I disagree. You're assuming worst case scenario and not most likely. Yes, Lourdes is limited... didn't seem to bother yordan. If lourdes DHs and Yordan is primary LF doesn't that reduce the importance of your point?
He's a buy low guy on a prove it deal. That's the Astros budget. If he was a free agent a year ago he is probably getting 5 years and 65 million...
Perfect world we get a guy like Evan Gattis for backup catcher and 1B who can routinely rest Abreu and Diaz. Ideally a better defender... hard to find though...
Cease is interesting. But Anderson isn't very good. His best year was the COVID year, and he's declined every year since. Last year, he was *significantly* worse than Jeremy Pena - like, by a lot. Unless a truly viable alternative emerges - they'd be silly to move on form Pena, who is an elite glove and has had sustained runs of power and discipline - just never at the same time. I'd rather bet on him putting it together. Here’s the problem… Tim Anderson is garbage and would - in every measurable way: talent, age, cost - be a significant downgrade from Jeremy Peña. Last year, he essentially hit all season like Pena did in the postseason. Like, that would be a full-blown disaster.
Just throwing at the wall... Cardinals lack closer... To Cardinals: Ryan Pressly Hunter Brown To Astros: Paul Goldschmidt Zack Thompson Lefty for pen, rotate Goldschmidt and Abreu at 1B/DH. Abreu at closer. Cash to level out the money difference. Big price with Brown, but he's not in our rotation next year as far as I can tell unless injuries. Goldschmidt is still a middle of the order level guy... buys maybe 1 or 2 more rings if extended...
Again, you're looking at Tim Anderson of 2023. You can't afford Tim Anderson of 2022. It's called a calculated risk. I'm well aware of the defensive downgrade which is why I keep Pena. You get up a few runs and he bats in the 6th, pull him out for Pena after he hits. If I was getting 2022 Pena this wouldn't be an issue. That too is a calculated risk. Why not have both and hedge?
Would rather just go with Pena than hope Tim Anderson gets healthy. Plus is we are going to platoon then we need to get someone who can hit righties and neither Pena or Anderson hit righties well.
I think you’re VASTLY overrating Tim Anderson, whose peak season was a shortened COVID season. Why would you invest in him finding something & not Peña’s upside, which costs you absolutely nothing? Resources are not unlimited. Wasting a single one on Tim Anderson is a fireable offense.
The thing that really ticks me off is that his motivation is to be famous. Not win, not be a good player, to be famous. This came from a GQ article 6/26/23 by Matthew Roberson. Feel free to read the article. To paraphrase, he says today's black people don't play baseball because baseball players aren't famous like LeBron James. He says he wants to do things that stand out so he is famous. He wants "to be iconic". He wants people to wear his jersey. It is mentioned that he fathered a child with a woman who isn't his wife and he wants the world to know it and to talk about it because it will help him get famous. He started a fight with Jose Ramirez this summer on the field and got is ass kicked. So the fact that he has never been a good fielder and this year was terrible with the bat also comes into play.
What it does is just add another bat that is better against LHP and limited to 1 position. Nothing wrong with that. It just adds to the roster without filling a hole that will still need to be filled, despite the team right up against the CBT and not likely to add payroll.
I wish we could get Hae-Seong Kim from the Padres. He's a better fielder, hitter, and base-runner than Pena and would be an ideal lead-off guy.
Ya'll give Marshall hell when he brings up this kind of stuff. I'm sure plenty like Cruz and Paxton like myself.
