Altuve signing a prime step on a five-year run

The “D” word was used in the previous post (by me) in talking about the Astros’ future chances at building a dynasty. In truth, it is nearly impossible to evaluate a team’s chances beyond a few years. But just for jollies, let’s look at what might be involved in a 5 year run of championship contention for this Astros’ team, a run that would take them from the 2017 through the 2021 season. What types of challenges will be involved in that time period?

First assuming that the Jose Altuve five-year extension is announced, the following players would be under team control through that 2021 season:

So, season by season, what types of decisions need to be made, whose extensions to consider and is this team able to contend over even a 5 year period?

2018

The areas coming up after this season (that they might also address at the trading deadline) :

  • Do they compete with the league to chase free agent SP Dallas Keuchel? He has looked strong in Spring Training, he has had multiple injuries, and he will be turning 30.
  • What do they do with Swiss army knife Marwin Gonzalez? The trend this off-season seemed to undervalue one-dimensional sluggers, while more flexible players like MarGo would seem to have risen in value. If he repeats his 2017 in 2018, he could be pulling down $12+ million a year?
  • Can they convince SP Charlie Morton, who will be turning 35 next November to come back for more seasons and will they have to compete for his affections?
  • Do they pick up the $15 million option on C Brian McCann for 2019? He was a true leader for them in 2017, but he only played in 97 games for them and will be turning 35 before next season. Do they convince him to come back for less for a couple of years? Do they convince him to be a backup? Do they go young with catching or go outside for another veteran?
  • Do they try to bring DH/C Evan Gattis back? If he is working only as a DH and they think they can get similar numbers out of a Reed, Davis or White…probably not.

2019

The areas coming up after this season (that they might also address at the trading deadline) :

  • Do the Astros attempt to re-sign free agent SP Justin Verlander, who will turn 37 in the off-season leading into 2020? Probably not.
  • Or….do they attempt to re-sign free agent SP Gerrit Cole, who will only be 29 in the off-season leading into 2020? An attempt will depend on how he performs and what the other options are (Whitley, Martes, Paulino, Armenteros)
  • What about SP/RP Collin McHugh, who will be a first time free agent at 32 years old? He is an extra piece right now, but with the possibility of losing Keuchel, Morton, JV and Cole in the next two seasons, he could be a critical piece.
  • Should they exercise their $5.5 million team option on RP Will Harris? That may depend on whether his performance raises that $5.5 to 8.5 million.
  • Do they try to rehire new Astros RP Hector Rondon and RP Joe Smith?  Rondon will be 32 and Smith 36 by the time the 2020 season begins.

2020

The areas coming up after this season (that they might also address at the trading deadline) :

  • Do they chase the big kahuna George Springer or do they try to extend him before they ever get to this point? He has been the heart of this team and played like crazy when they needed it in the World Series. Will it matter that he will be 30+ for this first FA contract?
  • Do they say buh-bye to then 36-year-old Yuli Gurriel? Do they consider that he has less mileage on his body than the guys who’ve played a lot more games per season than he has?
  • Is Josh Reddick playing elsewhere while Kyle Tucker is playing here? Similar question about Jake Marisnick vs. someone like Derek Fisher.
  • What to do about Brad Peacock? By this time will he be starting? Still a swing man? Will he see a better chance to start elsewhere?
  • And finally will extending Ken Giles be a consideration before the 2021 season? Or will he fall by the way-side as a closer before this time?

So many other things could happen during these coming years, from injuries to domestic violence, from PEDs to trades to amazing youth pushing up from the minors. But this list shows how difficult it is to have continuous excellence in this era of rampant free agency.

What do you think will be the biggest and toughest decisions in the next few seasons that can affect the sustainability of Astros’ excellence going forward?

←
→

103 responses to “Altuve signing a prime step on a five-year run”

Newer Comments »

  1. Wow Dan Kudos to you. I’m so busy right now I don’t get on here as much as I used to , but man you put a lot of time and energy into these posts. I know all the regulars appreciate you big Time. Ty for all you do here on the Chip.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • You are welcome Kevin and very welcome to comment here any time especially if you compliment me. 😁
      This one took about 1 hr of research and 2 hrs of writing – most of mine are more of the one hr total variety. It is all a labor of love – love for the Astros and love for you fellow bloggers.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. Good overview – thanks, Dan!

    The biggest thing that will keep us together is winning and the organization doing right by the players. Even if we lose someone part of the core, like DK after a QO maybe even a modest extension; or Springer to his BOS roots; or Correa to highest bidder, we still have a solid nucleus.

