Did you pay your pound of flesh?
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Bob Nightengale reports the Astros are expected to promote Espada to manager on Monday.
Maybe my phone will stop trying to autocorrect “Espada” to “Esparza” soon.
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Empanada sounds good right about now
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This was the right answer all along.
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I’m really happy Joe Espada is getting his opportunity, and it’s coming with the Astros after spending so many years as a bench coach.
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What a relief that they’re not going to get cute with this. I have no idea how Espada’s ultimately going to perform as a manager, obviously, (I suspect he’s going to be great) but this is absolutely the correct decision.
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Eleventy million percent.
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Reports now that Pettis will not return as third base coach. Astros will now have to replace his spot as well as hire a new bench coach.
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OF coach too, right?
Long live the windmill.
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Happy for Espada. He is the guy best suited to take over this team. Now, how about Maldy becoming bench coach?
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Gonna miss Pettis, if only for his ballsiness.
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I’m betting there is a team out there willing to make Maldy their backup catcher and that gig has got to pay more than the bench coach one does. Might as well be us. I hope we keep him around for one more season, continue teaching Yanier and then maybe after next season he’ll be closer to retirement and more willing to a move into coaching.
Or he might recognize the opportunity in front of him to get on the Astros’ management train. Who knows?
If Maldonado is ok with only being Verlander’s personal catcher and getting other starts on occasion, I’m fine with that. That said, everyone on the pitching staff needs to get comfortable throwing to Diaz.
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I’m hearing/reading that Omar Lopez will be the bench coach.
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I’m hearing that the Pettis departure announcement was premature.
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I seriously doubt Maldonado has much value as a player outside of Houston. Whatever his value is to the Astros, it’s probably inflated by his experience and his familiarity with the team/pitchers, both of which are difficult to quantify. Other teams would look at his athletic decline and see him as a liability overall.
Furthermore, I doubt he has much value as a player in Houston. People keep saying “Maldonado could keep mentoring Diaz”, but Diaz is already a very-good-to-elite defensive catcher. I’m not saying Diaz doesn’t have things to improve upon, but having already spent a full season with Maldonado, what can he learn from another year that he couldn’t learn from the coaches, or probably literally any other experienced MLB catcher? Seems like a waste of a roster spot.
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