I saw your friend also said they’ve talked with San Diego about Framber. I wonder if that would involve Arraez coming to Houston.
I missed that one.
It doesn’t surprise me, as SD likes to zig and zag at the same time. I read they are taking offers for Cease.
I do not like Arraez at all though.
He has 1 skill - hitting for average.
He has no power and no speed and is a poor defender misplaced in any position.
I still think its crazy that he hit .318 in over 500 PAs last year but generated only 0.9 bWAR because his hits have such little impact and he has no other value.
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I hear you, but it’s league-average production at 1B on a short-term commitment (FA after ‘25) and the Pads have been looking to move him. There’d obviously have to be a lot more in the deal. But personally, I’m a sucker for a guy who gets a bunch of hits. It’s my favorite kind of baseball.
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Abreu would be a good addition. He strikes out a lot but he’s a plus defender and hits the ball really hard. If he can cut down on the swing and miss he could be an all star
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Apparently Arenado has said no to a potential trade to the Astros
Well if that doesn’t tell you how Bregman negotiations are going, I’m not sure what will.
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The post above, and the Athletic article make it sound like he hasn’t made up his mind, and may yet waive the no-trade clause.
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Part of me enjoys the hot stove speculation.
But the rest of me wishes I could Rip van Winkle to opening day.
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Potentially (emphasis on potentially) a bullet dodged.
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I love roller coasters, but hate this ride. This off-season, more than others in the past, will portend what we should expect from the Houston front office moving forward. I no longer trust Crane.
I think the Abreu signing was the exception. Crane did that without the professionals that he hires to help him with those decisions. He’s also a successful person. I have no doubt he learned a lesson from that one. I have loved this team under his ownership but also know good things don’t last forever. Keeping this team competing is a really difficult task, if Crane and Co doesn’t get it 100% right this season I’d completely understand. This is a very complex puzzle compounded by other teams spending money like drunken pirates.
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More than anything I blame father time.
(ok that one is up on a tee for someone)
Exactly! The landscape is drastically changing by the moment. Will Crane continue to refuse to adjust, even a little?
I see what you’re saying, my bad.
I don’t think it’s time to say that Crane has to keep up with the Jones’ yet. I still think different models can exist and win a WS. It’s just become way more difficult and it takes a ton of tough decisions working out well.
I think it’s important to remember that the high spending teams haven’t always been in the final series. This last year they certainly did, but that’s not a pattern yet.
Repeating the BS narrative. I expect better from you.
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Narrative or not, when you make moves without a GM, the success or failure of those moves falls squarely on the owner. Two moves were made between Click leaving and Brown being hired, both failed spectacularly. Giving Abreu 3 years was a bad idea from the start, we just didn’t think he would fall off so quickly. The Montero contract was bad as soon as it was signed and then was worse than expected.
I say this as someone who loved signing Jose Abreu, I thought he would be great year 1, good year 2 and fall off in year 3. I never liked signing Montero to that contract, it was a severe overpay in both money and years.
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FIFY
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I think most everyone here was pretty happy about Abreu coming to Houston when that deal was announced. Montero had a great season and postseason before he was signed. There would have been a lot of griping by Astros fans and Crane would have been accused of being “cheap” had he not have re-signed him. Those deals just didn’t work out.
Crane got involved with both of the Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke trades. Both were highly successful deals. I highly doubt the Astros win in 2017 without JV. Greinke left game 7 of the World Series with a 2-1 lead in the 7th inning. I would say these were pretty good decisions by Crane.
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Amen.
ETA: Crane also presumably signed off on eating the Montero and Abreu contracts.
He ain’t cheap.
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