2021 roster

Listening to offers on Correa makes sense even if I don’t like it on a personal level. He’s a valuable player and there’s a good chance he plays somewhere else in 2022. Click might as well see if he can get something worth more to the Astros than 1 year of excellent shortstopping + the 75th overall pick in the 2022 draft.

The LeMahieu thing doesn’t make sense to me. His bat is great, but where do you play him? He’s a 2B and hasn’t played SS in over a decade, so even if you moved Correa, he doesn’t slot in there.

You have a chance to sign LeMahieu, you sign him, then figure out where to put him. You can move Bregman to SS if you have to.

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Of all the options, I don’t see LeMahiue picking Houston. But if so, then he can play third and Bregman can play short (assuming a corresponding Correa move).

If you can sign LeMahieu you happily put him at 1B and sit Gurriel, and have multiple ways to give your infielders rest days.

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Exactly. You find a spot for him. I don’t think they can realistically sign him either, but good grief, you don’t pass on him because you think someone is blocking him defensively.

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If the Astros lose all three of Springer, Correa and Brantley this offseason, I’ll be pissed.

Next season would be tough on Crane, but the team has only $50 million in payroll obligations for the 2022 season if they accept Yuli’s team option. If they decline it, they only have $42 million in payroll obligations, with Framber being the only noteworthy player that would be arbitration eligible (his first year). 2023 is tougher because Bregman and Altuve will make a $59 million between them, and a lot of the Astros’ young talent enters their first year of arbitration (Alvarez, Tucker, Javier and Urquidy).

Rosenthal updated the column to say that the Astros are not shopping him but may listen to offers

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Bregman to SS, LeMahieu to 3B per Rosenthal in that column he now seems to be running away from.

Yeah, that’s a pretty dramatic shift by Rosenthal. He now says:

Houston, however, is not engaged in any active conversations on Correa, according to a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking. … But while the Astros, like most teams, will entertain all trade possibilities, the source said the characterization of the club “floating” Correa’s name, cited in the initial version of this story, was inaccurate.

Speaking of…ICYMI yesterday Feinsand said the Astros (among others) are supposedly interested in the FA who did not play in 2020.

You shut your whore mouth.

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The initial thought of signing Puig makes me recoil in horror. I don’t like his antics and he reminds me too much of Carlos Gomez. But after thinking about this for a few days now, it might not be the worst idea. In 7 seasons he’s a 2.5 WAR/year player who is gonna hit .277 with 20-25 homers. There are very few options like that out there and he might be VERY affordable since he missed last year.

I’d prefer to sign Brantley and Bradley to pair with Tucker. But unless the Twins non-tender Rosario, which is very likely actually, most of what is left in the outfield market besides Brantley and Bradley that we can afford are platoon types…and Puig.

Even if Brantley wants to stay here, I’d be shocked if he signs before the league and the players union finalize what will happen with the DH rule for next season. Any player who already is a DH, or could be utilized as one, should wait on that decision. The possibility of having the NL teams bidding for you very likely drives up your price.

Looks like the NPB Yakult Swallows interested in Cy Sneed.

He should listen.

Sneed along with Humberto Castellanos and Austin Pruitt identified by Kaplan as possible DFA candidates in this article in The Athletic for clearing space on the 40-man roster for FA signings, etc.

Along a similar vein, he picks Cionel Perez, Taylor Jones and Abraham Toro as possible trade candidates.

Pruitt is out of options and coming off the elbow surgery (repair hairline fracture).

Toro is another one of those guys who’s handy to have around, and you need guys like him. It’s not that I love Toro so much, as wondering who’s gonna fill that role? Are you counting on Aledmys Diaz? Pardon me if I’m not sold on him being available day in and day out.

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I agree on all of that.

That said, I don’t see both Toro and Jones fitting into this roster.

I think one of them needs to be traded along with mid-level pitching prospects for a young veteran OF or P.

I think Toro is the better one 2 move because he was more highly regarded as a prospect, and younger so easier to trade but has also shown nothing outstanding in his brief experience.

At best I see Toro as an average MLB player. Jones has smaller window due to age but could be a late blooming all star ( Yastrzemski ish)

Wouldn’t roster building be easier if they had an injury list for the off season if players were recovering from surgery and unable to play until well into next season or beyond?

I like Jones just fine, and people say he can hit. But can he play 3B? SS? 2B? If not, he’s not really the guy to replace Toro/Mayfield. I don’t see it as a choice between Toro and Jones. They have to have another true infielder. Again, Diaz could be that guy, if he can stay healthy and be reliable for regular work. But can he be? That’s a big if, IMO.