After a few years of near-misses, the Astros returned to the top of the league in 2022 by claiming their second title in franchise history. They’ve won 100-plus games in four of the last five full seasons and will be one of the top handful of championship favorites next season. Expectations are high as ever in Houston, but months of tension in the front office culminated in a change atop baseball operations just days after their parade. The Astros are suddenly one of the league’s more unpredictable teams going into the offseason — but there’s no question any moves are going to be geared towards maximizing their chances of a repeat.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Yordan Alvarez, DH: $115MM through 2028
- Lance McCullers Jr., RHP: $68MM through 2026
- Alex Bregman, 3B: $57MM through 2024
- José Altuve, 2B: $52MM through 2024
- Rafael Montero, RHP: $34.5MM through 2025
- Ryan Pressly, RHP: $30MM through 2024 (including buyout on 2025 vesting option)
- Héctor Neris, RHP: $9.5MM through 2023 (including buyout on 2024 vesting club/player option)
- Martín Maldonado, C: $4.5MM through 2023
Other commitments: $2MM buyout on Pedro Báez option, $1MM buyout on Will Smith option, $250K buyout on Trey Mancini option
Total future commitments: $373.75MM
Total 2023 commitments: $121.25MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parenthesis, projections via Matt Swartz)
- Framber Valdez (3.163): $7.4MM
- Kyle Tucker (3.079): $5.6MM
- Cristian Javier (3.000): $3.3MM
- José Urquidy (3.049): $3.2MM
- Ryne Stanek (5.038): $3.1MM
- Phil Maton (5.047): $2.5MM
- Mauricio Dubón (2.162): $1.2MM
- Blake Taylor (3.000): $800K
Non-tendered: Josh James
Total arbitration projection: $27.1MM
Free Agents
- Justin Verlander, Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Díaz, Michael Brantley, Trey Mancini, Christian Vázquez, Will Smith, Jason Castro
For a remarkable sixth straight season, the Astros advanced to the AL Championship Series in 2022. The past four years had seen the season end on a disappointing note, with a defeat in either the ALCS or the World Series. That wasn’t to be this year, as the 106-win team swept the Yankees to secure the fifth pennant in franchise history. They finished the job with three straight wins after going down 2-1 against the Phillies, claiming the organization’s second World Series title.
With that kind of success, one would assume the good vibes would continue into the offseason. Towards the end of the year, however, reports emerged about tension behind the scenes — primarily between owner Jim Crane and general manager James Click. As Houston’s lead baseball executive saw his contract expire, the Astros entered the offseason with uncertainty about their long-term direction. Things came to a head when Crane offered Click a one-year contract extension — a proposal below the norm for an executive whose team had accomplished what the Astros have over the past three seasons. Click declined, and the Astros let him go thereafter.
For the first time in three-quarters of a century, the defending World Series winners parted with their baseball operations leader. Houston enters the offseason without a GM, and it doesn’t seem as if they’re in any rush to fill the vacancy. Crane told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com last week he doesn’t envision hiring a new GM until after the calendar flips to 2023. In the meantime, the atypical front office structure sees Crane intricately involved in baseball decision-making. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Crane personally oversaw the team’s first major offseason roster move — re-signing free agent reliever Rafael Montero on a three-year, $34.5MM deal that fairly easily surpassed expectations. Assistant GM’s Bill Firkus, Andrew Ball and Charles Cook are on hand to help shoulder day-to-day responsibilities.
There’s not a ton of clarity about how exactly things are playing out in the offices at Minute Maid Park, but it seems Crane is as or more involved in key decisions than any of his ownership peers. That’s not entirely new — he directly negotiated a contract with Justin Verlander last offseason and reportedly killed a deadline agreement to bring in Willson Contreras from the Cubs — but it makes Houston one of the more fascinating teams to watch.
Crane and his front office have plenty of decisions to make with a handful of key free agents. They’re already brought back Montero, but perhaps the biggest question is the same one they faced last winter: do they retain Verlander? They did so last year, but the circumstances are far different this time around. Last year, the future Hall of Famer was coming off nearly two full seasons lost to Tommy John surgery. They monitored his progress and guaranteed him $25MM on a bounceback, but they’d have to offer up quite a bit more to keep him in 2023 and beyond. Verlander responded to Houston’s gesture of faith with a Cy Young-winning campaign that saw him lead the majors with a 1.75 ERA through 175 innings.
