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Post by olpapa on Jan 20, 2019 21:26:33 GMT -6
Day's like today make me miss Skippy! |
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Post by thomasj13 on Jan 20, 2019 21:31:14 GMT -6
Day's like today make me miss Skippy! |
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Post by thomasj13 on Jan 20, 2019 21:31:43 GMT -6
Day's like today make me miss Skippy! Stay Thirsty! |
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Post by m240 on Jan 20, 2019 22:16:10 GMT -6
what was his name
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Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Jan 20, 2019 22:35:54 GMT -6
Skippyy or some shit.
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Post by blcoach8 on Jan 20, 2019 22:56:18 GMT -6
The problem I have with his approach is we need starting pitching and he has done nothing to get it. Corbin and Evoladi went for crazy money....I am thinking he knows something on Morton do so that is why he didn't re-sign him....so besides those 3 who do think he sat his on ass about. Joe Kelley could have helped our pen. We never knew what, if anything, he did to trade for Grienke, Kluber, Fulmer, or any other starting pitcher. Could be that the asking price was way too much......I still have a feeling we may end up with Keuchel coming back and I am opposed to that. |
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Post by blcoach8 on Jan 20, 2019 22:57:19 GMT -6
Took too long to read Skippyy's posts. |
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Post by nathangarza29 on Jan 20, 2019 23:14:50 GMT -6
Confirmed Astros tryed to sign Martin Perez before he signed with the Twins
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 20, 2019 23:20:40 GMT -6
Looks like we dodged a bullet on this one
"The Astros and Mariners both had interest in left-hander Martin Perez before Perez agreed to join the Twins yesterday. Perez picked Minnesota since he wanted to be a starting pitcher next season, which likely gave the Twins the edge over the Mets, though the other suitors might have had more room in their rotation. The Astros are thin on pitching, though since Houston plans to contend next season, it might have been a taller order to assign a starting spot to a pitcher who struggled as Perez did in 2018. " mlbtr
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 20, 2019 23:32:52 GMT -6
The only redeeming thing I can see in Perez's stats is that he's been pretty effective as a reliever (opponents hitting .200 BA). He faced about 50 hitters as a reliever last year and did ok in those situations.
But as a starter, everyone pretty much looks like Mickey Mantle against him. Esp RHH just destroy Perez.
He could be one of those guys who can throw 20 good pitches but just doesn't have the strength to go beyond that. As a starter, he tries to pace himself, and that just doesn't hack it.
As a starter he held LHH to "only" a .750 OPS last year. Maybe as a reliever he could bring that down to .600 and he could be used to get one or two lefty hitters in certain situations.
Still, I'm glad this deal didn't work out.
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Post by Hunter McCormick on Jan 20, 2019 23:59:33 GMT -6
lol I remember that weirdsmobile. Complete goofball but basically harmless. First time I read a skippyy post I was all like But after seeing his antics for a while it was more like |
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Post by blcoach8 on Jan 21, 2019 0:25:53 GMT -6
Confirmed Astros tryed to sign Martin Perez before he signed with the Twins I am glad we didn't get him.....spent more time on the DL than on the mound. |
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 1:41:05 GMT -6
If the Giants prove too complicated to deal with due to their overpaid veterans, another trade partner could be San Diego.
Nothing SDP has done this off season suggests they are ready to compete yet, though they could probably start to go for a division title next year.
Like the Giants, the Padres have 2 quality relievers who will be off their roster by the time their team gets really good: Kirby Yates (controllable through 2020) and Craig Stammen (controllable only through 2019). Both look ready to give 60+innings with an ERA under 3.25. Stammen, especially, is a workhorse who could give 80 innings.
The Padres' main weaknesses now are at SP, 3B, SS, LF, and RF. Their top prospects can probably fill the SS, 1-2 OF positions, and one or two of the SP holes, but they will probably have to source a 3B, an OF, and some pitching from outside the organization. The Astros have near-MLB-ready pitching to send SD, and they might also be interested in guys like Matijevic, Dawson, and Toro. Gurriel, Kemp, and Marisnick might interest them too if they want a more veteran presence to balance out all their youngsters.
Yates is owed $3.07 million/year over the next 2 years and Stammen is owed $2.25 million this year. Because they are somewhat underpaid relative to their value, the prospect haul they want will be on the high side, but I think manageable for the Astros.
