Without looking up any stats, I don't think Keuchel had as good post season starts, esp World Series, as Framber (comparing lefties).
If you would have told me Altuve would start the postseason 0-25, and end with no home runs, as well as Alvarez go on a 0-30ish streak, I would never believe the Astros would win a title (let alone sweep the Yankees for the pennant). And yet, here we are. Thanks to completely dominant pitching, esp the bullpen.
keuchel had the dominating performance vs NYY in the 2015 wild card. Without looking up his 2017, my memory is that Keuchel allowing contact wrecked him in postseason. I distinctly remember being pissed about his performance against the dodgers.
There is a good chance the Astros run a 6 man staff next year. They may skip someone from time to time. As for Verlander, he is going to be 40 and wears down by the playoffs. Verlander also used to get angry when he was pulled before the 8th inning and got over it. The game changes with time, and the Astros being ahead of the curve is a big reason the Astros are winning.
I would rather overpay during free agency then overpay with prospects of miss out completely during the trade deadline
You value sports more than the military that thos No one does it single handedly it's called the United States Armed Forces for a reason force means more than one and united means together. Sorry they didn't teach you that in school you must have fell asleep during that history lesson. Also the Astros and another sports team do military appreciation and wear camo on their uniforms in support of the military. It's a shame the sports team you obsess about so much has more support for the military than you do.
If you all really know so much about predictions and sports analysis then ESPN should be knocking down your door offering to pay you millions of dollars to talk about it all day like Stephen A Smith. Considering the fact youre posting all your opinions on a message board I seriously doubt its in the cards.
Finally, the Astros are spending money without regard. This is how you do it. You pay and let the money fall into your lap after we win it again. This is how you win trust with the players. Someone performs. They get to eat. Montero earned his money.
I feel like he was one guy we could afford to lose. I think guys like Seth Martinez could have used to replace him.
Seth Martinez doesn’t have the stuff to be getting key outs for you in October and November. “Stuff” matters deep in the playoffs.
2.00 ERA in the limited playing time he received in the regular season say differently. No one knows yet how good he could be it's a small sample size thus far.
Remember late in the season in 2021, someone said that some of the Astros don't want Verlander near the team. I never heard Verlander talked about that. The thing the sports radio in Houston did right was getting rid of ex-Texans Caserio. As for Montero, he would not return on a 1 year contract which is why the Stros gave him 3. At least we didn't supply the other teams with arm. The reliever they need to prolong is Abreu.
Abreu did not make Super 2 so he's on CC for 23 with 3 arb years for 24, 25 & 26. He's on schedule to receive an offer during this season if he is considered a core player. Both Tucker and Alvarez were approached early last season about extensions. Alvarez worked out a deal and Tucker did not. They like to avoid arbitration battles if possible. I'm sure Tucker will be approached again before, during and after arbitration. I've heard rumor, oft repeated, that he's not interested at all in signing FA years as part of a package, but it's hearsay without inside information.
There is probably more downside than upside in this signing, but if Montero just pitches close to like he did this season it’ll be a good deal. I think there might be significantly more money available than a lot of us originally expected. Winning the World Series brings in a good chunk of change. This team is going to be utterly stacked for the next 2 seasons. The only thing that can screw it up is if Crane goes full Jerry Jones.
After half my life dealing with hamstrung or Corporate types, I have NO PROBLEM with a knowledgeable and financially sound owner being heavily involved. There is no virtue in letting a subordinate run amuck because he doesn't want oversight. Crane will spend on Good Deals, but he will not throw away value. I speculate he wants to trust his GM to make decisions he considers to be good. So it becomes a simple, less time consuming matter.
If he is going full Jerry Jones, the significant difference is the hard cap versus tax threshold. As long as we keep winning and maximizing scouting and development, Crane can overpay for players, eat the financial penalties, and we will be fine.