Now, Verlander’s looking at multi-year offers that easily beat $25MM annually. Crane suggested to McTaggart that Verlander is seeking a pact rivaling or topping the three-year, $130MM deal secured by Max Scherzer last winter. Those comments could get the team in some hot water with the MLB Players Association — the CBA prohibits club personnel from airing a free agent’s asking price while speaking with the media — but it’s not an especially surprising revelation. Scherzer is the closest comparable for a recent aging, future Hall of Fame pitcher still working near the top of his game, although Scherzer was more than two years younger during his free agent trip than Verlander is now.
Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle has already reported the Astros are reluctant to go to three guaranteed years as a result. That raises the real possibility of the nine-time All-Star heading elsewhere after four-plus seasons in Houston. Needless to say, losing a pitcher of Verlander’s caliber would weaken the roster, although the Astros are as well-equipped as a team could be to withstand his potential departure.
The rotation still runs six deep among promising options under club control. Framber Valdez finished fifth in Cy Young balloting this past season and is capable of fronting a staff. Cristian Javier struck out a third of his opponents en route to a 2.54 ERA through 148 2/3 innings. He’s perhaps not yet a household name nationally, but his performance through his first three big league campaigns has bordered on elite. Lance McCullers Jr. is an upper mid-rotation caliber starter when healthy, and he’s only headed into the second season of a five-year extension.
That’s still a strong top three, while Houston has a handful of options at the back end. Luis Garcia has a 3.60 ERA across 312 2/3 innings the last two years. He hit a rough patch midseason but righted the ship during the final few weeks and has a strong multi-year track record. José Urquidy — who would’ve gone to the Cubs had the Contreras trade been approved — is the favorite for the #5 job. He doesn’t have eye-popping velocity or whiff rates, but he’s an excellent control artist who hasn’t posted an ERA above 4.00 in any of his four MLB seasons. Urquidy is the least exciting of the group, but he’s a rock-solid 4th/5th starter for a contender.
Dealing either of Garcia or Urquidy this offseason could be on the table. The front office showed a willingness to move from their rotation surplus to address other areas of the roster in the Urquidy – Contreras tentative agreement at the deadline. Crane killed the deal, but that was reportedly more a reflection of the team’s preference not to unseat Martín Maldonado behind the dish than it was a declaration Urquidy was unavailable. Urquidy still has three seasons of arbitration control remaining and is projected for a modest $3.2MM salary in 2023; Garcia, who’s yet to reach arbitration and controllable for four years, would have very strong trade appeal if Houston fielded offers.
Of course, the team would have less rotation depth heading into 2023 if Verlander did sign elsewhere. That could point towards an increased desire to stockpile in-house pitching, but Houston also could try to expand the role for their top prospect. Hunter Brown reached the big leagues the final month of this year. He started just two of his first seven outings, but it stands to reason the team would prefer to give him a long-term shot in the starting staff. Brown was dominant in his early big league look, allowing just two runs with a 22:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 20 1/3 innings.
No team can count on their same five starters all season, and perhaps the Astros are content to begin with Brown in the bullpen before stretching him out as a starter when injuries inevitably dictate turning to a depth option. Players like J.P. France and Brandon Bielak are on hand as additional depth, and Houston could turn to a lower-cost free agent swingman in the Trevor Williams or Chad Kuhl mold if they wind up dealing one of their starters.
Trading a starter would only be as a means of adding immediate help somewhere on the roster with more uncertainty. A few of those stand out, largely because of possible free agent defections. The Astros are going to have to bring in a first baseman via free agency or trade. Yuli Gurriel and Trey Mancini are each free agents and didn’t play all that well in 2022 regardless. Houston was linked to Anthony Rizzo before he re-signed with the Yankees, and they’re a viable fit for any of Josh Bell, José Abreu, Luke Voit or even a lower-cost Gurriel reunion. On the trade market, players like Rhys Hoskins or Rowdy Tellez could be available.
