I have the feeling Lunhow will be hyper focused. One SP. We don't need a #1. A quality #2 who becomes our 3/4. That's where the mismatch will come up in a 7 game series. You throw a 2 and they throw a 4.

Alvarez is starting to get some attention.

quick note...

Yordan has one 3-run homer and four 2-run homers.

6 of his 11 HR's are solo shots

He's no Marwin Gonzalez

bearkatag15 said:

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Richard Justice is on 790 right now. Says Lunhow 's top priority is targeting a LH bullpen arm.

He predicts Crane to shell out the money to resign Cole and Springer. Says Cole loves it in Houston.

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Well that's huge...of course I wonder what Luhnow will think about shelling out all that money. I realize Crane is his boss but still.

wow, that would be awesome.

the 'stros would be deep into the luxury tax, but maybe just for one year (2021). Then JV's big salary would come off the books

bearkatag15 said:

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Richard Justice is on 790 right now. Says Lunhow 's top priority is targeting a LH bullpen arm.

He predicts Crane to shell out the money to resign Cole and Springer. Says Cole loves it in Houston.

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Here is the interview. Starts at 17:30. I thought it was 790 but it was actually ESPN 97.5.

http://www.podcastarena.com/pallilo/

2020
Verlander $33
Brantley $16
Reddick $13
Gurriel $8
Altuve $29
Bregman $13
Springer ~$20
Correa ~$10
Pressly $9
Osuna ~$9
LMJ ~$5
Cole ~$30

$165 million for 11 guys; $195 million for 12 guys if we resign Cole. That leaves like $15 million leftover to polish off the roster before brushing up against the tax. Diaz, Jake and Peacock will be due arb raises totaling around $10 million too.

2021 (Brantley, Yuli and Reddick off the books)
Verlander $33
Altuve $29
Bregman $13
Correa ~$20
Pressly $9
Osuna ~$12
LMJ ~$10
Cole ~$30
Springer ~$25

$181 million for 9 guys if Springer/Cole are retained

After 2021, JV's $33 million comes off the books as does LMJ/Osuna's ~$22 million, so I guess theoretically we could then sign Correa to an extension. But letting LMJ/JV walk would probably depend on our young, cheap pitchers drastically improving between now and then.

Interesting to think about.

Just FYI...The luxury tax threshold will be $208M in 2020

There was a discussion on 790 this morning about who you would keep if you could only keep one: Cole or Correa.

Point was made that elite position player is more valuable in today's game than elite pitcher. I suppose a case could be made for that in a vacuum. But when I think about each player in terms of how much better they are than their potential replacements, Cole seems much more valuable to me.

We have options to replace Correa. Bregman can slide over. Diaz is above average relative to MLB short stops. Straw could refine his SS craft and be the future at the position. Also have Nova a couple years away. I don't see nearly as much potential to replace Cole. Certainly not internally. And free agent/trade market for pitching typically requires overpaying.

Ag_07 said:

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Blummer mentioned it on the broadcast last night but it really made me think.

How in the hell did Cole average not even 1 K per inning in PIT?

His highest K/9 was 9.00 in 2014

Are we that good or they that bad?

That's astonishing to me.

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Especially getting to face the pitcher in the 9 hole...usually an automatic K. I think we're that good and Strom knows how to play up all your strengths as a pitcher and ditch what isn't working.

I don't think the Pirates are bad but I think a lot of teams can get lazy with their top end talent and assume they know what they're doing and as long as they're performing and not in a slump just let them do what they do.

Houston does not believe in that at all.

Deluxe said:

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There was a discussion on 790 this morning about who you would keep if you could only keep one: Cole or Correa.

Point was made that elite position player is more valuable in today's game than elite pitcher. I suppose a case could be made for that in a vacuum. But when I think about each player in terms of how much better they are than their potential replacements, Cole seems much more valuable to me.

We have options to replace Correa. Bregman can slide over. Diaz is above average relative to MLB short stops. Straw could refine his SS craft and be the future at the position. Also have Nova a couple years away. I don't see nearly as much potential to replace Cole. Certainly not internally. And free agent/trade market for pitching typically requires overpaying.

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Well they have a point that what Correa brings at the SS position in terms of his hitting (and fielding) is extremely rare but like you mentioned, Bregman moving over and you don't miss much (especially since Bregman has proven to be more durable than Carlos). Sure Carlos has a better arm and slightly better range but in terms of hitting I'm not sure he actually brings more than Bregman (especially not with his injury history).

I don't see how Lunhow can't go and get a quality #3 or #4 starter. Everything after that is a bonus. Remember the uproar in 2017 when nothing happened in July? Keuchel basically called him on the carpet for doing nothing. With the one trade deadline this year, if he doesn't get a starter of some quality, it will be much worse. We have nobody after Miley to send out there in the playoffs. Lunhow said yesterday they could go with 3 starters in the postseason, but I think that would put the Astros at a serious detriment putting all their starters on 3 days rest for the whole postseason.

Deluxe said:

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There was a discussion on 790 this morning about who you would keep if you could only keep one: Cole or Correa.

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What's the old adage- the best ability is availability. Cole has arguably pitched like a #1 and has been a durable fixture in the lineup. Correa... not so much. Would love to keep both, but this decision seems easy to make.

Marvin said:

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Deluxe said:

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There was a discussion on 790 this morning about who you would keep if you could only keep one: Cole or Correa.

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What's the old adage- the best ability is availability. Cole has arguably pitched like a #1 and has been a durable fixture in the lineup. Correa... not so much. Would love to keep both, but this decision seems easy to make.

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I wouldn't say there's any argument....he's a true #1 and would be on 90% of major league teams.

I would go so far as to say, I don't want to resign Correa once his arb years run out. He can't stay healthy, and that money can be spent in other areas.

DVC2010 said:

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I've been saying for a couple of years that Storm is the most underrated Astro.

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Do you think that is on Strom? We do a lot of analytics to put our pitchers in more favorable positions plus to work on things that will make them more productive.

I dont find this years situation comparable to 2017. That year Keuchel, Morton, and LMJ all spent considerable time on the DL, and our "Ace" through large portions of the season was Fiers.

This year we have 3 of the top 25 starters in baseball. The gives you very good pitching 6/7 games in the post season. At worst, you are piecing together game 4 with Peacock and maybe the rookies.

It's not ideal, but matched with this unworldly lineup and solid bullpen it's still a very good team capable of winning it all.

Hopefully they find the right price for a starting pitcher. However, despite the overreaction you will see in the fanosphere, this team isn't as desperate for one as some here might think.

It's similar to 2017 in that one stud starter would put us head and shoulders above the rest and make us clear cut favorites.

It's our only weakness