These proclamations always make me laugh, like we can just go out and pick up players at the local market, it takes 2 to tango and maybe just maybe Click wanted to evaluate minor league talent before he was trading willy nilly. We also had the talent to win the WS against the Nats and we saw how that worked was it Lunhows fault?
Why would I go back to this time in 2017? We know what happened. I made a reference to what happened (not what you perceived prior to the season would happen) and it lead to Fiers (who was a horrible pitcher that the Astros got lucky with a good stretch), Peacock (he was a good), Dayan Diaz, other rookies starting games despite all the talk about other pitchers. If the owners are able to give something to the players to allow an expanded playoffs, the Astros have sufficient batting to carry the Astros for a while if the 2021 versions of Dayan Diaz have to pitch. As objectively measureable as I can make my position....At the end of the 2021 season, I expect the Astros would make an expanded playoffs (even if there isn't one) with injuries comparable to the 2017 season (and even a little more) over a 154- or 162 game season and to produce more fWAR from rookie pitchers (i.e. a proxy for depth) than the 2017 rookie pitchers. You can disagree all you want, but by the end of the season we will have a solid metric to measure if you or I are right regarding depth (my comments were not about Keuchel, Morton, LMJ, Musgrove which is why I keep coming back to the rookies). I'll give you Fiers's fWAR if you want him to count as depth. The only concern I have for my position not being reached is if the Astros better rookie pitchers get hurt and the worse ones end up pitching more. I prefer a longer season as a team like the A's can have a hot 60-game season when they only needed 3 replacement starts (not counting adding Minor). I just cannot see the Astros finishing third in the AL West without the A's and Angels having near perfect health which won't happen in a long season.
There are players out there that can be had in trade to fill positions of need. Not nearly as many as when the offseason started but they're out there. He's had time to evaluate. Firing a great evaluator like Goldstein says alot. IMHO Some people want to hold onto prospects like they're gold. I look at prospects as tools to improve the MLB roster. Very few pan out and you hold onto them. Luhnow saw Tucker as a keeper and Click sees Whitley as a keeper. Most of the rest are tradeable commodities. I only see 7 guys in th system that I would have to think really hard about trading but if I thought they would help me win a WS I would do it in a heartbeat. Whitley, Leon and Santos would be the only untouchables. It's the GM's job to put enough talent together to win a championship. In 2019 Luhnow did that, Hinch just screwed the pooch. So no it wasn't Luhnow's fault.
Are you the guy that thinks a guy should never be waived because that means the GM is bad at his job? If so that also says a lot. have you ever heard of confirmation bias? I only see 7 guys? Da ****?
I am biased, but yes I believe firing Goldstein was a mistake. He did not bat 1.000 but he was right far more often than he was wrong. He is also not someone set in his ways, as he is always open to better ways and new ways to do his job. We will see with Click, I am not at all impressed so far. Perhaps he proves to be exceptional in the draft/international market and his handling of free agency/trade is less of an issue. He was the biggest supporter of getting Franco on the international market and that will likely work out well. I will just say I am lest impressed than when they brought him aboard.
If he's the guy who came up with using cameras to steal signs, his firing seems like something long overdue. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...d-as-astros-exec-who-suggested-use-of-cameras
Etf are you even talking about? How did you get that out of my post? Truth is whether you want to admit it or not, Luhnow was the top GM in MLB not only because of his ruthlessness but because of the staff he had in place. So far Click has done next to nothing except let go alot of the staff Luhnow had in place. This doesn't even take into account he's done next to nothing to improve the on the field product.
I could be wrong maybe that was somebody else. I think Luhnow was the top GM as well but it does not mean I have to **** on Click, I remember when the same was said about Luhnow not doing anything so I will also wait and see how things play out.
These are 2 totally different situations. One was rebuilding, the other is a championship level team that just needs a couple of tweeks.
I will say...we’re not that far removed from not being able to land any big market FAs. Hell, Reddick at ~50m in 2016 was the biggest signing in the past decade for this organization. With the scandal’s outfall going to be in full force when fans are allowed back, it’s entirely possible (if not incredibly likely) that players are back to not wanting to come to HOU, or at the very least would require more $$$ to play here. No one knows what Avila would have signed for fo play here.
I'm not impressed at all with Click. I know it's early but this guy has spent some questionable money so far on a guy like Baez. They weren't going to sign Springer and I'm okay with that. But not to have a plan in place for a replacement is unacceptable. Straw isn't that dude. I hope I'm wrong and will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong. There's a lot of possible upside with our pitching staff but still a lot of question marks. That's why I think not addressing the CF position is such a mistake. This could possibly be the last chance to win a championship on the current window we are in.
He didn't deserve to lose his job. He was not saying to use cameras to steal signs from the catcher but from the coaches. That routinely happens and has happened in baseball for a long time. Then again teams were relaying signs to hitters forever as well. It just became a big deal when Fiers came forward and the media decided it was a big deal. The Brewers and Dodgers were big culprits as well..... everyone already knows about the Red Sox.
I would have liked Archer in Houston for $6.5M. Should be some good pitchers for cheap judging by that deal. Porcello, Walker, Shoemaker, and Hill should be interesting for the Astros, assuming Odorizzi and Paxton are out of their price range. FA Deals I'd like to see for Houston: Puig, Pillar, Marisnick, Villar, or Gardner for <$4M/1yr Bradley for <$15M/2yr Paxton or Odorizzi for <$30M/2yr Porcello or Walker for <$8M/1yr Shoemaker, Hamels, Arrieta, Gonzalez, Bailey, Samardzija, or Hill for <$5M/1yr Colome, Melancon, or Montgomery for <$6M/1yr NRI for Anderson, McHugh, Cahill, Sanchez, Cashner, Zimmerman, Teheran, Soria, Robertson, McGee, Wilson, Greene, Jeffress, Workman, Jones, Boxberger, Shaw, Duvall, Lamb, Mazara, Almora, Holt, Dietrich, Santana, Jay
All I am saying is the 10th best shortstop isn't worth 200 million dollars like some fans want to give Correa. There are a lot of free agent shortstops this off season from Story to Seager to Lindor to Baez to Semien to Simmons. Next year we are going to lose Verlander and Greinke and McCullers ..... some of the free agent pitchers are Syndeergard and Lynn. Scherzer and Kershaw are free agents as well but I think those two are out of the Astros price range. The point being there isn't much is the way of starting pitching on the market and the Astros may have to over pay to keep their guys or they may want to try and add a pitcher during this season.
