So 26 it is…
Souza on why he picked the Astros and trying to rebound after 3 years of injuries…
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Very down to earth take from Souza.
Hopefully he can regain some of his form from 2017. Too bad he’s not a center fielder though. Could be a nice power bat off the bench or fill in nicely when Brantley or Tucker are resting. Looking like we will get to see what Straw can do this year.
That would make Tucker or Souza the backup CF
Yes. And Tucker would not be a disaster in limited appearances there. He certainly is not a natural, though. I have not seen Souza, but based on a little research, I suspect he would make Marv Throneberry look pretty good in the field.
Souza is a candidate for 4th OFer if the first three are Brantley, Straw, Tucker.
I was very critical of the Souza signing but have realized my folly.
If recovered from 3 years of injuries he’s clearly an upgrade at 3 positions if starters are lost for extensive time.
Here’s my thoughts on that
9 starters and plan for extensive missed time from most likely to least likely IMHO
Correa - Bregman ss, Toro/Diaz share 3b
Brantley- Souza
Alvarez- Souza
Maldonado- Castro, Stubbs to b/u
Gurriel- Toro/Jones share
Altuve- Diaz
Bregman- Toro/Diaz share
Straw- McCormick or Siri
Tucker- Souza
I’m firmly on board. With AAA a stone’s throw away its fine to play Tucker or Souza in CF for a few innings if Straw gets hurt until a guy can be brought up.
And Souza on the bench is a big bat that can’t be filled by any of the CF candidates.
Now we just need to hope Straw is passable in CF everyday. This roster doesn’t give the luxury of sitting him vs a tough starter or if he slumps and needs a couple of days.
I suspect the non-Alvarez DH starts will be shared amongst Brantley/Diaz/Souza.
Straw will be fine defensively. If he can hit north of .250 and draw some walks he’ll get a chance to boogie around the bases plenty of times.
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My thoughts exactly. Like most guys, he will improve with consistent playing time. His approach at the plate is a key to his success or failure, imo.
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If Souza is healthy he could ring the Liberty Bell with some dingers. With a guy like that, you really hope he can really pick up the baton and produce enough to wear an Astros Star…s and Stripes Forever! I’m not thinking he’ll ever be El Capitan of the team, but a solid producer. One thing I’m sure of: Souza won’t phone it in.
P.S. I know he doesn’t spell it the same, just fucking humor me.
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Look for a big spring training for Souza. He loves March.
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If we are done spending any real $ I still wonder about McHugh as an option to provide depth in pen or rotation.
I love McHugh but I think he’s done.
As long as he’s willing to accept a spot in Sugarland and move up and down if needed I say do it.
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Excellent news, and hopefully a step toward productive extension talks.
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Current luxury tax payrolls per Spotrac:
That number above doesn’t quite line up with what Spotrac was reporting before so obviously they made some adjustments regards certain estimates for player benefits, etc. With the Correa settlement, that pushes the Astros’ CBT payroll to $197MM (which apparently agrees with the number being reported by Cots Contracts for the Astros).
So currently at around $13MM below the $210MM CBT threshold.
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Badass Nate! Thanks.
I hope we go after Paxton on a year deal with incentives.
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I think Paxton could really help us if he could manage to stay healthy for the better part of the year. I’d love to see us make a run for him.
