MaxPower said:

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The one thing about Soto is Crane strikes me as the kind of guy who would love to stick it to the Yankees. We also have to consider our situation. Right now you are looking at losing Bregman, Tucker and Framber in a 12 month span. If you decide you have to bite the bullet to hand out one mega deal, why not Soto while letting those 3 go? Soto would likely make less than Bregman plus Framber combined this year so you save money signing Soto instead of resigning Bregman (if you also trade one of Framber or Tucker). That lineup would look stacked in 2025 with Tuve, Yordan, Soto and Tucker.

I still highly doubt Crane would throw the bag necessary at Soto (Mets seem like the best fit).

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I think he's going to he Mets. As a Mets fan I'm not a huge proponent of paying a one dimensional player that kind of money. I also think it's pretty clear he is going to the highest bidder, which I strongly believe will be Cohen and co.

Mathguy64 said:

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So. $1MM/year, 7 years and $ 153MM deferred?

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Since he isn't of age, he will get league minimum and go through the arbitration process. I.e. how Ohtani first started out.

Get him in the HEB commercials

Can it be spring training yet?

Wabs said:

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MaxPower said:

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mwm said:

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Can it be spring training yet?

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Not gonna lie, if we enter spring training with the guys we have on the roster now my enthusiasm will be very low. Nothing is worse than watching a team slowly fade into mediocrity due to a combination of aging and free agency departures (2006 says hi).

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Agree. My enthusiasm will be low if we roll into ST as is. This team needs a refresh, something to look forward to.

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The Brad Ausmus effect... Just think how much worse last year could have been had Bagwell gotten his wish for Brad to be manager

Wasn't the theory of Bagwell pushing for Ausmus debunked by 2015?

IIRC Joe was Dana's man from the get go and it was a matter of getting Crane to approve and Bagwell wasn't very involved with the manger hire

My loyalty knows no bounds...at least I'm not a dodgers fan right?

Ag_07 said:

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Wasn't the theory of Bagwell pushing for Ausmus debunked by 2015?

IIRC Joe was Dana's man from the get go and it was a matter of getting Crane to approve and Bagwell wasn't very involved with the manger hire

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I thought the debunked thing was Brad for GM

Ag_07 said:

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The entire Bagwell thing was debunked.

He's nothing more than advisor. He's not pulling strings or making decisions.

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Or….thats just how good he is

Joe Espada was at the Senadores de San Juan game last night.

From the Astros left to right, Jason Bell (coaching), Zach Dezenzo (1B), JOE!, Brice Matthews (3B) and Ricky Rivera (manager) pic.twitter.com/7k5yt4avNl

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) November 10, 2024

Brice Matthews had 2 errors at 3B last night for the Senadores de San Juan. Jose Abreu hit a homer

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) November 10, 2024

Jose Abreu's home run that also scored Zach Dezenzo pic.twitter.com/Sl6Or5ibDJ

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) November 10, 2024

I think this team is being managed by Cintron

Nitro Power said:

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My loyalty knows no bounds...at least I'm not a dodgers fan right?

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I went to a Dodgers' game in 2005 and rooted for the CARDINALS because I hated the Dodgers so much as a kid.

More FA predictions. This time USA Today.

Quote:

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Alex Bregman

Bob Nightengale: New York Yankees Bregman has always loved the spotlight, dreamed of playing on the big stage, and what's bigger than New York. He'll have both New York teams bidding for him but the Yankees will be the ultimate winner.

Gabe Lacques: Washington Nationals Jim Crane gets pushed beyond his comfort level and lets another dynasty-building asset walk from Houston. Bregman becomes the veteran glue for a promising core that needs a north star.

Steve Gardner:Houston Astros Is there any way the Astros actually let Bregman walk? Teammates and fans want him back, plus he'd be crazy to leave Houston, where his medium pull power is tailor-made for depositing home runs into the Crawford Boxes in left field.

Scott Boeck: Houston Astros It's hard to see Bregman, the face of the franchise, depart after nine years. But then again, Houston let All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa walk.