The rest of the infield is already in place, with José Altuve, Jeremy Peña and Alex Bregman locked in around the diamond. Altuve and Bregman still have multiple seasons remaining on contract extensions, while Peña has five seasons of club control following a fantastic rookie year. Aledmys Díaz is headed to free agency, but the respective presences of Mauricio Dubón and David Hensley should allow him to seamlessly replace him in a utility role. The outfield is a little less settled, with left field the primary area of concern with Michael Brantley heading to free agency.
Yordan Alvarez split his time between designated hitter and left field this past season. The superstar slugger will be in the lineup every day in some capacity, though where is to be determined by the club’s offseason moves. Click had told Rome shortly after the season ended the club considered Alvarez a possible everyday left fielder; it remains to be seen whether a Crane-led front office feels the same way. There are a handful of decent mid-tier corner outfielders who should be available in either free agency or trade. Mitch Haniger, Andrew Benintendi and Jurickson Profar are on the open market, while players like Jesse Winker, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. or Alex Verdugo could find themselves on the move via trade.
If the Astros are content with Alvarez playing left field, that’d open up the possibility for a more impactful offensive splash via the DH. Houston has again been linked to Contreras — now a free agent, albeit one who’d cost a signing team a draft choice after turning down a qualifying offer — at the start of this winter. Signing Contreras is likely to require the kind of four-plus year commitment the Astros have been reluctant to make under Crane, but he’d add to an already elite lineup and have the ability to rotate between DH and catcher.
Houston has inquired about possible impact center fielders in recent years, even as Chas McCormick has done well when given opportunities. The 27-year-old had a great postseason on both sides of the ball and should have the inside track on the center field job, but Houston could at least kick the tires on potential upgrades there as well. Bryan Reynolds has been a longtime trade target for a number of teams but still seems unlikely to leave Pittsburgh. The Diamondbacks have a few young center field-capable outfielders and could have interest in Houston’s rotation depth in a deal involving Alek Thomas or Jake McCarthy. Brandon Nimmo is the only free agent center fielder (aside from Aaron Judge) who’s clearly better than McCormick; Houston will probably check in but seems an unlikely fit for a nine-figure investment in center field. There’s no need for any changes in the final outfield spot, with Kyle Tucker controllable for three more seasons in right.
Maldonado is back at catcher for another season after vesting a $4.5MM option in his contract. He’s a non-factor offensively, but he’s beloved in the Houston clubhouse for his leadership skills. They’ll need a complement to him with Christian Vázquez and Jason Castro both hitting free agency, although well-regarded prospect Yainer Díaz has a bat-first skillset that makes for an interesting complement. The Astros will probably at least dip into the market for a veteran depth player, and their reported interest in Contreras hints at the potential for a bigger splash to split time at catcher and DH.
The only other area of even moderate concern is in the bullpen. Houston had a top three relief corps in 2022, and bringing back Montero to join Héctor Neris, Ryne Stanek and Bryan Abreu in bridging the gap to All-Star closer Ryan Pressly does a lot of the heavy lifting. Houston’s very thin from the left side, though, with Blake Taylor and Parker Mushinski representing their top options. Will Smith performed well after being acquired from the Braves in a deadline swap for Jake Odorizzi. The Astros bought out a $13MM option that always looked a bit hefty, but a reunion on a lower salary could be plausible. Andrew Chafin, Taylor Rogers, Matt Moore and Joely Rodríguez are among the other free agent options who could be of interest.
There are a few ways the offseason could go, and the Astros should have the financial ability to build upon their already great roster. The club’s current 2023 payroll estimate is a bit above $160MM, around $15MM shy of this year’s Opening Day mark and almost $27MM below the franchise-record level, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Their luxury tax figure is in the $179MM range, according to Roster Resource, $54MM shy of the $233MM base tax threshold. Houston’s farm system has thinned out — both because of years of picking towards the back of the first round and draft pick forfeiture as punishment for the 2017 sign-stealing scheme. That could lead to a preference for free agency over the trade market, but the interest in a qualified free agent like Contreras suggests they’re not opposed to continue surrendering future value as they look to cement themselves as a true dynasty. Coming off the revenue bump associated with a World Series, Crane will surely be aggressive in attacking the roster’s weakest points in some capacity.