    It does become apparent though after looking at the shortish timeline that we’d do well to replenish the farm a bit. Last few years we’ve over extended internationally, and I’m not seeing those fruits this early. We had a solid draft and might find a Bukauskas as a name to watch, or maybe a Joe Perez. But at least Luhnow saw it coming too.

    And really those pitchers who are lying in wait aren’t too shabby either. I really like the steady way JL has gone about things, from standing pat at the 2016 deadline, all the way to signing Cole (and others). I feel pretty confident that the transparency between front office and players will allow the proper type of collating (not colliding against) for each guy to know what’s best for the team and the individual, collectively. We’ve proven that by letting the players go who need to be somewhere else starting, like Straily, Moran, Teoscar, Musgrove and Feliz, and PTuck.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. This furthers my point about Luhnow’s wherewithal.

    “This is our franchise player, and he’s getting better every year,” Luhnow added. “Quite frankly, this [extension] is something we’ve discussed every year for the past three years, it just all came together this year. This is the perfect timing for our franchise.”

    Like

    Reply

  4. Before I get into the meat of this discussion, which is the next three years, I want to remind all of us about Luhnow’s tendencies and his vision for putting a team of 25 guys on the field.
    1. Luhnow likes guys who don’t strike out. He got stuck with guys who struck out a lot in the lean years, but this team has arrived and the high strikeout guys won’t fit. Reddick and Gurriel are low K guys and as long as they keep that part of their game up, I think they will fulfill their contracts.
    At no time in the past have Fisher and Marisnick given the organization the sign that they fit into the low strikeout realm and that leaves the door wide open for players in our minors or free agents who do fit the low K theme to walk in a take a job.
    2. He likes strikeout pitchers and not wild pitchers and he likes pitchers who get ground balls. Moving Paulino and Martes back to Fresno to work on their pitching is a sign to me that they are waiting to see if these two can get their games to the point where they reflect the organizational philosophy.
    3. Luhnow addressed his top players today and told them he wants them to stay with the club, right out there in front of everybody, including Boras. So now it’s up to the club and the players to see if it can be worked out.
    4. If the positional core of this team is to stay together and win, the Astros must absolutely have their prospect pitchers move up and filter into the rotation and bullpen in the next 2-3 years. The Astros cannot tie up everyone who matters and go out and trade for or sign high priced pitchers, too.

    Like

    Reply

    • OP1, what you said about Marisnick and Fisher applies to Reed and Davis. They just strike out too much for Luhnow [and, I think, for us spoiled Astro fans of the Luhnow era]. Tyler White and Tony Kemp are much more ‘in the mold’ regarding low strikeouts, but unfortunately, so far neither has been able to find a way to consistently hit major league pitching. I think that’s why we are all so excited about KTuck. Beyond him, very, very few position players presently in our minor league system at any level fit the ‘low strikeout/high OBP’ mold.

      Like

      Reply

      • What you say is true, but, If you have Springer in CF, Reddick in one COF and Tucker in the other COF, Bregman at 3B, Correa at SS, Altuve at 2B and Gurriel at 1B all tied into the club for three years or more, you don’t need position players except at C and DH. If you have two young catchers who hit from different sides of the plate and can hit for league average for catchers and play good defense, throw out some runners and handle pitchers you are as well off or better than any team at catcher for years. The Astros may have that in Stassi and Stubbs.
        That leaves DH. It appears Gattis is the guy this year. That leaves you needing to fill that spot starting in 2019. Who knows who that will be? There are a lot of choices out there on the market at the end of the year:
        -Maybe Gattis surprises us this year and kicks butt and we sign him for a couple more years.
        -Maybe Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre look for a ring next year, similar to what Beltran did.
        -Maybe Marwin signs on a deal
        -Maybe Yordan Alvarez blossoms into a big hitter without a position.
        -Maybe Toro Hernandez hits and doesn’t have a position.
        -Like I noted this past weekend, maybe Daniel Murphy returns from his injury and hits like he has been, but is looking for a ring with a good team.
        The possibilities are many if you are looking for a good hitter for DH and already have a world series caliber team.
        If your position players are tied up for years and are young and good, you don’t need tons of high prospect position players in the minors. You need pitchers!

        Liked by 2 people

  5. To me, it’s all a factor of two things: 1. how much money is the Crane conglomerate able and willing to commit to a long-term run vs. a single ‘this is our year’ run, and 2. who wants to stay in/with Houston. It is easy for me to say’ ‘let’s lock up so and so’ – but that requires a whole lot of somebody else’s money and deeply impacts somebody else’s family and personal life goals.