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 1:49:02 GMT -6
last week, mlb.com ran an article speculating that SDP might want to trade OF Hunter Renfroe this off season.
especially if the Astros lose Reddick, Marisnick, and/or Kemp in a trade, Renfroe might make an interesting DH/OF type (filling the same role previously speculated for Castellanos or Jose Martinez). Renfroe put up 119 OPS+ last year and knocked 26 HR in just a little over 400 ABs, most of which went out to LF. At MMP, Renfroe might well hit over 30 jacks.
Renfroe turns 27 next week and and is controllable through 2023. Not sure what kind of prospect return the Padres would be looking for with him. But if Luhnow wants to get that extra above-average bat in the lineup and balks at the cost of Castellanos/Martinez, maybe Renfroe could be packaged in a deal with relievers Yates and Stammen.
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 2:26:03 GMT -6
Looking at what Renfroe did last year, I could see a lot of souvenirs for the fans in the Crawford Boxes and out by the gas pump.
Among hitters with 400 or more PAs, Renfroe was 11th in Hard Contact at 47.2%, 27th in HR/FB ratio (20.3%), and 31st in SLG (.504).
While he made some improvements in plate discipline in 2018, he still has a lot left to do. He strikes out nearly 25% of the time and walks only about 7% of the time, which brought his wOBA down to .338 (81st in MLB). By comparison, the 2018 Astros hit for a .327 wOBA.
With some work on the plate discipline and with better hitters around him in the batting order, I think Renfroe would have a shot at cracking the MLB Top 50 in terms of OPS+/wRC+. That would put him on about the same level of offensive production as Ben Zobrist or Joc Pederson.
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 3:47:20 GMT -6
Bukauskas, Devo, and Guduan in exchange for Yates, Stammen, and Renfroe might be a good starting point.
That gives SD a starter (Bukauskas) for their window of contention plus 2 relievers ready to plug and play now. They'd have Devo under control for 3 years, and Guduan for 6. Guduan's advanced stats suggest he may be good for about 60 innings and a 3.70ish ERA, which is fine for a middle reliever. Last year, Guduan was quite the lefty strikeout artist in AAA.
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Post by nathangarza29 on Jan 21, 2019 9:17:07 GMT -6
It's not a bad idea
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Post by Saint on Jan 21, 2019 13:46:02 GMT -6
If the Rangers get Buchholz for pennies, even I'll be a little frustrated.
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Post by nathangarza29 on Jan 21, 2019 14:44:42 GMT -6
If the Rangers get Buchholz for pennies, even I'll be a little frustrated. As would I. I would take that deal for Clay |
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Post by blcoach8 on Jan 21, 2019 14:55:17 GMT -6
If the Rangers get Buchholz for pennies, even I'll be a little frustrated. Would not be a bad pickup for the right price. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Jan 21, 2019 15:27:57 GMT -6
I really don’t know why Luhnow isn’t being more aggressive with the pitching FA’s. Buchholz would be great here.
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Post by Saint on Jan 21, 2019 15:51:21 GMT -6
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Post by blcoach8 on Jan 21, 2019 16:23:07 GMT -6
I really don’t know why Luhnow isn’t being more aggressive with the pitching FA’s. Buchholz would be great here. When I heard Luhnow say he was confident going to spring training with what we have, I was afraid he would not be aggressive. Ignoring the lack of depth in the rotation is a big mistake. He needs to get off his ass and do his job. |
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 18:56:39 GMT -6
The Mariners designated Kaleb Cowart today. Cowart is a bit like JD Davis in that he has put up great numbers at AAA but just hasn't gotten it together in the majors; also in that he both plays infield and pitches.
To have a dual-use player who can pitch 40 or so innings per year really adds a new dimension to the debate over whether it's better to go with 13 position players and 12 pitchers, or have it the other way around. Especially for a NL team that has more need for pinch hitters and is usually tempted to go with an extra position player, guys like Cowart and Davis give a lot of flexibility.
Players like this would usually put up awful WAR figures at the end of the year, but by saving the arms of the "real" pitchers in the bullpen, these dual-use players can probably help their teams squeeze a couple extra wins a year out of those long stretches of 10-12 straight games when bullpens often get maxed out. Unfortunately for their arbitration hearings, those extra wins won't show up in the WAR column.