In so doing, he’ll provide insight into how he prefers to build a roster. Reports have suggested Crane took issue with Click’s patience, with the owner favoring more bold strikes. How that manifests itself in the coming months will be fascinating, but no matter the club’s ultimate offseason path, one thing is certain. The Astros have one of the sport’s best rosters and will go into 2023 as one of the favorites for another championship.
In conjunction with this post, Anthony Franco held an Astros-centric chat on 11-23-22. Click here to view the transcript.
Rbase
I think Houston would be wide to let Verlander go. They need at least 2, but probably 3 hitters, and resigning Verlander would rocket them over their highest ever payroll. I hope they bring back Brantley and find a good bat at 1b. Maybe they can get Christian Walker from the D-backs? That would be a good fit for a LH hitting 1b
HBan22
Christian Walker is a RH hitter.
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Gimme something about Houston, that makes something that makes my skiin
not crawl
Sunday Lasagna
@Curly Here is something for you, one of the best highlights of the Bad News Bears was the Astros coming into the dugout and Bob Watson’s cameo and one liner “Let the kids play’ There was good in the Astros once, Watson, Cedeno, Cruz, Richard, try not to let the dark side of 2017 make your skin crawl
goastros123
Easy: there was only one A’s player selected to the all-star game and the A’s owner refused to let him use the team plane to fly out to the all-star game. The Astros allowed him to fly with them on their plane so he didn’t have to fly coach with his own money. I don’t know if any other team would’ve helped an all-star player on a rival team like that.
goastros123
WampumWalloper, there’s still good in the Astros. The problem is if you refuse to believe it, then you’ll miss it when it’s staring at you in the face. In other words, you’ll be trapped in a self-fulfilling prophecy and many people are.
Sunday Lasagna
@goastros123 You are right, the Astros draft/sign talent, develop talent, and put their players in a position to succeed as good as any team in the game. That is how the past 6 years happened. Maybe just a little of the harping on 2017 from many has just a tint of jealousy that the Astros do so many things better than other teams
Valkyrie
How’s this? Nobody in Houston cares.
Memphis Kong
Go back under your rock would be a good start.
Rbase
Crap 🙂 . Oh well, he’s probably the best 1b that might be available in a trade. I can’t think of anyone else that i’d rather have that is available (Meneses could be the new Schwindel)
Gothamcityriddler
Crazy Crane knows the asterisks cheated.. again that’s why he kicked Click to the curb. Can’t wait till this blows sky high. Ahahaha!
goastros123
The who?
Memphis Kong
A trade for Walker and one of the DBacks OF, for Uquidy or Garcia would work. Then have room for JV.
toomanyblacksinbaseball
I’d give half my salary if Verlander was on my team and didn’t make me a thlibiae. /s/ Mitch Haniger
Poster formerly known as . . .
“a thlibiae”?
❤️ MuteButton
I’d say bye to JV, sign Abreu, sign Brantley, sign Contreras. Aledmys Diaz is nice but Hensley’s debut looked good and the versatile Leon at AAA is almost ready. So bye to him too.
Having a LH reliever would be good, but only if they are good. Will Smith wasn’t. Yuli is a favorite but his time has come unless there is a way for him to be a bench role type player. Most likey he’s done, or at least gone.
BobGibsonFan
How much money does a team make by going deep into the playoffs?
Alkie
I have often wondered (and asked) this question. Would love to see a real answer.
Poster formerly known as . . .
You can Google “Astros Players Receive Record $516K Playoff Bonuses After 2022 World Series Title” to find out what their players got.
For a more in-depth discussion of last year’s playoffs, Google “How much money does the MLB World Series winner get?” Here’s an excerpt:
‘The amount of money always varies year by year, and this year’s prize will be determined when the postseason is over, but Atlanta is guaranteed a fat eight figure bonus. The runners up also will also receive a handsome reward for their post season efforts.
