They have to add insurance. It may not be one of the big names I mentioned, but even taking a flier on someone like Hyun Jin Ryu, reuniting with Uncle Charlie or gambling on helping Lucas Giolito or Jack Flaherty find their past forms should be on the table.
Lance McCullers Jr is not someone the Astros can count on as a starting pitcher considering he didn’t throw a pitch again in 2023 and missed half of 2022. He’s a candidate to be converted into a leverage reliever, in my opinion.
Jose Urquidy missed half the season with shoulder inflammation after missing a few months in 2022, too. Luis Garcia is coming back from Tommy John. At worst, I’d expect them to add someone who can be a better version of Brandon Bielak.
Dana Brown wasn’t the GM to start the season, and that was before Valdez, Javier and Brown really struggled for months with Urquidy getting hurt for an extended stretch for the second straight season. They brought Verlander back out of necessity, but they still need more help there.
This season proves the adage you can never have too much starting pitching.
This makes more sense that depending on him for a rotation slot. It makes sense for him as well, I would think. His use can be modulated through the season. If he does well and his arm is strong, he can move to the rotation if need be later in the season.
Fangraphs has estimated CBT payroll at $231.4M leaving about $5.6M before hitting the penalty.
Cots has it at $235.2M leaving just $1.8M
I do not see this team adding payroll.
Framber, Yordan, Tucker, Altuve, and Bregman are the only players who are making significant salary and have any kind of trade value. I really don’t see any of them being traded so there is no realistic way to reduce payroll.
That means the only realistic way to improve this team is to trade cheap players for other cheap players that match up to needs of the other team(s) or signing veterans/castoffs to minor league or minimum contracts and hoping.
Biggest question to me is: what the fuck happened to our starting pitching magic. Sure, acquiring some starters seems imperative, but I wonder if the club has lost something in their support structure too.
Even JV had a downturn in performance, especially while he was with the heathens in blue pinstripes.
He spoke of making progress in his postseason pressers. I do think his breaking balls improved from the time he came back which I’m guessing stems from work he and the support staff put in.
He also was criticized in NY for comparing what they did to the way things were done in Houston.
A big part of it was that the starters had to go every 5th day and having to use everyone as much as possible all the way to the end of the season instead of giving folks days off and spreading out the love.
Having to grind out a pennant race to day 162 makes a huge difference when setting up playoff rotations and having guys ready to go.
The team’s needs look a lot like they did at the trade deadline: an outfield bat and pitching wherever they can get it.
Six lineup spots are completely locked down, two more are pretty close (McCormick and Peña), leaving just one hole to fill (assuming Brantley retires). So either a LF or a CF to move Chas over, preferably someone who hits from the left side.
Three rotation spots are set. Framber and Javier are gassed, they need rest, but they’ll be back. Then you’ve got some combination of Brown, Urquidy, and France, plus maybe McCullers and possibly Garcia later in the season. Seems clear that a FA or trade for a #2 or a #3 would be helpful. I’d feel fine with the 5th spot being up for grabs, but they need a stabilizer or we’ll end up right back where we were mid-2023.
And you can never have too many good relievers. They’re always on the wish list.
Somebody needs to play a passable RF to give Tucker an occasional day off, same goes for 1B. Dubon is a damn good utility man, but he can’t do either of those, and Chas barely has the arm for CF.
I really think that Nolan Jones from Colorado is a perfect fit for this team.
He isn’t a CF but can play RF, LF, 1B and even some 3B in an emergency.
He mashes RHP (.947 OPS) and was better on the road than in Coloraro (.935 vs .928).
He also may have the best OF arm in baseball and still has 5 years of control.
Colorado always wants to or thinks they will compete but has several holes. He won’t be cheap but they may be willing to give up 1 player for 3 + a prospect.
Maybe J.P. France, Jake Meyers, Grae Kessinger and Kenedy Corona for him?