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Astros Outlook '23
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Anthony Franco
10:29
Good morning everyone. Hope all is well!
Let's talk Astros
Ang T
10:29
Does Joe Espada finally get to manage the team or will Houston look for a manager outside of the organization?
Anthony Franco
10:30
Espada seems the most logical candidate but I imagine even the Astros themselves don't know yet exactly how it'll play out
Ang T
10:30
Is Luis Garcia expendable should a SP needy team like the Mets inquire about a trade?
Anthony Franco
10:31
I don't think he's a strong trade candidate this offseason. Even if the Tommy John recovery goes as planned, he's going to be out into the second half, so he's not an immediate upgrade for teams that need rotation help
10:32
There'd still be interest in him obviously, but the Astros have pitching depth questions of their own and there's no reason for them to just give him away
LG
10:32
What’s the most important thing the Astros need to do this offseason?
Anthony Franco
10:34
Aside from the managerial hire, the extension negotiations should be the focus. They don't need to do a whole lot to address the 2024 roster but they're getting closer to the point at which the long-term futures of key players (Bregman, Framber, Tucker) become more cloudy
It's really hard for me to envision a world in which Altuve signs elsewhere, but anything's possible
James
10:35
Hey Anthony, appreciate the chat!  What do you think the Astros should do this offseason?  Personally, I'd like to see another reliable starting pitcher, Diaz as the regular catcher, bring back Neris and Stanek or replace them with someone just as good, and maybe another RH outfielder (they can be a little too LH at times).  I think the reason they don't bring in more LH pitchers is the short left field wall at Minute Maid.  Above all, they need to find a hitter who just tears it up at Minute Maid.  Thanks!
Anthony Franco
10:36
I like the in-house rotation enough that while I wouldn't rule out bringing in another starter, it's not a priority for me. Agree with everything else you suggested. Backfilling middle relief, a veteran complement to Diaz/Salazar, maybe a righty bat to rotate through the corner outfield all make sense
Jdf21
10:37
What hypothetical package would entice Houston to trade Kyle Tucker this offseason?
Anthony Franco
10:37
I don't think there is one. The window is still wide open. Why trade one of the best players in the league?
H-Town
10:37
I know Maldy is bad, but if he is a true 1-2 games a week backup, doesn’t he make sense to resign? Would any other teams really sign him to start full time?
Anthony Franco
10:40
I don't think anyone else would give him a starting job. The concern with re-signing Maldonado for me -- and I'm more amenable than a lot of people outside the organization to their argument that he provides a lot of unquantifiable value -- is that, given the relationships he has built with the Houston pitching staff, the manager would feel pressure to continue giving him semi-regular run while cutting into Diaz's reps
10:41
If the manager, pitching staff, Maldonado and the front office were all on the same page that he'd be a true backup behind Diaz, he's a good guy to have around. Given how respected he is inside the Houston clubhouse, I'm not sure a front office could have that assurance
Toodamntall
10:41
In the wake of trashenanicans it seemed like a lot of staff jumped ship to Baltimore, and they've had great success in developing their minor league system. Is there a sense that Houston's renowned pipeline might not be what it once was for this reason? (winning and forfeiture of draft picks says hi, too)
Anthony Franco
10:43
There's probably some truth to this. It's really hard to find sustained success for the reasons you mentioned -- good employees get poached, unfavorable draft positions, front office pressure to leverage the future for better rosters in the short term
10:45
Even if they'd kept everyone in place, they probably couldn't have replicated the kind of success they had on the pitching front for a while. Hitting on one guy like Framber who signed for $10K as an old amateur player is a huge success. Building 60% of an excellent rotation out of that player demographic is basically impossible
GinjaNinja
10:46
What do you think Nerris would take to resign?
Anthony Franco
10:47
He got 2/17 last time. Something like that feels right again. Don't think he's getting three years at age 35, but two years in the mid-teens is the Ryan Tepera/Chris Martin range for old setup options
Armchair GM
10:47
should the Astros try to make Lourdes Gurriel one of their top FA targets?  4 year/$60M.  And how about the Astros trying to be a top suitor for Josh Hader, 3 year/$54M?
Anthony Franco
10:49
That money's way light on Hader, feels a bit high on Gurriel even though I think he has a case for four years at a lower annual salary than you suggest
Hader should top $100MM and I think that'll be well beyond where the Astros want to go. Gurriel is a decent enough fit on paper if they want to keep Yordan mostly at DH, just depends on finances
Charles
10:50
Gary Sanchez is the catcher I hope the Astros bring in to be a compliment to Diaz in the backup role. He’ll still get plenty of opportunity to catch as they can slide Diaz to DH & Yordan to LF on certain days, etc. What’s the likelihood of Gary Sanchez being brought to Houston?
Anthony Franco
10:50
Sure, I can see this
Casey
10:50
Do you expect the Astros to retain Chas McCormick? If so, has he earned the starting CF job or do you think the new manager will continue this carousel of LF/CF players as needed?
Anthony Franco
10:51
I hope so. He's played well enough to be an everyday player since essentially day one in the majors. Finally got that kind of run this year for a while but was still buried near the bottom of the lineup and on the bench for some playoff games
10:52
He's an easy regular for me, could come in either center or left. If they add a left fielder to play the role they expected from Brantley, Chas can stick up the middle. If they get a Kiermaier type or just turn CF over to Dubón/Meyers for defense, McCormick hits well enough to play regularly in left
Guest
10:53
what do think tuckers contract will look like
Anthony Franco
10:55
I'll probably take a deeper look at this and turn it into a full post at some point this offseason. Matt Olson got 8/168 in the same service class a couple years ago. That feels like the floor. Tucker's a year younger, plays the outfield, more consistent offensive player
10:56
Off the cuff, I'd guess something like nine years in the $215MM range
Jon Singleton
10:56
It was a great story to see him back with Houston and on the LCS roster as a LH bench bat.  Do you agree that he is likely to be non-tendered and if so, who is going to be our LH hitter on the bench?
Anthony Franco
10:57
Yeah he'll probably lose the 40-man spot over the offseason. Could try to bring back on a minor league deal and let him compete for the same job he just had
10:58
A lot of non-tender or minor league deal types who can play that role. Rowdy Tellez jumps to mind, Seth Brown could be available in trade for a minimal return
Chris
10:58
Who is more likely to slot into the number 5 starter between France and Hunter?  Hunter has the more impressive stuff, but France had a much better year (though he definitely wore down at the end(
Anthony Franco
10:59
Yeah I still like Brown a lot more. He was more erratic than I expected -- picked him to win Rookie of the Year preseason -- but the stuff's legit and I anticipate a step forward in his second full season
11:01
France had a really good first couple months and stepped up when they needed him to with all the pitching injuries, but I think he's more of a 6th starter/swing type long-term
David
11:01
What do the Astros do with Jose Abreu? He stunk up the joint until De
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