[Official] Astros Offseason

There's nothing unfair about it. Veterans play ahead of and are given positional preference over other players all the time. It's the nature of sports and having depth. No money is being taken out of his pocket given that the Astros already have a club option for Paredes next year so his salary is set. His free agent contract in 2028 is largely going to be based on his performance in 2027 than about what position he played in 2026.

Beyond that, the Astros job is to do what's best for the Astros, not to maximize Paredes' future salary as a free agent.

 

Zach Cole has done Zach Cole things this Spring.

He has had 40 at bats this Spring and has 20 K's (yes 20).

He has hit 200 this Spring.

However --- he also has 8 walks in 40 at bats, he leads the team with 2 homers.... he has mixed in 5 stolen bases.... and a few highlight plays in the field, including 2 outfield assists.

Overall he has a 740 OPS...... add in the stolen bases and defense.... and he would be at like 5 WAR/162.

Such an odd player.

Brice Matthews has had a similar spring - but even better.

More steals, more walks - less K's and flashing a QUICK bat

 

You spelled sucks wrong

 

Ehh I can live with a CF that has a 740 OPS, steals 60-70 bases, hits 30 homers, walks nearly 100 times, plays strong defense - even if he strikes out 250 times..... I will just hit him at the bottom of the order (8 or 9).

The problem is that I don't know that is what his production over 150 games would be ........ because he is such a bizarre player.

 

I agree. But I don’t see them exposing Allen to waivers. The truth is as things stand they really don’t need a 13th guy. For me I would keep Salazar as a 3rd catcher just to get him exposed more to the staff and to have him help with gameplanning. He is great in the clubhouse and doesn't really need to play consistently. With as versatile as Matthews is and the baserunning he provides, a pinch runner doesn’t make sense. Basically either a 3rd catcher or 2 way player would make the most sense.

 

What makes it more difficult to predict is that he’s done the exact same thing at every level including his short stint last season in the majors.

If he can just make contact more often.

There is also the weird about his game is that he never hits into a double play. There are almost no soft grounders in his game.

 

Honestly - even if he did keep the same strikeout rate, he would be playable if he kept his other numbers as well -- it is just that it has never happened before.

250K is a lot of strikeouts - a lot of wasted at bats.... but 30+ homers, 50+ stolen bases, 100 walks and excellent defense all are very valuable.

 

Since 2015, only 5 players who primarily played CF hit 30+ HR and stole 30+ bases in a season (Acuna, Julio Rodriguez twice, PCA, and Cedric Mullins). They were all worth at least 5 fwar. So yeah, if Cole puts up a 30/30 season he will be a superstar even if his batting average is .190.

 

Yeah, it's the never happened before thing that's bothering me. Big league hitters make fewer mistakes than the ones he's used to, and his pitch recognition seems to be poor. There may be a reason that's never happened in the century+ that baseball has been around... I am fully invested in finding out, though.

 

Walker and Diaz were sub .300 OB% last year. That’s why I would bat them 8th and 9th this year until that was properly turned around. Diaz was .284. That’s absolutely disgusting.

 

Before we get down in the dumps about some of these guys, is there any chance the underperformers in ST have undiagnosed nearsightedness? Some cool eyeglasses could be a quick fix that we are ignoring.

 

actually his pitch recognition is above average. He seldom chases or swings at balls outside of the zone which is why he walks at a pretty decent clip. He just whiffs at balls in the zone a lot. His only issue is he has a hard time putting the bat on the ball even when it’s in the strike zone.

 

Maybe they just need the Yuli solution.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...der-How-Carlos-Beltran-helped-to-14068517.php

"Carlos helped me a lot," Gurriel said Tuesday night through an interpreter. "He told me to look at the ball with two eyes and not with one eye. Just making that adjustment has helped me out."

...

Since departing the Bronx, Gurriel is 10-for-25 with four home runs. He struck walkoff hits on consecutive days during the last homestand. His OPS, at .655 on June 9, now sits at .756.

On Tuesday, he fell three total bases shy of matching a franchise record. He settled for 10 bags, knocking two home runs and a run-scoring double. His four RBI paced the Astros' nine-run attack. The seventh-inning, two-run home run was the deciding blow.

Gurriel is hitting .414 (12-for-29) during the last seven games — spanning the final game against the Yankees and the six that followed. Five of his 10 home runs have arrived in that span.

 

How long would the Astros give Walker if he starts the year like he did last year, given that 1B is the team’s second best hitter’s best position?

 

Do you think anyone has suggested he just get a bigger bat?

 

I think he will get at least 200 pa of consistent playing time to start the season no matter how badly he hits. So he will be the everyday 1B until June 1 no matter what. If he shows he is toast he will get released after that.

 

Arrighetti and Whitcomb optioned.

 

Little surprised about Arrighetti. I suppose it's to make sure he gets a start before they decide to go to a 6-man rotation?

 

where the series thread?!

 

It makes sense, he missed time for paternity leave so he’s not quite fully ramped up, and this gets them an extra reliever for a few weeks. It also might buy them an extra year of control over Arrighetti.