    That is why communication and good faith is key – for both the players and the organization. If we keep the lines of communication open, and all sides show respect and appreciation for the other, and resist the temptation to spout negativity when things inevitably go a little wrong, we have a better shot at keeping the train rolling.

    Like

    Reply

  7. Our low strikeout team is having its mettle challenged today. Six strikeouts against the lefty Matz in just five innings. 2 for Marisnick, 2 for McCann, and one apiece for Springer and Correa. Nevertheless, a line-drive dinger by Correa and an RBI single by Altuve – along with 5 strong innings by Verlander – presently have the Astros up 2-0.

    Like

    Reply

  8. Tony Sipp was brought in to start the 8th – a lefty to face a left-handed lead off batter. You can guess what happened next, right?

    Like

    Reply

      • Good guess based on past history. No, he gave up a hit to him, got a righty out, then gave up a double to another lefthanded hitter putting men on 2nd and 3rd. Then, miraculously, he escaped. A lefty-killer he is not.

        Like

  9. Vintage Verlander today. No need to put him back in the oven, he’s ready!
    What to do with Sipp. It’s kind of like the feeling Peacock got when Bo Porter was here, he would look at Porter and the look he gave Peacock would melt steel.
    It’s kinda like that right now with Luhnow and Hinch, with Sipp. I’m not sure how much more they are going to go with him, but would not surprise me to see him gone when spring training is over…..and it would be our luck for the arlington little league to pick him up, and he pitches like he did in 2015.
    I’m not going to even THINK about next year yet! It gives me a migraine to think George Springer won’t be here for a looong time😣

    Like

    Reply

    • If Sipp is going to pitch well for somebody else, when we are the ones who gave him $18 million and a WS ring, then why would I even care what he does.
      Why is it that a guy who is not making much money can pitch well and then can’t pitch a lick when he gets the money and his team finally is in a pennant race?
      What the heck? He is the very definition of the reason why the the bottom fell out of the market this year. Teams are going to have to be really convinced about anyone getting money these days and he is a good example.
      When he leaves, he’s gone! I’m going to pay attention only to the guys who are giving it all to the Astros. Sipp is a mini version of Pablo Sandoval.

      Like

      Reply

  13. Can’t see McCann getting an extension. He’s 0 for 18 for ST. That’s bad. So unless he’s going to give us a great deal (which I doubt) he be FA bound. This might be the year we trade some of these blocked AAA players to other clubs to refresh the system. We should have at least a couple of guys in the system ready to play big league ball by 2020/01. Hopefully, we don’t have to dig into the FA market to replace key players. Better to keep them here. Sipp might make the team but it’s a long shot. Just doesn’t seem to have since the contract signing. If we want to keep the current core we’ve got to be looking at close to a 200MM payroll beyond 2021. Ouch!

    Like

    Reply

    • This is not a knock on McCann but he has expressed he wants to finish his career in Atlanta. With that in mind, he has to know that time is fast approaching. So this may be his last year as an Astro.

      Like

      Reply

  14. -Luhnow said today that catcher Lorenzo Quintana will be placed in the upper minors and that they like what they see from him.
    -Got to see Verlander pitch today and he looked good! Batters were having a tough time picking up his fastball in the last five innings.
    -Will Harris is not sharp yet, but he has 10 days to get it together.
    -Springer, Marisnick and Reddick each played two innings in all 3 outfield positions today.
    -Bregman made a couple of sparkling defensive plays.
    -Jose Altuve would rather not talk at all than talk about himself.
    -Josh Reddick lined an opposite field double about five feet inside the 3B bag today off the Mets lefty starter. It was beautiful against the shift.
    -Correa’s HR was hit so hard the camera never picked it up. They replayed it and you still couldn’t see it.

    Like

    Reply

  16. Dan, I really enjoy your posts. I have been thinking about this during the entire off season.

    You can write down my projections like I was a Weatherman. (Not the bomb makers, but the error prone guys and gals at Weather.com). I have a pretty good handle on what the Astros need to do this year, at least up to the All Star break. But after that, I would just use “the historical averages” like they do. Or instead of Above Average, Average and Below Average temperatures, I could post “Spend less, Spend the same, or Spend more.” On a serious note, I believe we have a shot for this and next year to win a WS. After that, it is a total crap shoot.

