can talk money with other clubs' free agents, and outfielder Danny Bautista and right-handed starter Jon Lieber are both on the Rangers' interest list. The Rangers have also had discussions with outfielder David Dellucci, but no deal was imminent. He had received overtures from four National League teams as of Thursday afternoon. Dellucci said by phone Thursday: "I have to weigh all my options. I would definitely love to come back to the Rangers. I think everyone knows that. There's a lot of interest coming from other teams. The most important thing is for me to feel wanted by who I'm going to play for."
I think that's a terrible statement. Saying we either lose Beltran Kent and Wade OR Add Soriano and lose Backe Beltran Kent and Wade I mean basically you need to eliminate the commonalities. Either we're standing pat or trading Backe for Soriano. Between the above 2 scenarios, 1 is not clearly better than the other. The way you present it, you make it seem like we're adding someone 1 way, and the other way we're losing people. That only works if you add an FA to compensate for losing FA's. A trade is just a trade. I would present our offseason, since that's how you want to present it, as: Lose Beltran Kent Wade and Soriano opportunity, keep Backe OR Lose Beltran Kent Wade BAcke, gain Soriano
I agree that the phrasing wasn't very clear... What I was getting at was that losing 3 players of that caliber is very hard for any team. Can you imagine what the Cardinals would look like if Pujols and Edmonds left as FAs and Rolen went down with an injury? That is basically the situation the Stros are in...replacing two of their three best players from last year while waiting on the third to recover. At least by adding Soriano we can realistically replace the production of one of those players (Kent). While standing pat with Backe could be a great move, even if he wins 15 games as our fourth starter, is that worth more to the team as a whole every 5 games than what Soriano could bring to the lineup every single game? Soriano has averaged, over his first 4 full years, 30HR, 402B, 90RBI and 35SB, all with a .280 lifetiime average. That means if he slips even a little bit, he will still be an impact offensive player at a premium position. And although his OBP and Defense are terrible, he still might be the best overall offensive player at second in the big leagues. If Berkman and Bagwell can continue to be patient and get on base in front of him, he could easily top 100 RBI. It is not unrealistic to think he could even be an improvement over Kent. Remember, before the incredible playoff run, many were calling for Kent to be benched or traded, and his defense isn't that much better than Soriano's anyway. Combine that with the incredible speed he could bring to the basepaths and I think it is a given he would constitute a tremendous addition to the lineup. Isn't that worth more than a guy who has never even spent an entire year in the starting rotation? Especially when the rotation is already formidable without him? I think Soriano's value to the lineup far outweighs Backe's value to the rotation. Soriano is a proven commodity who could drastically improve a major weakness. Backe is a one-hit wonder who can only add to the strongest part of the team. I'm in favor of moving a risk from a position of strength in exchange for a sure thing at a position that is currently mediocre at best. That is why I would do the deal.