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 19:02:11 GMT -6
I hadn't thought about it before, but if the Mets can get JD Davis to where he can manage even a 5.00 ERA, he could pinch hit for a pitcher who is getting yanked, and then stay in the game to throw off the mound. It only makes sense in games the Mets are losing by a lot of runs, or in some 18-inning marathon where literally the whole regular bullpen has been used up. But it's pretty cool for a manager when that kind of substitution only requires a 1-for-1 swap.
In the 18-inning game scenario, Davis could conceivably record the win (from the mound) and hit the game-winning RBI on offense. I don't know that anyone has ever done that before.
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 19:32:12 GMT -6
If the Rangers get Buchholz for pennies, even I'll be a little frustrated. Buchholz is probably equivalent to Lugo; both are pretty unpredictable but a good guess is they pitch about 100 innings next year with an ERA around 3.60. That's about 16-17 starts, or nearly 10% of the starting rotation's total load this season. Buchholz likely won't have much gas left by the time the postseason rolls around, but if he could help out the team in the first half and allow other starters to stay rested, that provides a good deal of value. You could let him start every fifth game through the ASB, then put him on the DL until September and let him eat up innings in that last month so that the postseason starters are all rested and ready to go in October. |
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 19:53:30 GMT -6
I would hope that Luhnow is keeping the communication lines with Kansas City open. Since things seem to have stalled on Castellanos and Jose Martinez, another bat to target would be Whit Merrifield. KCR has said they want to hold on to Merrifield in spite of the fact he will be on the wrong side of the age curve during their next run at a division title. Either they're bluffing, or they're being dumb. His trade value will never be higher after what he did last year and leading the league in hits.
If the Astros could snag Merrifield, they would have an immediate offensive upgrade over Kemp, Marisnick, Reddick, and likely Gurriel too. Merrifield is pretty flexible insofar as you can play him at 2B but he also has experience in RF and even started 30 or so games in CF last year.
If Merrifield and Straw were on the team together this year, the 2019 Astros may well steal 120 bases. That's the kind of speed that often plays a big role in postseason victories. I have a hard time seeing the Astros get a championship if they remain the 26th-fastest (or fourth-slowest, however you want to look at it) team in MLB.
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 20:08:59 GMT -6
That KC farm is pretty barren so if they're smart, they will use assets like Merrifield, Salvy Perez, and maybe even Soler to get some high-upside guys around the A+/AA level.
They might be reluctant to do so if they thought their on-field product would get substantially worse, but the Astros have MLB talent to send them (Kemp, Reddick, Marisnick, maybe Gurriel) so if they take some of those guys and cash, I doubt it seriously impacts their W-L record. It might even improve their MLB record but the main benefit to them is restocking their farm.
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Post by abregmanfan on Jan 21, 2019 20:28:47 GMT -6
That KC farm is pretty barren so if they're smart, they will use assets like Merrifield, Salvy Perez, and maybe even Soler to get some high-upside guys around the A+/AA level. They might be reluctant to do so if they thought their on-field product would get substantially worse, but the Astros have MLB talent to send them (Kemp, Reddick, Marisnick, maybe Gurriel) so if they take some of those guys and cash, I doubt it seriously impacts their W-L record. It might even improve their MLB record but the main benefit to them is restocking their farm. I think they are set on keeping Perez. |
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Post by astrosdoug on Jan 21, 2019 20:50:08 GMT -6
My best guess as to new Astros SP's we may see before spring training --
Free agents: Buchholz, Gio Gonzalez, Hellickson, Miley
Trade targets: Greinke, Ray, Stroman, Fulmer, MadBum, Minor, Godley, Leake
Luhnow probably gets one, maybe two new SP's over the next month. There are some interesting near-MLB-ready guys in the high minors that could make sense trading for too.
Depending on how one calculates the 2019 payroll (and there are a few different approaches to it), Luhnow probably has between 25 and 50 million $ to spend without going over the luxury tax threshold. Esp with how high arb rates have been going, I think Luhnow would like to keep extra spending under 30 million this year and that probably means 20 million in the off season and keeping another 10 million in flexibility to make moves during the season.
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