2022 Houston Astros Thread

[UTexasFight 9,528]

Meanwhile Ohtani reached 4 times including a triple…as the Rangers win 5-2.

 

 

 

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

Vasquez is getting moved …

 

[runthebone 8,040]

46 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Vasquez is getting moved …

 

Very considerate of them.  Saves time, better for the environment, etc.

 

Tell Vazquez to pay close attention to the game plan for this series.

Edited August 1, 2022 by runthebone

[rvm96 1,643]

4 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Biggest impact will be trading for a CF, he’ll get instant start time.

I’ll guess that Diaz is the back up plan for brantley, the guy was an all star and starter before coming to the Astros. He’s already showing his bat like playing every day. 

 

He never replicated numbers close to that All star year.

[The Dog 44,139]

 

[Scraps 13,577]

I am actually going to be pretty pissed off if we trade for Choi.  Other than him having control years I see no positive in getting him.  I would rather just roll with Yuli than him. 

For me it is either Bell, or if Contreras can play there sporadically ( think he has played there like 10 games in his career and most 2018 and prior), but other than them I would just roll with Yuli.  

 

[TonyTexas 10,527]

This trade deadline has been slow as fuck. Either it’s going to be a crazy next 32 hours or the extra playoff spots have really changed things up. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,152]

9 minutes ago, Scraps said:

I am actually going to be pretty pissed off if we trade for Choi.  Other than him having control years I see no positive in getting him.  I would rather just roll with Yuli than him. 

For me it is either Bell, or if Contreras can play there sporadically ( think he has played there like 10 games in his career and most 2018 and prior), but other than them I would just roll with Yuli.  

 

He’d be fine in a platoon with Yuli. It’s not the move I’d like but it would incrementally improve is if Dusty will play along and platoon them. 

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

11 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

What was the rumor? 

 

10 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

i saw a really decisive josh bell rumor on twitter like it had been confirmed on both sides as acceptable and was possibly going to happen soon, and then others came in and said it was bullshit.

no idea what was posted here, but likely something like that.

That was basically it. It was a tweet that said Passan announced on Sunday Night Baseball that the Astros had put together a package that met Washington's demands and were about to offer it. 

[TonyTexas 10,527]

 

[HtownHorn 14,778]

17 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

He’d be fine in a platoon with Yuli. It’s not the move I’d like but it would incrementally improve is if Dusty will play along and platoon them. 

Granted I would prefer Bell, but the problem for the Astros is relying on old players to maintain their previous production and availability. It bit the Astros in the ass this season as Brantley, Gurriel, and Maldonado have left gaping holes in a lineup already missing Springer and Correa from 2020. Pena has done an excellent job so far filling in for Correa, but CF is also a massive hole. This team can't expect to win a WS with 4 holes in the lineup.

Choi would be an instant upgrade at 1B against RHP. He also carries a career .852 OPS in the playoffs. The problem is as you mentioned, Dusty has no idea about platoons, has evidence of McCormick playing against RHP and sitting against LHP. Vazquez would also be a value add to this team. The big problem is that those 2 moves alone aren't enough. You still need a big bat. I'd love to bring J.D. home, but that would really hamstring your defense, as Martinez can only DH now, and that would mean Yordan would have to play LF the rest of the season. Not sure he's ready for it. That's why Ian Happ makes the most sense. He can play good defense in LF and passable defense in CF, at that point I would flip Siri and Meyers if both are still with the organization, because Meyers is unplayable in the OF. Plus, Siri has better splits against RHP, and you pair him with Vazquez because you are expecting more offense from Christian than Maldonado. The splits also work out for Vazquez and Maldonado. You can win a WS with that lineup, especially if you get Brantley back. After the offense, Click still needs to get rid of Maton with a more reliable bullpen arm.

