Yep. The biggest downside of the Hader signing is that it meant giving up a 2nd round pick. Making that move after having lost so many prospects to penalties and trades is a really bad sign. At this point I think Crane was/is banking on Brown being some kind of scouting miracle worker who produces stars annually from league-low resources and late draft picks.
They got rid of the guys who made the good decisions are no longer in the org. I wish they would've hired Petula or Sig and kept the good times rolling. Instead we've got a bunch of the back of the baseball cards running the team and the results not surprisingly are what they are. Like Gina Luhnow said, karma.
Give me a proven guy like Hader over a 2nd rd pick while the team is still in its championship window. BTW, this can still be turned around. Cutting Abreu is hopefully the start of the purging of the politics that currently exist within Crane's org.
This entire rant is exaggerated half-truth, delusional. B.S. Jeff takes his orders from Crane. Jeff has an opinion that metrics are too prevalent in the Astros organization and needs to be balanced out with some old school thinking. - healthy in my opinion. He was WAY less extreme than you posted. Jeff also was renowned for his baseball I.Q. and a very accomplished hitting coach. Crane was never going to eat $30+M without trying something first and having Abreu work w/ Jeff was the best, and a good, option. And how about Ausmus is qualified, not just because he is an Astros legend but because he has an Ivy League education and has been a manager for 2 MLB and 1 WBC teams, bench coach for 2 others and worked under the GM of a 5th organization. How are you so angry? And so lost to a single view of the situation? This isn't politics.
Knew it was a bad signing when it happen and its proven now signing an aging slugger on the decline...waste of money
It was awful. But I must admit that I LOVED it at the time and thought it was the move that would turn the 2023 offense back into the 2019 offense. Now I figured 2024 he would be much closer to average and 2025 even a step further back, but I didn't see this plummet. Maybe I should have. I respect the guy and am sad for him, but very glad he's gone.
Unfortunately 2b, SS, 3b, and LF are not positions of need for the Astros. I agree Dubon is a very good bench player but he is a bench player. Bench players tend to be maxed out in value after their first arbitration. A few are good enough to justify a second arbitration but in no case should they be allowed to reach a third arbitration before they are traded away. On a lesser team they may even be re-signed as a starter. But extending a bench player on a championship level team ties up money that should be available for stars.
In a vacuum that is true, and smart business. However, I am resolved that Bregman won't be back in 2025 and Tucker, Framber, and Pressly won't be back and Abreu's deal will be off the books in 2026. With Alvarez signed below market AAV, and Pena, Diaz, Meyers, Loperfido and possibly the starters at 1b and 3b all behind him in tenure and arbitration it's a luxury and insurance policy that the Astros can afford and should take. And there is huge value in giving Altuve DH days, and Dubon is a very good replacement. And with 2.7 bWAR last year and 1.0 bWAR already this year it is very likely that $8M AAV covering his 30-33 age seasons will be a very good deal.
The proof is in the pudding and the Stros are where they're at today because they changed the model that allowed Luhnow to build a dynasty. Just go back to the old model and let the good times roll. Hopefully losing 30 mil will wake Crane up and he will go back to the old model.
Why do you respect the guy? What has he done to earn your respect? His play on the field, which is all that really matters sure shouldn't have gained your respect.
My favorite moment was last year in the playoffs. White Boi Chas hits a homer thinks he is one of the Latino players and tries to kiss Abreu on the neck. Really thought Abreu was going to Knock him out with a right hook. Good times. Would have been better times if our pitchers made it to the game for games 6&7.
You don't remember that? Yordan and Maldonado would do that after a homer. Chas tried kissing Maldy first. He pushed him away. Then he tried it on Abreu.
Are you really so shallow? Where is your humanity? Play on the field is all that really matters? His teammates love that guy. By all accounts he works hard and is sick over his poor performance. He also is (was?) active giving back to the Houston community. Most visibly was his work supporting the fight vs mental illness with NAMI. There is so many more ways to earn respect than being good at baseball. Getting old sucks, but it's not a crime. But being shallow and sub-human should be.
I don't appreciate anything about him. He was a total and complete bust. He has stolen millions from the Astros. If he goes to another team and bats .300 can the Astros sue him?
He got 30 mil and didn't produce, he should've been cut a month ago. I've got no ill will for him and I'm glad he's using the 30 mil he stole for some good causes. But I really only care about production because that's what really matters. Not his feelings or your for that matter.
I agree that the organization lost something when Sig, Pete, Oz and others moved on. It's tough to lose the best people and maintain excellence. And I do think the organization is getting away from what made it successful. I think it's because thecreplacements are simply jit as good and are different people with different ideas. But I think Bagwell and other former players absolutely must remain involved and there must be a balance. But yes I agree it's shifted too far to the old school recently.
