Jim Crane: “José pulled out his phone last night and had phone numbers of the entire team.”
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) November 29, 2022
7nine
***Official Houston Astros 2022-23 Offseason Thread***
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Last: 1 yr ago by Beat40
Farmer1906 said:Prosperdick said:Jim Crane said that the Astros would consider going over the competitive balance tax threshold if necessary.
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) November 29, 2022
He mentioned they have the resources if they have to.
That's crazy. Are you seriously going to play around in the same financial ballpark as NYY, LAD, NYM? We're already beating them on the field. If we beat them off, then… oh baby!
Make a signing like JV and enter the tax there will be lots of beating off.
Crane wants to win. He has a chip on his shoulder and that's a good thing. It's not my money so I'm all for spending. 
“This game is played by humans, not numbers,” says @baseballhall of Fame Jeff Bagwell, who admits that he personally thinks the #Astros front office went too far toward analytics under James Click. #LevelUp pic.twitter.com/GPHj804qOC
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) November 29, 2022
Trigger warning...
Jeff Bagwell just held court for close to 15 minutes. Much more to come, but he said multiple times he does not want to be the Astros general manager and would not interview for the position if asked.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 29, 2022
ok y'all, just whip'em out and measure them and get it over withBag said:Oh gawd, give me a break...texasaggie2015 said:Even if this was true, a AAAA player is still lightyears ahead of Gilbert right now in development.Bag said:
he is better than Chas, TODAY, full stop
I appreciate what Chas did for the astros this year, but pretending he is anything more than a AAAA player is bad business
Not trying to be a dick, but how long have you followed baseball? Are you familiar with how long it takes for prospects to develop? This isn't the NBA or NFL where guys get drafted and contribute right away.
I am 49 and have followed baseball all my life, please stop with the self righteous nonsense.
Gilbert is 22 years old, he is not a young guy, a year older than the current AL ROY.
How long have you followed baseball?
What I am suggesting happens all the time, there is a guy on the Astros that followed a similar path, his name is Alex Bregman, have you heard of him?
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bregma001ale
https://ts.la/eric59704
Jeff Bagwell has been helping out Jim Crane, flew to Miami to help bring José Abreu to Houston. #LevelUp @Astros pic.twitter.com/Yn95vhhfzV
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) November 29, 2022
We are in the absolute best position to go into the luxury tax area than any other organization out there. Anyone on the table under consideration here is a 1/2/3 year deal max (except Contreras), so this wouldn't be signing up for financial purgatory with bloated contracts like other organizations do.
Let us play GM and review the roster as it stands today.
Here is my stab at it.
A few thoughts/assumptions:
Here is my stab at it.
A few thoughts/assumptions:
- The list above ignores the flexibility of the starters (like Yordan in LF)
- Don't worry about the pitching order, it's not set in stone and doesn't really matter yet.
- Even without JV, we have so much pitching. Resigning him would put a crunch on adding any new BP arms.
- If we do go for one more, I'd prefer a lefty like Matt Moore, Taylor Rogers, or Andrew Chafin.
- Bench spots are going to be hard to come by:
- I think Dubon's flexibility to play anywhere makes him a valuable piece to keep.
- After that you need another C. Do we go FA like Crane says or can we develop Lee/Diaz. I hope it the latter unless you go full super team with Contraras.
- I'm worried bringing back Yuli stunts the growth of someone like Hensley who show a ton in a short amount of time.
- I think Jake is the odd man out for the OF. Chas is looking solid and a lefty bat sounds like a priority.
- I hope someone in the minors steps up because the next crop of guys in AAA or the back end of the 40-man doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies.
This probably qualifies as a "lighten up" momentNino Brown said:Mathguy64 said:Wabs said:
The first #79 in franchise history
Is that his number or age?
Username fo sho doesn't check out. That joke seem funnier in your head while sitting at the light in your 3 series beemer?
Jeff Bagwell just held court for close to 15 minutes. Much more to come, but he said multiple times he does not want to be the Astros general manager and would not interview for the position if asked.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 29, 2022
In an acknowledgement today that he "personally" felt the Astros had gone too analytics-heavy under James Click, Jeff Bagwell said "there are certain things that go on that the numbers can’t explain. This game is played by humans, man. It’s not played by computers."
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 29, 2022
Bagwell: "I talk to Jim a lot and the new AGMs just to give my opinion on some of the things I see and how I see it (from) a player’s perspective and, I guess, a front office perspective and how that all mixes together. You have to have a mix of both. You can’t just be one way."
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 29, 2022
Damn, isn't it about time for pitchers and catchers to report already?
Baggy is 100% correct. That is why Luhnow was so damn good at this job. He and his team took as much quantitative data as they could get their hands on and then merged it with qualitative stuff that wasn't able to be measured. This is why I want Sig to be the next GM. He was in the trenches with Jeff. He was the guy making the decision model.
Edit: On the same note. Don't get it twisted. The Astros are a Dynasty because of some hard-core analytics. That is the foundation. I'll take Bagwell as his word that he's not "against the numbers".