Altuve

Choi/Gurriel

Alvarez

Bregman

Tucker

Happ

Pena

Siri/McCormick

Vazquez/Maldonado

Edited August 1, 2022 by HtownHorn

[Pimphand 5,881]

32 minutes ago, The Dog said:

I hope by the time the dust settles this supplants the Larry Andersen for Jeff Bagwell trade even though LA did absolutely dominate for the Sox against the 86 batters he did face for them.  Unlike Josh Fields who actually went on to the Dodgers to post an ERA of ∞ in the World Series against his former squad #neverforget
 

[runthebone 8,040]

Choi is pretty good against rhp, Yuli has been brutal this year.  A platoon would be very Tampa Bay but would make us better if the Nats are idiots about Bell.

[Pimphand 5,881]

36 minutes ago, Scraps said:

I am actually going to be pretty pissed off if we trade for Choi.  Other than him having control years I see no positive in getting him.  I would rather just roll with Yuli than him. 

For me it is either Bell, or if Contreras can play there sporadically ( think he has played there like 10 games in his career and most 2018 and prior), but other than them I would just roll with Yuli.

He did a pretty good job of raping us in the 2020 ALCS...

[henrygandorf 29,194]

15 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

 

has bell even been on a good team since high school?

[Scraps 13,577]

6 minutes ago, Pimphand said:

He did a pretty good job of raping us in the 2020 ALCS...

and he sucked in 2019 against us.....so what

[HtownHorn 14,778]

7 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

has bell even been on a good team since high school?

He missed the peak McCutchen pirates by a year. The Pirates once finished 82-79 while he played for them, but game 162 meant nothing so it was never replayed.

[formermav43 4,606]

Bell is obviously the prime target, but Choi would be a decent upgrade in a platoon with Yuli, as mentioned. If you compare McCormick with any realistic CF trade candidates, I’m not convinced there’s a real upgrade there (of course, they could still use an OF bat in general depending on Brantley). And Maldonado will catch every playoff game-this should be known by now—so how much do you really want to give up for a guy who will play maybe 25 regular season games?

Edited August 1, 2022 by formermav43

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

1 minute ago, formermav43 said:

Choi would be a decent upgrade in a platoon with Yuli

Dusty's apparent refusal to acknowledge the Chas hits lefties well makes me wonder if he would implement the platoon that would make this trade make sense. Also, I'd rather not have to root for Choi. 

[UTPhil2006 3,812]

55 minutes ago, Pimphand said:

I hope by the time the dust settles this supplants the Larry Andersen for Jeff Bagwell trade even though LA did absolutely dominate for the Sox against the 86 batters he did face for them.  Unlike Josh Fields who actually went on to the Dodgers to post an ERA of ∞ in the World Series against his former squad #neverforget
 

It's already pretty close to there already.  Anderson was at least good at the time.

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

59 minutes ago, Pimphand said:

I hope by the time the dust settles this supplants the Larry Andersen for Jeff Bagwell trade even though LA did absolutely dominate for the Sox against the 86 batters he did face for them.  Unlike Josh Fields who actually went on to the Dodgers to post an ERA of ∞ in the World Series against his former squad #neverforget
 

bagwell is a HoF’er, so that’s the bar 

[HtownHorn 14,778]

3 minutes ago, UTPhil2006 said:

It's already pretty close to there already.  Anderson was at least good at the time.

Lulz. Bagwell is a HOF. Alvarez, while off to a good start, has a long way to go.

[Mitch Hedberg 2,090]

This team is at a crossroads and this trade season may say a lot to how we do going forward. Yuli is done, 2019 Bregman isn’t coming back and he’s barely average for a 3rd baseman now especially power wise, Verlander could leave and Altuve is only getting older. We have Yordan, Tucker (for now, and depending on month is borderline All Star) and Peña to build on for future. We also have a surplus of starting pitching which is always in demand. I’m always in win now, worry about next season later mode but the best way to stay relevant going forward is to trade our pitching for controllable assets or guys a year or two away. What we shouldn’t do is trade our most valuable assets for rentals and have nothing to show later. I’m sure Click knows all this. So the tightrope he has is to win now but don’t give away the future. All teams probably think that way to an extent. But we can keep winning for years or could look up one day and mirror the Angels and Trout with Yordan.