‘In fact, every team that makes the postseason gets a check from the league for their playoff run. Obviously the deeper a team goes in the playoffs the higher the pay out. The champs get a 36% split of the pot while the runners up get 24%, which is the same amount that the losing teams in the Championship Series get. Division series runners up get 13% each and the Wild Card runners-up get just 3% for their one game post season run.
‘According to the MLB, the pot split up by all the post season teams is called the “players pool” and it is made up of a percentage of tickets sales from each of the playoff series. The pool consists of 50% of the Wild Card gate receipts, 60% of the first three games’ gate receipts of the Division Series, 60% of the first four games of the League Championships, and 60% of the first four games of the World Series’ gate receipts.
‘The way the bonus is divided is up to throughout the team is up to each organization. The players, coaches, trainers, and strength coaches as well as “non-uniformed personnel” like clubhouse attendants, chefs, security guards, bus drivers and grounds crew get a slice of the pie.’
Poster formerly known as . . .
BTW, don’t take that last sentence at face value. In 2018, the Yankees, led by player rep David Robertson, shafted “the team’s entire support staff, trainers, clubhouse attendants and batting practice pitchers,” giving them nothing, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, who also noted: “It was reported earlier this month that assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere was voted by players only a half share and that the analytics liaison with the coaching staff, Zac Fieroh, who traveled with the team all season, got nothing.”
Nice.
itsgonnahappen
WOW!!! That’s an extreme F!U!
Astro fan 111
I did some research on this topic after last years World Series because the Atlanta Braves are a publicly held company and have to publish their financial data. Fink Ployed’s post is correct, but it only applies to the player pool.. The league office takes 15% of revenue off the top. The owners get what is left after the league office and player pool are funded, and do much better when a series goes beyond the minimum number of games. This is very profitable revenue for the owners because they do not have to pay player salaries from it. My source for this information was fairly old, but I could not find anything indicating it had changed. So to answer the question about how much the team makes going to the World Series, the Braves had revenue of $476MM in 2019 when they were eliminate in the division round. 2020 was an aberration due to Covid, Last year when they went to the World Series they had revenues of $568MM. So a good guess would be they made $75MM to $100MM of highly profitable revenue by going to the World Series. As far as I could determine the Astros made the same amount as the team revenue was split 50/50. Again this is based on the best information I could find last year, and some of the documents could have been out of date and MLB is not very forthcoming about financial information.
.
Franco, I don’t know how many words that write up was but it must have took you a while. Impressive.
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Sorry to be honest, but who gives a rats tail, about the Astros?
.
Curly o’l sport, I could set my watch to you!!
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
My watch says; eeew, I can’t stand watching what he’s watching
Baker makes my skin crawl…
Latino Heat
Yet here you are reading it curly you troll
itsgonnahappen
@Latino Heat
Lmao, thought the same thing. “Who gives a rats tail” said in the comments of an Astros based article. Obviously, YOU Curly.
SeeGilley
Moe and Larry do so that makes you the DUMB stooge!
itsgonnahappen
@Trumbo
Agreed, impressive article.
WSnotAstros2017
I would love to maybe see Bell if Verlander wants elsewhere. I know Mets checked in on him but if they keep DeGrom. Would love to see Hunter in the rotation. Not sure on Diaz the catcher. I really doubt Brantley and Yuli are back. Center still not certain in with Meyers and Chas. Can Yordan do a full season at left. But do hope what we get does help. Even if use Garcia and Urquidy to help get something. But will Verlander make a decision before the end of year or drag it out. I know Houston needs someone at the bottom of lineup. Keep Peña as number two behind Altuve.
coldgoldenfalstaff
Also Meyers was a player pushed by Click, so it remains to be seen if his replacement or Crane want to give him another shot.
astros_fan_84
Myers looked good until he got hurt. Maybe he’s permanently broken or maybe he becomes an everyday player. The Miles Straw trade looks like a good deal.
coldgoldenfalstaff
Developing guys is one thing, developing guys to the point they can handle high leverage innings is another, every player the Astros have had in that role the last 3 years was acquired.
itsgonnahappen
@cold
That is an excellent point, Pressley, Stanek, Montero, Neris, Maton, Smith off the top of my head were not home grown. Abreau and Seth Martinez (Again off the top of my head) are ones to watch though. Especially Abreau, as he might turn into a closer. And maybe an ELITE closer at that.