Edit: On the same note. Don't get it twisted. The Astros are a Dynasty because of some hard-core analytics. That is the foundation. I'll take Bagwell as his word that he's not "against the numbers".
And here is where baggy is 100% wrong.
Your buddy Brad sucks. Keep his ass away from the Astros.
Jeff Bagwell: "I think Brad (Ausmus) would be an amazing front office guy. I think he can use analytics and and his knowledge of playing to really benefit whatever team he's with."
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) November 29, 2022
Your buddy Brad sucks. Keep his ass away from the Astros.
These are all possible. I’ve heard from multiple that Brantley is all but a done deal. Just need medicals to check out. As for Yuli, they’re in discussions. As for Contreras, I hear they are inquiring and he is high on their list. I’ve also heard they’re inquiring on Bellinger. https://t.co/VXtUSApQyz
— Bonda (@BenOndaTop) November 29, 2022
I can't take Bagwell seriously until he cleans up that chin.
On a wild tangent that just hit me... I worked with a lady some years ago. She was single and one of those country and western bar gals that picked up cowboy construction workers with more money than brains. She was something of a party animal. Anyway, we were all sitting around the conference room eating lunch during a daylong meeting and people started talking about their weekend. She announces, quite loudly, that she spent all Saturday night shaving her prairie dog. It was something of a shock to divulge something so personal, but like I said, she was a wild one. Anyway, after some laughter and pointed questions, we found out that she really did have a prairie dog as a pet. As you can imagine,however, prairie dog took on a whole new meaning around the office after that conversation. hahaha.
On a wild tangent that just hit me... I worked with a lady some years ago. She was single and one of those country and western bar gals that picked up cowboy construction workers with more money than brains. She was something of a party animal. Anyway, we were all sitting around the conference room eating lunch during a daylong meeting and people started talking about their weekend. She announces, quite loudly, that she spent all Saturday night shaving her prairie dog. It was something of a shock to divulge something so personal, but like I said, she was a wild one. Anyway, after some laughter and pointed questions, we found out that she really did have a prairie dog as a pet. As you can imagine,however, prairie dog took on a whole new meaning around the office after that conversation. hahaha.
I love Texas Aggie sports, but I love Texas A&M more.
Hell no to Ausmus...Hell no.Farmer1906 said:
And here is where baggy is 100% wrong.Jeff Bagwell: "I think Brad (Ausmus) would be an amazing front office guy. I think he can use analytics and and his knowledge of playing to really benefit whatever team he's with."
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) November 29, 2022
Your buddy Brad sucks. Keep his ass away from the Astros.
Jeff Bagwell on Astros priorities: “Left field is obviously something we’re gonna think about, but I want Yordan to play 45 to 50% of the games in left field. I think it’s good for him. Mentally it’s good. He enjoys it.” pic.twitter.com/dPkv1F0JHs
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) November 29, 2022
45% would be 73 games. That is probably a little high for my taste. I think 60 is the #. But he would likely have been in that 70-80 range if he was healthy the entire season last year. I just don't want to lose the best bat in baseball for an injury playing LF at MMP.
I got it from MLB fan shop. Looks like they don't have it, anymorecmk10 said:can i get a link to this hat?redline248 said:
Let me interrupt y'all for a moment.
Finally delivered
redline248 said:This probably qualifies as a "lighten up" momentNino Brown said:Mathguy64 said:Wabs said:
The first #79 in franchise history
Is that his number or age?
Username fo sho doesn't check out. That joke seem funnier in your head while sitting at the light in your 3 series beemer?
Meh. There is a reason he's on my ignore list.
I honestly feel that part of Yordan's extension was an understanding that he would be playing a lot in LF. This season saw him getting a lot of time in LF before the extension, and it was almost as if that was done intentionally to make sure he felt comfortable that he wasn't going to be a DH-only prior to signing that deal. I've got no issue with him playing a lot of LF either, as he handled himself capably (sure not a gold glover, but good enough).
With the way Dusty manages, if we sign Brantley, Yuli, and Contreras, he is going to be able to move players around that lineup daily getting guys rest all regular season and all these guys are going to feel like huge and important pieces of the team, including Maldy.
With the way Dusty manages, if we sign Brantley, Yuli, and Contreras, he is going to be able to move players around that lineup daily getting guys rest all regular season and all these guys are going to feel like huge and important pieces of the team, including Maldy.
He needs to play just about every home game in left (minus some rest days/DH) so that's ~50 games right there. Let him play in Boston and some other left field friendly parks and I think 73 games is pretty attainable.Farmer1906 said:
45% would be 73 games. That is probably a little high for my taste. I think 60 is the #. But he would likely have been in that 70-80 range if he was healthy the entire season last year. I just don't want to lose the best bat in baseball for an injury playing LF at MMP.
