One thing I like about the Astros over the last few years is they aren't going to overreact. Gerrit Cole is great, but I honestly don't know how much we would have used him in the playoffs. Keuchel, Verlander, McCullers, and Morton all get the nod first, IMO.
If the Yankees don't win it all in the next year or two, their fans will be even more livid. They're reverting to trying to buy a championship again. The pressure on that team to live up to the hype will be enormous.
Compare our opening day roster last year to this year and once again we are hands down better. As reigning champs, you get the luxury of waiting and seeing. Our three most impactful additions last off-season were McCann, Beltran, and Morton. None of them were headline signings, but they fit our team perfectly. I'm looking forward to seeing our young guys take yet another step forward, and we can fill in the gaps (likely a bullpen lefty) at the break if needed.
Things to remember:
- Last year was Yuli's first real year
- Bregman found his stride in the second half
- We added Verlander and get him for a full season
- Moran may be a contributor
- Fisher was a huge asset late
- Marisnick rounded into form and wasn't there in the playoffs
- Fiers is gone
- Gregerson is gone
- We survived injuries to the majority of our key players, which hopefully won't happen next year