[Gourmand 7,774]

If surly keeps doing surly, maybe we don't really need a catcher?.....

 

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

I’m very curious to see if we move a pitcher, even if we move odo he’s a quality guy

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

Maldy and Yordan need to cut down on those k’s 

[Gourmand 7,774]

Which one of you is Jason?

 

[formermav43 4,606]

23 minutes ago, Mitch Hedberg said:

2019 Bregman isn’t coming back and he’s barely average for a 3rd baseman now especially power wise.

I think because he was on another level in 2018-19, everyone compares him to that guy rather than accurately assessing him relative to the rest of the league. He’s still a top 10 3B this season in WAR, top 10 in wRC+, he’s even 12th in homers. He might not be 2019 Bregman, but his numbers right now are extremely similar to 2017 Bregman-it seems that’s closer to who he is without the juiced ball. But that’s still a solid, above average player.

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

11 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

Which one of you is Jason?

 

hell, which one you ISN’T Jason !!!

[Gourmand 7,774]

5 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

hell, which one you ISN’T Jason !!!

yeah no doubt. I had to leave the house right after the game-tying Kelenic HR yesterday and came back to this thread late last night. Holy hell some of y'all were a fucking beating a few pages back. Get ahold of yourselves ya fuckin crybabies. 

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

1 minute ago, Gourmand said:

yeah no doubt. I had to leave the house right after the game-tying Kelenic HR yesterday and came back to this thread late last night. Holy hell some of y'all were a fucking beating a few pages back. Get ahold of yourselves ya fuckin crybabies. 

this thread brings the LuLz. Back in May, they  were ready to dfa half the team and be a .500 team 😂😂😂😂

[Scraps 13,577]

*winker hr

[Gourmand 7,774]

2 minutes ago, Scraps said:

*winker hr

ahh that's right. Kelenic still kinda sucks iirc.

[henrygandorf 29,194]

12 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

yeah no doubt. I had to leave the house right after the game-tying Kelenic HR yesterday and came back to this thread late last night. Holy hell some of y'all were a fucking beating a few pages back. Get ahold of yourselves ya fuckin crybabies. 

we're bad when we lose, but we are a fucking beating when we win.

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

14 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

we're bad when we lose, but we are a fucking beating when we win.

This team could go 160-2, and people would complain 

[Gourmand 7,774]

Yankees getting righty reliever Effross from the Cubs.....Is Click gonna go get another lefty bat that can hit righties in the playoffs?

[Ojo Rojo 1,968]

I don't understand how the platoon thing works.  You can only play one guy at a time.

The trendlines make this trading deadline crazy.  I was ready to say Yuli was done, then he goes out and has a really good month.  Playing for his life?  Regardless, makes it hard to give up a bunch of value to replace a guy who is showing signs of life.  Same for CF.  Meyers sucking, but Chas making a bid to be the every day guy.  Based on today, assuming Brantley is out, I'd get an OF bat, Ian Happ maybe, and a backup catcher - Contreras or Vasquez - so we can pinch hit for Maldy when we really need a run in the playoffs.  Just for morale's sake, I hope the FO does something, anything to upgrade the roster at least a little bit.

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

We have a resurgent maldy, do we want a slumping Contreras ???

 

Quote

The game was another rough one for Contreras, who went 0-4 with a few pop outs and a strikeout. It wrapped up the July trend, where he’s hit just .149/.259/.230/45 wRC+ for the month, and where you could sense the tumult weighing on him as we got closer and closer to the deadline.

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2022/08/01/willson-contrerass-second-emotional-goodbye-and-the-impact-of-his-slump/

[Scraps 13,577]

We have a resurgent maldy, do we want a slumping Contreras ???
 

