The Astros want another pitcher in the rotation they believe they can count on. Why I could see them give Wheeler a 3-4 year deal at an amount that would surprise. Peacock will be back I would assume, but I think likely in the pen. As for McCullers there are no guarantees that he is a starter again... and we will have holes to fill in the bullpen. Luckily there are stop gap type pitchers we can sign to pick up some of the innings...... Guys like Michael Wacha, Alex Wood, Jeremy Hellickson, Gio Gonzalez and Hector Noesi are out there and at least some of them will be available at a very low number. Assuming Whitley bounces back we will likely see him set up as a starter at some point....
I would far rather target Mike Zunino once he is non tendered by the Rays. Zunino is one of the 2-3 best defensive catchers in baseball, calls a very strong game and has power. He was horrific this past year but in the past as had OPS ranges in the 600-780's. He would be a very good back up catcher.
I was thinking along the same lines. The Astros need a catcher that can hit and throw accurately to second, consistently, AND isn't a double play magnet.
Not sure wth is going to happen with the roster moving forward. I’m still processing everything. I’m just ready for 2020 baseball already.
It would be great to sign a top starter like Ryu, Wheeler, Odorizzi or Bumgarner. I would be ecstatic with any of those four, obviously. Keuchel is available, not sure if he is offered a QO from the Braves, but I doubt it. Alex Wood has a chance to bounce back from injury to his '17 form. I would like to see Josh James have a chance to possibly return to the rotation next year. We still have Armenteros and Valdez. But, the biggest addition to the staff next year via promotion within the system might be Cristian Javier. He has electric stuff and has excelled on every level. He could be a huge boost to the team next season. I would be surprised if we don't resign Chirinos for around 1 yr/$6 million. Is Garrett Stubbs capable of platooning? I don't know.
Neither guy really excites me. Castro struck out in 32% of his plate appearances last year. No thanks. Zunino struck out in 34% of his plate appearances and is a career .202 hitter.
What have y'all done to help get over this loss? Sports depression is real! I haven't felt like this since Game 7 in the WCF of 2018 for NBA. Tired of seeing any mention of baseball!
Nothing. Accept the fact that our bats didn’t show up when needed and Nats were a more clutch hitting team then ours. It’s baseball, anything can happen. You can accept that even though we were the better team on paper, the Nats were a better team this WS and postseason overall. Give credit where credit is due. Fortunately for me, I’m over it the moment the last out was recorded and ready for 2020. Winning 2017 definitely soften the blow. If we didn’t, I’ll probably still in bed since Wednesday. My only wish was to let Greinke finish the 7th.
I just ignored all sporting related news the last couple of days... no espn... web/television... don't read anything about it... life goes on.
No idea...... the way it was told to me lead me to believe the primary changes will be inside the actual scouting/minor league system and development.
Zunino would be likely a backup catcher. Elite defender, and a ton of raw power but unfortunately he has never really put it all together, outside of his great 2017 season (.251/.331/.509 and 25 HR). Wouldn't mind taking a flyer, he's younger than Chirinos so he can take some of the load. Perhaps he can revert back to those numbers. He was College PoY and the #3 pick in his draft, so the potential is there. I would love Wheeler and Wood to replace Cole and Miley. JV, LMJ, Wood, and a back-to-back Zack attack! I honestly think a catchline like that would be great for marketing, and a cool T-shirt Tuesday. Also, Blake Treinen is expected to be non-tendered. Had a down year but is only a year removed from an incredible 0.50-ish ERA and near-perfect in saves. Can Strom fix him? Love his stuff, hopefully he can stay healthy, he had an injury at some point this year.
They do gain plenty by having both Brantley and Alvazez bats in the lineup and you do this by letting Brantley DH a lot.
