And Verlander stated time and time again this year how in part of being thankful for being back, he made it a point to be more present, more involved, more of a resource/help to the younger guys… things he really didn’t do much of in his career. He wasn’t allowed to rehab with the team last year in the midst of covid restrictions. When those were finally eased, the team was already solidified in its resolve without him. In the end, he decided he wanted to stay here and its safe to say he made the right choice… and the team ultimately benefitted as well. Win-win.
This deal definitely feels steep, but that might just be the market for high leverage relievers. It's been pretty clear for a while that teams competing for championships value elite relievers more than their raw production (see trades for Miller and Chapman). The Astros are now 5 deep in really good relievers. I suspect they could fetch a pretty decent prospect for Neris or Stanek, or make Abreu a centerpiece in a trade for a bat if they wanted to go down that route. Or they can keep a ridiculously stacked roster. This is just a weird move all around, though. This is a bit of a luxury move, and it came hours after firing the GM. Not to mention, Montero is the player I associate most with Click's success. I think an optimistic takeaway is Crane is not going to let finances be an obstacle. If he's willing to give a reliever $11 million, you have to think there's plenty in the budget for a good 1B. They also are showing that they are open for business, even without a GM.
"Seth Martinez needs more high-leverage reps" - interesting hill to die on.... I'd argue the incredibly successful analytics team and 'decades-of-experience' managing team know how good he can be. This isn't fantasy sports, there's way more to building a post-season roster than who had the lowest regular season ERA. Beyond stuff as Nook mentioned, context to the innings that Martinez and other people pitched is critical. Martinez had by far the lowest leverage of any Astros reliever last season. I.e he pitched the least important innings and likely to the worst parts of the lineup. Interestingly, he was one of two Astros relievers with a lower leverage score upon exiting than entering. Literally, he was used mop up innings where the game stakes got lower when he pitched. Serious question: did you actually watch the Astros during the regular season?
I wonder if the last trade deadline and post-season changed their perspective on team building. When it came down to it, Montero had much more of an impact on the playoffs than Mancini or even Vasquez. Maybe they think the cost/benefit of a nails bullpen option is worth more than diverting that cash to a mid-tier hitting option. Definitely agree its an unusual move, but the Astros might be ahead of the market on yet one more thing.
Did I watch every game of a 162 game season absolutely not I work all the time. Who has time to watch all 162 games lol. Other things to do in life my main man besides watch baseball. Also just because you have more time to watch baseball than I do doesn't mean you know more about it than me. If the Astros were making decisions based on some of y'all's suggestions we would be sitting on zero titles you can bank on that.
Insert: "who da fook is that guy?!?" meme. Bit much to come into probably the best Astros forum on the internet the day after the Stros win the series puffing your chest out and saying you know baseball better than everyone here. I'm not even feeling pompous saying this: I know baseball better than you do.
Y'all should get hired by MLB network because you're so awesome at what you do and your analysis of baseball is so on point. I know I'm not a baseball expert but some of y'all clearly think you are so who is the arrogant one? Heck give you a seat sitting right next to Big Papi and Pedro. You probably know more about baseball than them.
In his post WS interviews he talked a lot about how he’s matured since being a father. You could tell he was sincere.
This Stros forum has probably the best-educated, most insightful Astros fans I've seen anywhere on the internet. Some have near-direct inside sources in the Astros front office. Some track the farm system to a level that rivals Fangraphs or similar publications. Some are just Astros die-hards who have followed the team closely for decades. I don't know baseball better than Big Papi or Pedro.... but I might know more about the Astros organization than they do. I know for damn sure that tellitlikeitis and Snake Diggity know more about the Astros farm system than Big Papi. I know Nook probably has a better finger on the pulse of the Astros FO than Pedro. And you'll come to know that too if you stick around for a while and read as much as you post.
Montero was arguably the 2nd most important reliever, behind Presdly, on a World Series winning team. And the Astros are rewarding him and bringing him back. A reliever I feel comparable but inferior just got a deal that required slightly less AAV but 2 additional years. Relievers are very volatile but ability and "stuff" plays and this team is built on chemistry which can't be discounted. A good deal in my opinion ( pleasantly surprising in truth) as long as 1B and extending the lineup is still addressed
I came on this forum because I wanted to see some of the insight from other Astros fans that have been around for awhile. All this has taught me being in here that all y'all do is argue and bicker about who is the better so called "expert". Absolutely none of y'all would be picked up by any sports team to make decisions for them otherwise you wouldn't be arguing with me on a message board. The players and coaches care nothing about you're insight and opinions because none of y'all know anything about being a athlete and playing sports at the professional level. I know that I'm not a professional but I never claimed to be. I call yall out for being ridiculous and you get upset because it must be cutting close to the core. Bottom line is the Astros care nothing about what y'all think whatsoever. This forum has some of the worst fans I've ever heard about so glad I won't ever meet you all in real life because y'all are toxic af.
I've been a Astros fan my whole life and so have most of my family and friends. All I've been hearing is I don't know anything about baseball because I haven't been on a message board longer than some of y'all gtf outta here with that. Y'all make me not want to be a Astros fan because y'all are so full of yourselves. Fans like y'all are the reasons other people don't like Astros fans.
I've been a Astros fan my whole life and so have most of my family and friends. All I've been hearing is I don't know anything about baseball because I haven't been on a message board longer than some of y'all gtf outta here with that. Y'all make me not want to be a Astros fan because y'all are so full of yourselves. Fans like y'all are the reasons other people don't like Astros fans. I talk to my 100 year old neighbor all the time that is a big Astros fan they have been following the team since they existed they know more about the Astros than any of the people on this board do and they never call themselves an expert either. They have been alive longer than anyone currently on this message board I can guarantee that. They don't even know how to really use a computer.
Well I, for 1, wish you had gotten off to a better start. But from what I read you gave as much as you received. Someone else may have started this but you threw gasoline not water on the fire.
Most of the people who have disagreed with your takes have provided pretty legitimate data/analytics and/or insider info as counter points. No one is telling you you're wrong because you're lesser baseball fan. That is what is great about this forum. It's a passionate group of people who are not only die-hard fans but also are well-versed in the analytics. You will read people here citing spin rates, swing decisions, pitch-tunneling and Outs above Average. Whether or not you want to hear and/or learn about those things is entirely up to you. TBH, I find that die-hards from other fan bases appreciate and respect what the Astros have done on the analytics movement and enjoy talking about that stuff. I think the Yankees fans would love it if their team had a focus on defense and not striking out. The Phillies fans would love to have a bullpen of unique but equally devastating late innings options.
Listen, this a forum on the internet for crying out loud. People argue and bicker because that's what fans do. No need to take it personal. Crazy to think that comments on here could make you decide not to be a fan of the Astros. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Astros fans and a handful of them on a internet forum can get you this worked up and that these handful of fans represent ALL Stros fans and from your perspective why people hate Astros fans?? By the way, my agent is negotiating with the MLB network on joining the MLB Now show. Hopefully they'll meet my 4 yr/8 mil demands.
It was primarily Carlos Correa. Some close to the situation questioned the motivation and timing. Verlander has rubbed some people the wrong way in the past because he is very much about his preparation and how to go about things. He also is a generation older than a lot of the Astros. This is nothing new. There were similar complaints about Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Billy Wagner, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and just about every older and prominent pitcher. Mariano Rivera was very detached from the younger players and only got away with it because a lot of other veterans were the same way. Varlander is respected in the dugout and by coaches, the front office, ownership and a lot of the players. Jose Altuve has talked about how hard a worker and positive an influence he is.