Samuel
itsgonnahappen;
The Orioles are the Astros 2.0 with Elias and Mejdal there.
Their bullpen is made up totally of rejects from other teams.
Many strong analytical teams do better analyzing data from players that were in professional baseball as opposed to playing in high school, college, or in other countries.
stroh
Need to add a first baseman, outfielder and left handed relief pitcher, importance in that order. Abreu, Benintendi and Chafin would be nice but if not re-sign Gurriel, go after Conforto and find a lefty. JV is a luxury and when you have $56M to hit the luxury tax, to spend $40-45M on him when starting pitching is not a need would be foolish. Even $30-35M might be foolish.
Samuel
stroh;
Can Yordan Alvarez play 1B or will his past injuries prevent it?
Astros2017&22Champs
I think the Astros tried him at first in the minors and didn’t see a future. He’s actually got a terrific throwing arm for a left fielder
stroh
Samuel, I think they tried Yordan at first in the minors and he didn’t take to it. So not an option. He is a DH/LF.
Orioles2024
The Montero deal was not an “Astros FO” type decision.
Crane shouldn’t get too big of a big head. The strategy that brought them here has been a resounding success.
The Astros have been so successful because they find/develop a Montero for Pennies compared to the kind of money they just gave him.
Won’t kill them in isolation but if this starts becoming a trend…..
Astros2017&22Champs
I understand your point oriole and its viable. But it also makes it seem like we shouldn’t have extended pressley because we could replace him as well. The Astros strength is finding and developing guys and keeping their own. Part of the reason the clubhouse is so tight is because the guys know their performance will be rewarded. People think Crane is cheap because of some national narrative but the guy rewards his players well. It might not be 6-10 year deals but Montero got what he deserved without a doubt. He helped deliver a title and he has some good baseball left in him.
Orioles2024
Pressly was different. Montero looked like a guy who they made better but not a dominant piece.
Samuel
“The Montero deal was not an “Astros FO” type decision.”
Orioles2024;
How do you know that?
I believe that Mr. Crane has been taking over salary negotiations without a Baseball Ops head in place. He’s done that with Verlander as well. He is, after all, a skilled businessperson – and very probably the person most skilled in the FO to do that.
I don’t know that he’s making player moves unilaterally – so far we haven’t seen one.
As the article notes:
“Assistant GM’s Bill Firkus, Andrew Ball and Charles Cook are on hand to help shoulder day-to-day responsibilities.”
Those people are aware – and a part of – the overall approach to the off-season. There are systems in place with the Astros. I doubt any of them will change before they get a new Baseball Ops head.
One other thing – about Mr. Crane vetoing the Willson Contreras proposed trade….
Dusty Baker said that Mr. Crane asked him about how that would affect the team. Dusty said it could be negative. That’s why Mr. Crane vetoed it. I would suspect on any player moves Dusty will continue to be consulted.
Orioles2024
@Samuel
Heard. I would hope so but there have also been articles about how he’s listening to former players like Jeff Bagwell more and more these days. Which is fine to a point but the organization wasn’t built like that. Hopefully he doesn’t change course because it doesn’t take long to turn into a payroll bloated middling team.
Samuel
Orioles2024;
Oh, so you weren’t there?
Gee…who did you hear it from?
–
FYI – Years ago I had dealings with some ML managers and players. They laugh about the stuff that comes out in the media that many fans take as gospel.
Unless I read or hear an interview from a FO person, manager, coach or player, I ignore that stuff.
In this example, Dusty was interviewed by Passan who I think works for ESPN. It was part of a large story I read and Passan put quotes around what Dusty said.
Orioles2024
I don’t know what that sarcastic crap was in the beginning there but….
You never believe everything you read.
This is simply making an observation based on some data points.
I’ve seen the Astros eschew from a 3 year deal to many successful relievers they’ve had. I’ve watched them let Graveman, Will Harris, Mchugh etc. walk out the door.
