CFTXAG10 said:
BMX Bandit said:
with Brantley signing, don't think he's in the cards. They will more likely use that money on Hand is my guess.
FWIW I talked to somebody (higher up) in the Astros org yesterday and he mentioned pitching more than anything, including adding a starter. I also got the impression we won't get into the luxury tax.
This wouldn't surprise me. With Tucker/Brantley solidifying the bookends and a couple projects/prospects in the oven, going the value route in CF seems like the right play.
Adding a closer type to the bullpen seems like nice option, but possibly cost prohibitive relative to the quality of talent. Hand would be a nice add and would give us three very good lefty options out of the bullpen, but obviously he's highly sought after.
Another option, like you said, would be to add a value starter or two, which would allow us to use Javier and Urquidy in flex roles. It's hard to pencil any of our starters in for 200 innings in 2021 anyway. Here's a list of some guys who are still available (at least per MLB.com's list) and their age/19-20 cumulative WAR:
Rick Porcello (32, 3.4)
Adam Wainwright (39, 3.2)
Homer Bailey (35, 3.0)
Jon Lester (37, 3.0)
Anbal Snchez (37, 2.7)
Brett Anderson (33, 2.6)
Cole Hamels (37, 2.6)
Martn Prez (30, 2.3)
J.A. Happ (38, 1.9)
Ivn Nova (34, 1.8)
Jake Arrieta (35, 1.6)
Rich Hill (41, 1.6)
Jordan Zimmermann (35, 1.5)
Gio Gonzlez (35, 1.3)
Chase Anderson (33, 1.1)
Ariel Jurado (25, 1.0)
Mike Leake (33, 1.0)
Carlos Rodn (28, 1.0)
Jeff Samardzija (36, 1.0)
Chris Archer (32, 0.7)
Garrett Richards (33, 0.7)
Julio Teheran (30, 0.7)
Taijuan Walker (28, 0.7)
Tommy Milone (34, 0.6)
Matt Shoemaker (34, 0.6)
Trevor Williams (29, 0.6)
Collin McHugh (34, 0.5)
Matt Moore (32, 0.5)
Aaron Sanchez