[FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH] We're Trying to Get a Bat

You're a hypocrite Rocketman95. You don't like people badmouthing Purpura, but you just called him a horse? WTF is up with that?

 

No, I'm saying we really don't have enough information to judge him at this point. Hunsicker never traded for untradables. The big names he acquired - Randy Johnson, Carlos Beltran, etc - were all guys that were going to be traded to someone. They were in the last years of their contracts and had tons of value, and their teams talked to any number of trading partners because they were set on moving them. Hunsicker's strength was getting those players traded to us rather than someone else.

This year, there's no one like that. No major players have moved ANYWHERE. That's most like 2003, where there was nothing good to be had. It would be different if some other team traded for Helton or Dunn or Huff or whatnot - but since no one has, and lots of teams are desperate for a bat, that tells me it's probably not a Purpura-specific thing, and I'm not going to say he's a crappy GM based on knowing very little about the situation. There's nothing to suggest Hunsicker would have been any different at this point.

As far as the pre-season goes, I don't think there was much available there either. Purpura was locked up waiting for Beltran - that was an owner decision - and by the time that mess ended, there wasn't anyone worth acquiring anyway. I don't see how you can blame that on Purpura - Hunsicker would have been in the same boat there as well.

I don't want a player like Lawton or Winn or Bigbie, so I'm not going to complaint about him not going after those guys either. For me, there's just not enough data anywhere at this point to say whether Purpura is a good or bad GM.

Well, the teams you were more comfortable with more often than not lost in the first round anyway, so what's the difference?

 

The point is not that stats for guys that could've been traded for are marginally better than guys currently on the team (even though those guys don't play half their games in MMP - look at Biggio's splits, for crying out loud) - the point is that no attempt has been made to improve the team. Bottom line is that you don't know if you can count on Clemens to come back at all next year, let alone pitch like he has this year. His presence alone improves the team's performance, even when he's not on the mound; and he may not be back. Imagine this team without Clemens - it's probably not pretty. Would you rather do SOMETHING in an effort to take advantage of this last chance, and have it not work out, or do NOTHING, with the same result?

 

How do you know no attempt has been made? Adding Lawton or Bigbie or whatnot is simply not an improvement. The real improvements - Griffey, Dunn, Huff, etc - have not been moved. We may have made attempts to get those guys.

Don't tell me about how this is a unique year and who knows if we'll be good next year, blah blah blah. The Astros have remained extraordinarily competitive for the last decade by not making the stupid moves that people here are advocating. Will Clemens pitch next year? Maybe, maybe not. If he doesn't, we'll have $18M to play with to get additional talent. Based on the history of this franchise, we'll be right there in the mix next year and the year after that. Things looked bleak at the beginning of this year after losing Beltran and Kent and we are basically in the exact same position now as then.

 

I dont doubt we are trying (have tried) to get a bat.....but this is where (and I hate to say it again) we are gonna miss Hun.

 

There's a difference between being 'competitive' and winning a championship. How many playoff series did they win before Clemens? It's going to take a lot more than 18 million dollars to replace what he brings.

 

Amen !!

Not to mention the teaching he does to players like Backe and Oswalt.

DD

 

pitching wasn't our problem in the playoffs, before. i'm not sure roger clemens would have made a difference, frankly.

 

The 1998 and maybe 1999 teams were far better than either last year or this year's teams. The 1998 team had Randy Johnson pitching as well as Roger is this year, won 100+ games (with only 2 months of Randy Johnson) and had one of the best pitching staffs and offenses in the league.

This team has been extremely competitive before Roger and will be after Roger, so long as we don't make dumb decisions to trade prospects for mediocre talent.