The game was another rough one for Contreras, who went 0-4 with a few pop outs and a strikeout. It wrapped up the July trend, where he’s hit just .149/.259/.230/45 wRC+ for the month, and where you could sense the tumult weighing on him as we got closer and closer to the deadline.

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2022/08/01/willson-contrerass-second-emotional-goodbye-and-the-impact-of-his-slump/
Why not...we want a slumping Choi

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

No way I want Choi 

[clapclapclap 9,000]

 What if our aging, overweight catcher goes down with injury?

Perhaps I'm paranoid based on all of the 2009 season thinking Mack should have given our true freshman backup qb more game time in all those blowouts instead of padding Colt's stats.  Maldy ain't Colt, but gotta plan for potential key injuries if you have the resources and opportunity to.

[Gourmand 7,774]

4 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

No way I want Choi 

I like his playoff experience and his splits vs RHP and would be fine with trading for him assuming we aren't trading away one of our controllable young starters in return. 

[Gut Wagon 8,087]

A lot of how our season turns out might well depend on Tucker. No matter where he hits in the batting order, and no matter which guy(s) are brought in by trade, he has to be much better than he has been lately. I'm not holding my breath waiting for the guy to go on some epic power surge, but he needs to start making consistently good contact again. If he does, I trust the results will follow. 

Edited August 1, 2022 by Gut Wagon

[Hank Chinaski 6,320]

1 hour ago, formermav43 said:

I think because he was on another level in 2018-19, everyone compares him to that guy rather than accurately assessing him relative to the rest of the league. He’s still a top 10 3B this season in WAR, top 10 in wRC+, he’s even 12th in homers. He might not be 2019 Bregman, but his numbers right now are extremely similar to 2017 Bregman-it seems that’s closer to who he is without the juiced ball. But that’s still a solid, above average player.

Yes. And Bregman (125) currently has a higher wRC+ than Tucker (123).

[Mitch Hedberg 2,090]

1 hour ago, formermav43 said:

I think because he was on another level in 2018-19, everyone compares him to that guy rather than accurately assessing him relative to the rest of the league. He’s still a top 10 3B this season in WAR, top 10 in wRC+, he’s even 12th in homers. He might not be 2019 Bregman, but his numbers right now are extremely similar to 2017 Bregman-it seems that’s closer to who he is without the juiced ball. But that’s still a solid, above average player.

You’re right. I do compare Bregman to himself not to others. He may not be 2019 anymore but the slide from .296 and 45HR to .242 and 13HR with 2 months left is kinda steep. Of his 13 only 3 were no doubters and his xHR is 10 suggesting he benefits from the Crawford Boxes which is fine but the power drop off is noticeable. I still think whatever he hurt last year is either not fully fixed or made him adjust his swing. I also think the drop off maybe seems more noticeable because Yuli is non existent as a power source having not hit a HR in a month and we need more pop from the corners. I was probably too harsh on Bregman overall. He is still a good player. But we do need to upgrade the other corners in first and left to makeup for some of what he’s lost. 

[Mitch Hedberg 2,090]

And I’m not a big Sabermetics guy. Not that I don’t believe in them, I just don’t want to take the time to learn and understand what all those alphabets mean. I leave that to y’all and take y’all’s word for it. 🤘🏻 

[Mitch Hedberg 2,090]

I wish Astros would do something today because I’m off. I have a feeling all hell Is going to break loose tomorrow and I’m going to be working. Or be at work at least. 

[Pimphand 5,881]

2 hours ago, UTPhil2006 said:

It's already pretty close to there already.  Anderson was at least good at the time.

Umm no.... I love Yordan but he is nowhere close to Bagpipes (yet)

[tx 3 putt 77,420]

Damn ballsy trade by the brewers 

Edited August 1, 2022 by tx 3 putt

[Gourmand 7,774]

I think Tucker will get hot soon. He is still 17th in xwOBA (.379) and 16th in xSLUG (.497) despite his terrible July. He slashed .224/.277/.408 in April and followed that up with a May slash line of .253/.385/.468. He will bounce back this month.