My hopes as well. There are far too many question marks in the rotation. Far more than recent memory.
If Snell was worth going over the next tax threshold, I donāt see how Montgomery isnāt. Like, yeah his ceiling isnāt as high as Snell but his baseline is higher, he gives you more innings and he comes a bit cheaper money wise and no draft pick loss. I just donāt get it
Yeah, this pisses me off, especially when I see the dollars. This was pocket change money, for an experienced starter, who also has extensive bullpen experience, and could potentially have helped out there when/if Verlander, LMJ and Garcia return. And he wasnāt going to cost you anything but a few, a VERY few dollars. No draft pick compensation for signing him.
Not happy at all with this decision.
Nor do I. He was the Rangers best pitcher in the important games late, imo.
The folks who purport to know did not mention anyone but Snell as an Astros target. I do not get any of this.
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I agree the Astros could use another starter but are we really getting worked up over Michael Lorenzen? He had a good first half and threw a no-hitter in one of his first starts for the Phillies. After that, he was so bad he was left off their playoff roster.
Also, that first half was by far his best stretch in his career.
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Also, provided Verlander and France continue to track positively as they ramp up, by mid-to-late April the Astros will have Framber-JV-Javier-Brown-France with Blanco as an insurance policy.
Yes, Montgomery would be an upgrade but I havenāt seen anything indicating he is willing to accept the type of short-term deal Snell took. Do you really want to give him a contract in the neighborhood of 4 years, 80-100 million or more? Also, his wife is currently doing her medical residency in Boston, so people have primarily linked him to Boston and other northeastern teams this offseason.
To my view, it only makes sense through the lens of āCrane isnāt opening up the checkbook unless itās one of his guys.ā
We knew he loved Hader and Snell. Never heard the same on the other guys.
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Thatās how I see it. His history shows heāll break the bank for Cy Young-caliber guys, but is content to let merely good pitching end up elsewhere.
Edit: thatās not to say he wonāt do something. Up until he signed Hader, Iād have said his history shows he wonāt give out long-term deals for free agent pitchers. So who knows. But I do think this team could use another solid starter.
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I donāt remember where I read it, but thought I saw something about them trying to measure level of interest around the league on Montero. It was towards the end of the Snell saga. Anyhow, wondering if their inability to move the player and his salary was/is the problem with adding another piece to the team.
I agree with not signing guys who arenāt worth it. But the starting pitching situation is not good. They need help. Standing pat is a recipe for third place.
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Exactly
You read it right here from Jimās āfriend.ā So did I.
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France had a nice outing today.
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The Astros have more talent top to bottom than Seattle and as far as the Rangers are concerned, if you think the Astros have starting rotation question marks, Iāll take Framber-Verlander-Javier-Brown-France over Nathan Eovaldi-Jon Gray-Dane Dunning-Michael Lorenzen-Andrew Heaney any day of the week.
Seattle and Texas are both good teams and the Astros could finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd in the division, but Iām certainly not rating the Mariners as better today and the Rangers have just as many starting pitching question marks and a weaker bullpen.
The sky is not falling.
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Iām at the lower end of the boffin scale on this site in terms of baseball knowledge and experience, but Iām always of the opinion that hope springs eternal on Opening Day*
*Unless youāre an Aās or Angels fan.
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This guy says Hunter Brown has fiddled with his cutter and may break out this year. The pitch design details are over my head, but Iām eager to believe any good news about the rotation right now.
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Brown has the tools to be a very good top of the rotation pitcher. We certainly need him to break out and pitch well this year.
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On an unrelated topic ā¦
Singleton seems intent on playing himself off the roster, and Kessinger looks to start the season on the IL after his hammy problem. Does that open up an opportunity for Loperfido? He can play 1B, 2B, and OF (and in a pinch, 3B) and is tearing up ST. I expect he would go back down early, but it might be an interesting morning cup of coffee. Julks is another bubble-sitter who might benefit from the situation.
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I think they probably want Loperfido to play so they will send him down soon.
I donāt get the hype around Singleton. He should not be getting meaningful at bats. Especially not say, with the World Series on the lineā¦
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