We're screwed next year with Abreu, Montero and McCullers deals still on the books for 1 more season with nothing to show for it (Junior will never pitch again, he's actually got 2 more years to go on the contract, yikes). That's 49 million dollars without a single AB or IP. Egad. Add on Pressly who just vested into a $15 million payday next season.
But they did go all-in to correct one glaring need that has a little more importance for pennant or post-season baseball (starting pitching).... and apparently that was a bad decision because of how much they gave up (when in reality, no "all-in" decision involves just these guys... but they'd likely have to give up one of the 'untouchable' minor league guys that are even more coveted than Bloss/Loperfido/Wagner). The Rays wanted Hunter Brown for Paredes (and apparently Diaz). The Rays had no intention of making the Astros 'better' over the next few years and they're not losing many trades ever. I know other potential hitters were mentioned (Winker, Canha) and we don't know if there was even a phone call made regarding them... but its all in hindsight now only seeing where they went and what was traded for them. In real time, nobody knows what parameters were being discussed or what players those teams would be willing to take from the Astros.
It kinda feels that way. No way to be certain without being in the locker room, but from the outside looking in it kinda feels like they've taken a step back. I mean, let's face it, this roster isn't good enough to win it all unless everyone gets hot at the exact same time. It is what it is. They needed more help at the deadline than what they got. Might as well not worry about any of the rest and just see how it plays out the rest of the way.
That may just be a standing reply for his posts at this point... Tampa knows they're not winning the AL East... but they also aren't in some rebuild mode. They took advantage of a sellers market while not parting with core pieces unless their asking prices were fully met. If the Astros weren't in such a crappy division up for grabs, they'd have consider making similar "we can sell stuff, but not at any sort of discount whatsoever" and re-tool for next year. In fact I expect more 'smart' teams to use trade deadlines more for that... as parity continues to waft over MLB en masse (no real super teams, mostly buyers at trade deadlines).
That's the current state of the Astros. Relying on other teams sucking instead of taking care of business.
Offense sucks ass without Tucker and Abreu losing all his talent. Relying on guys like Singleton, Meyers, Chas, etc is foolish.
Astros first 1-0 loss in 2 years (August 7th 2022). Stros won the championship that season. Stay tuned....
They aren’t necessarily screwed next year. 1st base and DH/LF are two of the easiest positions to fill. As for CF, Meyers is fine if they fill their other holes. As for Bregman, right now he has an OPS+ of 103, so he isn’t setting the world on fire. They can move Pressly if they decide to go that route. They have most their pen back. They add Garcia to the mix and if Verlander doesn’t retire he likely is an Astro. Next year they can be very good if they are smart about adding to their team. Its 2026 where it gets harder.
Astros too I still think we win the division and will be the most feared playoff team. We should get healthier via Tucker and JV (and possibly Garcia). Yordan will likely hit more than one HR in the next 30 days. Astros are still in the midst of its Dynasty Era. The past few weeks have been a slight bump in the road -- a 7-8 (past 15 games) record is not a travesty, and the offense won't continue averaging 3 runs/game. .
Carlos Santana and Justin Verlander on 1 year deals can get this roster to a very competitive point with no glaring holes. And if they are planning on Brown working a miracle to open another window via farm development that could bridge the gap. 2B Altuve RF Tucker DH Alvarez C Diaz 1B Santana 3B Dezenzo LF McCormick SS Pena CF Meyers Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Cabbage, Leon Rotation: Framber, Verlander, Brown, Blanco, Garcia, Garcia Bullpen: Hader, Pressly, Abreu, McCullers, Scott, Dubin, Whitley That’s probably a 85-90 win team but has upside for more. Houston needs to avoid any free agent asking for more than 2 years.
I am not saying Pena isn't the best option from the current roster. Dana Brown failed this team. But regardless of who is in the box there, you do not swing until the pitcher throws at least 1 strike. Baseball 101.
i don't even know if bringing tucker back will help. at the end of the day, altuve, bregman, and yordan still need to perform and contribute. bottom of the lineup just need to be avg when the top of the lineup is performing.
They also need to bring Dezenzo and Whitcomb up. Maybe they get lucky and catch lightning in a bottle.