An article comes out about friction b/w Click and Crane—obviously true given what we’ve seen play out. Then I heard some rumblings about Crane listening more to ex ball players.
Totally fine. Nothing to get crazy over in isolation but worth watching for change in patterns.
Samuel
Orioles2024;
I’m tired of this stuff…..
The Astros will be a contender again in 2023.
If Ryan Pressly suffers a major injury during the season, who will close for the Astros?
Orioles2024
A difference of opinions?
Normal stuff. I could totally be jumping the gun on changes but if you’re not watching then you’re behind everyone else. I think it’s worth watching what else they do this off-season.
Who else would close for them? Neris probably, a a former closer. Or Bryan Abreu, who I believe is the 2nd best reliever in their pen anyhow.
Fun team to watch make moves. I’m hoping they dont dramatically change course.
itsgonnahappen
@Orioles
I’ve heard the same and have the same rational. I love Jeff Bagwell, he is one of my all time favorite players, and I LOVE hearing him on the broadcast, but he’s very old school. New school thinking is what got the Astros where they are, and they need to keep that next level thinking. Sure, have Bags say he likes a guy, but then double check that the numbers say we should like that guy.
mallen
I would say Abreu.
Astros2017&22Champs
Great point as usual samuel. Crane has been doing this for years. He’s not out there scouting college games. He lets his baseball people do the baseball stuff but unlike most owners he’s using his business prowess to help keep the Astros viable for the long run. We haven’t seen an owner be this successful doing this no naturally the media is hammering it. Astros fans trust in Crane.
Samuel
“Things came to a head when Crane offered Click a one-year contract extension — a proposal below the norm for an executive whose team had accomplished what the Astros have over the past three seasons.””
–
Dusty Baker has been there as a manager for the last 3 seasons. He was offered a one year contract as well. He accepted it.
One could make the argument that it would be “below the norm”
for a manager to offered a one-year contract under the same circumstances.
Orioles2024
Dusty is a much older manager. I would imagine the conversations with him are more along the lines of “Do you want to keep managing this team”
The click deal was what it was. He didn’t like or trust Click to some degree. He gave him an offer that he wasn’t likely to accept.
Could totally be the right move. Time will tell.
itsgonnahappen
@Samuel
Except Dusty Baker is literally in the last years of his baseball existence. Click can refuse the one year, and wait for someone to take a flier on a middle aged exec of a WS winning ball club.
itsgonnahappen
@Orioles,
I agree 100%. I saw the deal and immediately said WTF! 2/16 would have been the highest I went for him. Crane needs to dial it back and hire the smartest people he can find. Like he did with Luhnow.
BStrowman
Didn’t strike me as Astro-esque.
There’s always an exception to every rule but not what I expected. Totally unsurprised the Padres spent heavily to keep their reliever(s
stroh
I was surprised that Montero got $11.5M/year but I think that was due to his ability to close games in addition to being the setup guy. He saved 14 games while Pressly was out with a balky knee. Pressly’s knee has given him problems each of the last 2 years. While he saved 33 games last year, you have to believe he will be out again for 2-3 weeks sometime due to his knee. That’s where Montero comes in.
mhackbarth
Keep Christian Vasquez as DH/ catcher. Maldonado can’t play forever. He will be cheaper than Contreras but not much behind him as player and much better hitter than Maldonado.
itsgonnahappen
I’m itsgonnahappen and I agree with this message.
mhackbarth
Sign Vasquez. Maldonado cannot play forever. Contreras is very good, but Vasquez is right behind him and will be cheaper.
Astrosfn1979
Look for the Astros to bring in 1 or 2 veteran bats to lengthen the lineup.
Other than Verlander the pitching staff is set
If JV resigns then Urquidy or Garcia could be traded for one of those bats if not then they will be FA.
I still like Conforto and Christian Walker and resign Brantley on a prove it deal.
AvidAstrosFan
Arm chair Gm’ing
Sign Abreu to a 2 year deal, Benintendi to a 3-4 year Brantley-esk deal.
Sign Vazquez to a 3 year deal and let him know he gets majority catching. The catching deal isn’t a have to it’s a plus if they can get it done. Maldy and Lee can get it done.