The problem is that I don't see either player wanting to platoon. If we sign Huff and keep Ensberg, then Huff is most likely going to the OF. However, that also blocks Luke Scott (if Carlos Lee does sign) and we won't know if his offensive surge was a fluke or not.
Huff would be very nice to have as the lefty power bat. If you manage to resign both he and Lee, you can play around with lineups a lot more. Versus righties... CF Taveras/Burke 2B Biggio/Burke 1B Berkman LF Lee 3B Huff/Lamb RF Scott/Huff C Ausmus SS Everett I'll take my chances with Berkman-Lee-Huff-Scott in the heart of the lineup. Versus lefties CF Taveras/Burke 2B Biggio/Burke 1B Berkman LF Lee RF Huff (or Burke, or Hunter Pence if you're one of those) 3B Ensberg C Ausmus SS Everett Of course, if Matthews and Pierre are 9-10 million dollar players, so is Huff...but he's not getting as much run, it seems like. Getting a left handed .280-30-95 type guy for 7 mill or so would be a very nice, somewhat under the radar move. Man, as hesitant as I am about Lee, seeing him sandwiched between a stud like Lance and a professional hitter like Huff could be pretty potent. On another note, I feel pretty comfortable with our bullpen going into the year. Qualls, Lidge, Wheeler, and Nieve is a solid end game. Trever Miller is very solid as a lefty, and that leaves only 2 more spots - maybe one for Springer or a similar vet, and then one for a garbage man/long relief guy (maybe Sampson or Albers). The worry is the rotation - signing Woody would help; I feel Hirsch will have one of the backend spots. I don't want it to be Roy and Woody and 3 really inexperienced guys. If we could convince Roger and Andy to come back...Roy-Clemens-Pettitte-Woody-Hirsch would be pretty amazing. Like others, I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on Mark Mulder for an incentive laden deal. If Pettitte leaves, we need a lefty in our rotation - maybe a Randy Wolf or Ted Lilly.
we've been so spoiled by our pitching recently it's unbelievable. other than the occasional wandy start i felt pretty comfortable going into any given game that our starter would hold his end up. that's a feeling that many mlb fans can't/don't get from their teams. i'm not looking forward to seeing andy and roger go unless we have some pretty good back up plans. woody is a nice start but he's not a replacement.
I don't care what the Cards did last season..unless they upgrade they are in trouble. They got hot at the right time...but were very spotty all season long. My point is the Astros lost the division by a game and image what a Carlos Lee would have done in the order. A Woody Williams with 15 wins. If the Astros sign Pettitte...they are my hands down pick to win the division this season!
Agreed on everything except batting Biggio 2nd. I'd rather see Scott/Ensberg in the 2 hole in front of Berkman.
Stros now after Suppan as well? Link: http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=2&c=594311 (membership required) Here is what the article says: Jeff Suppan (Type A free agent) Word is the San Francisco Giants want him, I guess to be a bookend with Matt Morris, who they plucked last season under comparable circumstances. The Astros have been aggressive in this off-season so far and the signing of Woody Williams demonstrates they are not waiting to see how long Roger Clemens and his buddy Andy Pettitte can wait to make up their minds about 2007. My sources tell me that Houston is among the other organizations that have discussed a deal with Suppan’s representatives. At this point, his return to St. Louis seems unlikely
Anyone saw today's chronicle article by Lopez?(sorry cant find the link) Wheeler/Taveras/Ensberg will be trade commodity? Huff wont be back? Lamb will be everyday 3B? Lane will play CF?
All makes sense....Willie and Mo would make a nice cheap package for someone like Florida perhaps....Huff is going to cost too much based on what guys like Pierre and Matthews are getting...Lamb isnt the best defender but he can hit....the Lane thing scares the hell outta me
But Wheeler? Come on. He is the most trusted reliever we have. Lee/Lane/Scott probably will be worst defensive OF lineup.
If Wheeler, WIllie and Mo got me Dontrelle and maybe another couple throw ins....i think its a deal u have to make. I think Lidge and Qualls (and even Miler) would be just fine I think if we dealt Willie, that would mean that Burke would HAVE to play CF...and the fact that we are going to have to negotiate with Boras in a year to sign Willie, it wouldnt shock me at all to see him go
I dunno guys, I'm skeptical about Dontrelle. Aren't the Marlins buliding around him and Cabrera? Kind of like Oswalt and Berkman for us?
I find it hard to believe that, under this current ownership, that the Marlins are building anything. I think Dontrele will be available due to the raise he will eventually get (that being said, i guess he may be too pricy for us as well when the time comes)....and Cabrera will command a 100 million plus contract when its his turn as well. Obviously they could care less about the empty seats or so it seems.
For at least the next year or so, this is the case. Neither are FAs until after '09. They are working hard to get a new stadium approved in Miami, and trading the 2 faces of the franchise would be terrible PR. Plus, given their ownership's publicaly forcasted $25-30M payroll (almost totally covered by revenue sharing $$$ from MLB), both are within the budget for the next season or 2. Nobody else on the Marlins makes much more than the league minimum, so there's really no financial crunch that would necessitate a trade at the moment. "At last week's General Managers Meetings in Naples, Fla., I had two sources confirm both of the Marlins' young stars are not available for trades. Additionally, other media reports had sources reaffirming that the D-Train will not be on the move." - Joe Frisaro, marlins.com beat writer Don't expect either to be traded before next offseason, if even then. You can read all about it on the Marlins' website & the Miami Sun-Sentinel.
I hope they stay with the Marlins, so when the Marlins move up here to Portland in 09 they'll still be with the club.
Blyech!! Seriously though, what have you heard (what have I missed) that points to this as a possibility?
well this is offseason news of some other kind, but ive always been waiting for this : http://www.txdot.gov/services/vehic...sports_teams/specialplate.htm?nbr=161&type=ST
Actually, nothing lately. It's more likely Oakland will move up here. The guys trying to get a team here are sure that 2 or 3 teams will move in the next 5 years, and are trying to get a stadium built so we can get one of them. The As, Drays, and Marlins are always mentioned as teams who might move.