He just needs to make it a soul patch and call it a day.Marvin said:
I can't take Bagwell seriously until he cleans up that chin.
bad look to push for your buddy to get the job when he's clearly not right, and downright hostile towards some of the players.
If we signed Brantley and Contreras, would this be the best Opening Day lineup of all time?irish pete ag06 said:These are all possible. I’ve heard from multiple that Brantley is all but a done deal. Just need medicals to check out. As for Yuli, they’re in discussions. As for Contreras, I hear they are inquiring and he is high on their list. I’ve also heard they’re inquiring on Bellinger. https://t.co/VXtUSApQyz
— Bonda (@BenOndaTop) November 29, 2022
1. Jose Altuve - 2B - 6.6
2. Jeremy Pena - SS - 3.4
3. Yordan Alvarez - LF/DH - 6.6
4. Alex Bregman - 3B - 5.5
5. Kyle Tucker - RF - 4.7
6. Jose Abreu - 1B - 3.9
7. Michael Brantley - LF/DH - 1.2 (64 games)
8. Wilson Contreras - C - 3.3
9. Chas McCormick - CF - 2.0
(edited to add 2022 WAR from Fangraphs) - it's a total of 37.2
I picked one up at Academy. No idea if they still have them.
Wabs said:
Crane wants to win. He has a chip on his shoulder and that's a good thing. It's not my money so I'm all for spending.
No, Crane knows how many teams were involved in cheating through electronic devices from 2016-2018 and his looking to pay back the entire league. The 2017 teams wins regardless of what was going on with Astros and others.
Crane is now gonna pay whatever it takes within reason to shut all the uneducated fans the f up and payback the League and the Yankees and other teams for info that was hidden on them.
CoachRTM said:If we signed Brantley and Contreras, would this be the best Opening Day lineup of all time?irish pete ag06 said:These are all possible. I’ve heard from multiple that Brantley is all but a done deal. Just need medicals to check out. As for Yuli, they’re in discussions. As for Contreras, I hear they are inquiring and he is high on their list. I’ve also heard they’re inquiring on Bellinger. https://t.co/VXtUSApQyz
— Bonda (@BenOndaTop) November 29, 2022
1. Jose Altuve - 2B - 6.6
2. Jeremy Pena - SS - 3.4
3. Yordan Alvarez - LF/DH - 6.6
4. Alex Bregman - 3B - 5.5
5. Kyle Tucker - RF - 4.7
6. Jose Abreu - 1B - 3.9
7. Michael Brantley - LF/DH - 1.2 (64 games)
8. Wilson Contreras - C - 3.3
9. Chas McCormick - CF - 2.0
(edited to add 2022 WAR from Fangraphs) - it's a total of 37.2
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
For what it's worth, my source who is pretty connected with what goes on says the Astros are serious about Cody Bellinger. They love his defensive versatility. It surprised me as well.
EH, as long as they don't slide too far the other way, the organization will be fine.
Like you said, Lunhow and Hinch were able to marry both concepts perfectly. Hopefully that's what Bagwell means.
Those comments to me mean they hope we go completely away from analytics, which is not something I see this organization doing.
Like you said, Lunhow and Hinch were able to marry both concepts perfectly. Hopefully that's what Bagwell means.
Those comments to me mean they hope we go completely away from analytics, which is not something I see this organization doing.
Jeff Bagwell is taking this “no computers” thing too far. pic.twitter.com/IXe9j5MSrK
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 29, 2022
Redoing the jumbotron?
CoachRTM said:If we signed Brantley and Contreras, would this be the best Opening Day lineup of all time?irish pete ag06 said:These are all possible. I’ve heard from multiple that Brantley is all but a done deal. Just need medicals to check out. As for Yuli, they’re in discussions. As for Contreras, I hear they are inquiring and he is high on their list. I’ve also heard they’re inquiring on Bellinger. https://t.co/VXtUSApQyz
— Bonda (@BenOndaTop) November 29, 2022
1. Jose Altuve - 2B - 6.6
2. Jeremy Pena - SS - 3.4
3. Yordan Alvarez - LF/DH - 6.6
4. Alex Bregman - 3B - 5.5
5. Kyle Tucker - RF - 4.7
6. Jose Abreu - 1B - 3.9
7. Michael Brantley - LF/DH - 1.2 (64 games)
8. Wilson Contreras - C - 3.3
9. Chas McCormick - CF - 2.0
(edited to add 2022 WAR from Fangraphs) - it's a total of 37.2
Because if you take away all the 2017 cheating stuff back and forth..... the baseball side of it makes a ton of sense.texasaggie2015 said:
For what it's worth, my source who is pretty connected with what goes on says the Astros are serious about Cody Bellinger. They love his defensive versatility. It surprised me as well.
He's a really good defender capable of playing a number of positions. Something broke in his approach at the plate over the past couple of years, but if there's any organization that could fix it, the Astros would be at the top of the list. He'd be able to bat around 7-8 in our lineup and work through his issues.
But yea, the 2017 stuff is a hurdle to get over for both the fans, and the locker room.
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