Jesse Yomtov: New York Mets Boras floated the possibility of Bregman playing second base, which brings the Mets into the conversation since the NL runners-up have Mark Vientos now firmly entrenched at third. The 30-year-old Bregman is coming off the worst season of his career and his 2025 employer may be largely determined by the trickle-down effects of Soto's courtship.

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EastCoastAgNc said:

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The Brad Ausmus effect... Just think how much worse last year could have been had Bagwell gotten his wish for Brad to be manager

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This is a really interesting listen. The gist is the Dodgers scouted the Yankees as an extremely poor fundamentals team and were ready to exploit all facets of it. Metrics show they are exactly that, very poor fundamentally (bad outfield positioning, poor cutoff throws, rarely would take an extra base, etc.) and the dodgers repeatedly took advantage - an extra base, stole bases, played fundamental defense and did all the little things well as the Yankees performed poorly as advertised.

Hate to say it, but a lot of what was noted in the video sounded a lot like the Astros (poor cutoff throws, poor out field positioning, lack of aggression on the basepaths., etc.). Wonder how we rank and whether we need to put significantly more emphasis on those areas.

2024 outfield assists for the Astros:

4 - Tucker in 592 innings

3 - Yordan in 421 innings

2 - Jake in 1,145 innings

2 - Dubon in 646 innings in the outfield

1 - Chas in 646 innings also

another area / aspect of the team that Dana needs to upgrade

W said:

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2024 outfield assists for the Astros:

4 - Tucker in 592 innings

3 - Yordan in 421 innings

2 - Jake in 1,145 innings

2 - Dubon in 646 innings in the outfield

1 - Chas in 646 innings also

another area / aspect of the team that Dana needs to upgrade

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Sometimes I feel like Jake could kick the ball farther than he could throw it.

By comparison, Roberto Clemente had 27 outfield assists in 1961. That means he was gunning someone down once every 6 gams for the whole season.

The Porkchop Express said:

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W said:

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2024 outfield assists for the Astros:

4 - Tucker in 592 innings

3 - Yordan in 421 innings

2 - Jake in 1,145 innings

2 - Dubon in 646 innings in the outfield

1 - Chas in 646 innings also

another area / aspect of the team that Dana needs to upgrade

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Sometimes I feel like Jake could kick the ball farther than he could throw it.

By comparison, Roberto Clemente had 27 outfield assists in 1961. That means he was gunning someone down once every 6 gams for the whole season.

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I would venture to guess outfielders in general during that era had more outfield assists than todays game. Baserunners were a lot more aggressive and it was a completely different style of ball back then.

W said:

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2024 outfield assists for the Astros:

4 - Tucker in 592 innings

3 - Yordan in 421 innings

2 - Jake in 1,145 innings

2 - Dubon in 646 innings in the outfield

1 - Chas in 646 innings also

another area / aspect of the team that Dana needs to upgrade

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Joey Gallo had 14 OF assists in 2021….

Ag_07 said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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The number of OF assists doesnt tell the whole story. How many runners attempted to take the extra base on a tag? How many attempted to go 1st - 3rd or score?

If you have 5 assists on 10 opportunities, thats great. 5 assists on 100 opportunities is bad.

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Well I can tell you they took the extra base A LOT right in front of Jake.

It was comical at times.

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2 years ago they were actively tagging from 1B on balls hit to Jake in CF. Not balls hit deep to gaps but just balls hit to CF. I dont remember that this last year.

Jake's arm strength vastly improved last year. But still average at best

Mathguy64 said:

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The number of OF assists doesnt tell the whole story. How many runners attempted to take the extra base on a tag? How many attempted to go 1st - 3rd or score?

If you have 5 assists on 10 opportunities, thats great. 5 assists on 100 opportunities is bad.

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BINGO. Savant has a stat for that. As a team, we ranked 24th in the league.

Here is how it broke down.

Dang… Jake, dubon and Chas are just bad

OAA doesn't factor in arms, scoops, or the catcher, but it does a decent job everywhere else.


FRV captures almost everything, but maybe puts too much emphasis on framing.


We have taken a step back in some areas in the last 2 seasons. 1B, 2B, and corner OF hasn't been great.