Max, I'd love to spend pages educating you on how dollars spent by tourists on hotels and rental cars have second and third order effects on their subsequent spending in the city, but frankly something tells me you won't understand it. So I won't waste the precious muscles in my fingers and wrists, or the one in your head. What was your implication when you laid out the Astros record with Clemens on the mound? Was it to praise Clemens or to denigrate his contribution to the team? Surely it wasn't to praise him if the record was beneath .500. So by implication it was to talk down his contribution to the team. So there you have it. You are so blind of a follower of Drayton/Purpura that you go so far to defend their rejection of Clemens' arbitration by saying that he wasn't a positive contributor to last season's team. Absurd.
1. TJ those second and third order effects are great. I'm sure that would be stimulating reading. 2. My point about Clemens was only that they did not win most of the games he pitched, anyway. period. that's it. that doesn't denigrate roger at all. he's among the best pitchers to have ever played the game. 3. My blind faith...whatever. You're a naysayer, TJ. That's it. Bottom line. You naysay before there's even anything substantive to naysay about. 4. And I still didn't catch your answer about how far up in baseball you played. You told me a couple of weeks ago that you played to a high level, so you had some credibility when you posted. I'm just curious. I mean, if you're gonna bring it up you can at least answer the question.
Everyone here wants improvements. I would trade *a lot* for Manny, Tejada or Abreu. I'd also be thrilled with a trade for someone like Aubrey Huff. These guys have the potential to be difference makers. But guys like these haven't moved yet. The players that have moved, for the most, either aren't priorities for this team or couldn't fit. (for example, Delgado or Wagner. Beckett would be great, but not with Lowell, etc). Improving this team is just not that simple if you look at the roster. 1B: You have to leave this open for Bagwell 2B: Biggio is set here 3B: Ensberg is set here SS: Everett or Burke - good place to improve C: Ausmus is set here CF: Willy T is set here RF: Lane could be upgraded, but a lot of the names out there are no better (Rondell White, etc) LF: Berkman is set here, if Bagwell plays So at best, we have the SS position and maybe one outfield spot. But if you're going to get someone, he needs to be better than Jason Lane. The SS's out there are ridiculously expensive - Furcal was $10MM. That simply isn't worth it on a team with a limited budget. So all these middle of the road guys do nothing for this team, as the spots are limited. If we can get a superstar, that's one thing. If not, getting Nomar to play RF is not a whole lot different than Lane - except Lane is a lot cheaper and healthier. On the pitching side, SP is just not a major spending priority. With Oswalt/Pettitte as the top 2, and Backe as a #3 or #4, and potentially Clemens in the mix, it's hard to justify spending a lot of money on a #5 pitcher that wouldn't even pitch in the playoffs. With Clemens out of the mix, that certainly opens things up and reports say we went after Burnett and are looking at possible trades. On the bullpen, we're all set at the top 3 spots for now, unless we trade someone. Bullpen pitchers are always the last to sign. If the team is trying to make a trade for a big name like Manny or Abreu, then you can't go and get a Rondell White or something like that for $5+MM, because if you pull off the trade, you have a big salary problem. You have to wait and try for the superstar. Maybe we end up with no one and that would suck. But that's why you don't judge in mid-December.
I don't know why Willy T is considered a lock by you in CF, Major. As a leadoff hitter, he doesn't draw walks or get on base frequently enough, and strikes out far too often. As a center fielder he's erratic, making some brilliant plays and some very questionable ones. He's often not very instinctive out in CF and makes bad decisions. So even given Ausmus is a lock at C with the new contract, that leaves us with 2 outfield spots where we could certainly upgrade, and a 3rd OF/1B spot needs addressing unless you really believe Bagwell is going to be healthy this year. A guy like Rondell White would definitely get alot of ABs for the 2006 Astros, although of course I'd like to get one of the names you've mentioned.
Sam, I can't see them giving up on the ROY runner-up this early. He's shown in the minors that he can get on base and he'll improve in the OF. If he's not a lock, he's very close.
My point was that if you believe, like I do, that Berkman will be mostly a 1B this season, an OF consisting of Tavares, Lane, and Palmeiro could use upgrading. I wouldn't give up on Willy, but I also wouldn't count on him to improve greatly in year 2. For every Albert Pujols there's a Todd Hollandsworth. I don't think many would disagree that we could use an upgrade in outfield talent, more than anything else, this offseason.
1B: This is where I want Berkman 2B: Position is set with Biggio and Burke as a backup. 3B: Ensberg is set here SS: Everett - good place to improve C: Ausmus...The Astros really should try to bring in someone to backup Ausmus and then replace him in a year. CF: Willy T is set here. I could see Willy getting a pushed out in some odd situations, but most likely is the starter. RF: Lane could be upgraded, but a lot of the names out there are no better (Rondell White, etc) LF: Need a LF.
I don't think anyone really as disagreed with that. Taveras isn't who they'll be looking to replace, though.
You guys jsut had me labelled as one of those naysayers. I'm definitely not one of those overly negative people on this board. I'm just saying that my patience for Purpura is very very close to running out. Im an astros fan like you. I definitely dont want to make a move for the sake of making a move but alot of deals that have been made were for players that we could have used. I know the offseason isnt over so Purpura still has an opportunity to redeem himself, but as the offseason wears on, the best players move on. and if we're stuck as we are now once the season starts I would be very upset.
I'm not ready to trash Purpura, but he must surely know that the Astros pitching is likely to be worse in 2006 than last year. Even if Clemens had returned, he was not likely to duplicate his 2005, or perhaps even his 2004. Pettitte's 2005 was much better than his career stats, so he is likely to regress. Oswalt has yet to have a bad season which might mean he is due for a letdown. Backe, Rodriquez, and Astacio are not likely to inprove dramatically. Relievers are often inconsistent from one year to the next, and it's likely that either Wheeler or Qualls will not be as effective next year. Without improving the offense, a decline in the pitching staff's performance would be brutal to the Astros chances in 2006.
Cubs signed outfielder Jacque Jones, who had been with the Twins, to a three-year, $16 million contract. Another bat off the market.
Jones will hit 20 or 25 HR's but in years in which he has had more than 500 AB's he has struck out 111, 129, 105, 117, and 120 times. The last two years he has hit .249 and .254 respectively, has a career on base % of .327 and slugging % of .455, and has averaged 72 RBI's a year as a middle of the order batter in the 6 full seasons he has spent in the majors. He's a bat, but he's not much of one. Even if you split out his numbers against lefties (who lefthanded hitters traditionally have exceptional difficulties with) and only look at the numbers against right handed pitching, his numbers are plain (AVG - .268, SLG - .466, OBP - .348). I understand he's a pretty good defensive player, but offensively he seems to be much a negative as a positive once you get beyond the HR numbers and the fact that he hits from the left.
Actually...that was Drayton's decision. He wanted Carlos and thought we could get him. Drayton insisted on driving the bus on that one. Purpura's hands were tied. Very much the same reason Hun left.