    Like

    Reply

  17. McCann has already provided plenty of value to this club. We don’t win the World Series in 2017 without him. Imagine Castro as our guy last year? I hope McCann stays healthy and can give us 90 plus games behind the plate and a deep run into the post season. If Atlanta wants him, he’ll get his wish in 2019. But he could change his mind too.

    Like

    Reply

    • Interesting you mentioned Castro. I had almost forgotten that he was an Astro. Here is a brief (non-expert) comparison between 2015 and 2017 playoff teams.
      Catcher: Castro – McCann
      1st – Carter – Yuli
      3rd- Valbuena – Bregman
      OF – PTuck/Rasmus – Reddick/Aoki some + etc.
      DH – Gattis -Beltran
      SP – Feldman/Kazmir/Roberto Hernandez -Fiers/Morton/Verlander some
      BP – Neshek/Qualls/Fields/Thatcher – Devo/Feliz etc.

      Like

      Reply

  18. Well, our former prospect Franklin Perez [who we traded to the Tigers, with others, for JV], will be out a minimum of 12 weeks with a lat strain.

    Like

    Reply

    • OP – that was just so much fun to read. I love that kind of inside stuff and how these guys feel when they finally get a shot at the bigs, even if it is a one-off exhibition game. Just a great piece.

      Like

      Reply

  22. What should, on paper, be our strongest areas for our 2018 team:
    a. Starting pitching;
    b. middle relief;
    c. the offense provided by the core four;
    d. OBP.

    What are, on paper, potentially vulnerable areas for our 2018 team:
    a. DH;
    b. one outfield position;
    c. our late-inning bullpen;
    d. the 5th position in our line-up until Gurriel gets back [this could adversely affect everyone’s production starting with Carlos Correa]; and
    e. catcher offense.

    Like

    Reply

  23. While waiting for a delayed game, can we get into Dan’s theme?
    Post season 2018
    Let’s assume we want to try and keep our team as close to intact as we can.
    The Astros have a team option on McCann of $15 million and it only is automatic if he reaches pretty much unattainable goals. Picking up McCann’s option might be feasable if he has a fantastic year, but the Astros are going with three catchers because they want to limit his appearances so that he is not exhausted for the playoffs like he was last year. They also want him to help their younger catchers and pitchers.
    With Altuve costing the Astros $10 million more this year and in 2019 and Springer and Correa getting big increases in their arbitrations, the Astros are going to be hard pressed to pick up McCann’s option. I see them perhaps going with three young catchers next year with them doing the same thing as this year. Namely, seeing if they could use Stassi, Stubbs and Quintana to man the DH and 2 catchers roles. All three of these guys are better defensively than a 35 year old McCann and all of them are athletic and have good arms. Quintana is known for his bat.
    Keuchel and Gonzalez are slotted to become free agents, and both are repped by Boras. I think they would like to stay but can the Astros afford them? Call to lunch.
    I’m back. Will Harris has a $5+million option next season and he will need a good year for the Astros to pull the trigger, because of Martes and Paulino and Whitley and Bukauskas and others who will be pushing and who will make $550,000 in 2019. Plus there will be tons of really, really good free agent relievers next fall. I mean big name relievers will be available.
    Morton! Everything he decides to do next season, rides completely on how he performs this season. If he duplicates what he did last year, he gets offers, including from the Astros. But, I don’t think he has a chance at a QO because of his age, and that will actually help him in free agency if he chooses to go that route.
    I hope Gattis rakes this season so that our team wins the WS. If he does, he will be courted by some teams in the AL who need a DH, including the Astros.
    If he doesn’t, I think the Astros will let him try free agency. I think Gattis would stay if he could and is trying to work on hitting more to the opposite field, make pitchers work harder. He’s trying to walk more, K less and make teams pay for shifting on him. But he wants to use his power when they come in on him. He’s trying to do something really hard, to fit in with a team that excels in contact. But, Gattis needs to be a DH and that means he needs to get that wRC+ up there to accomplish his goals.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • op – Had one thing in there that I don’t know to be true. I thought Altuve is not getting any more than his original option money (approx. $6 million) for the 2018 and 2019 seasons and the $151 million is all 2020 to 2024.

      Like

      Reply

      • Dan, I saw where Cot’s baseball salaries has Altuve’s salary for 2018 & 2019 increasing to 9MM & 9.5MM. The remainder is 29MM so I like you wondered if there was a restructuring to his new deal.

        Like

      • Nope, He gets a $1 million bonus at signing, $10 million dollars in July, and his original $6 million extension salary throughout the season.
        In 2019 he gets his original extension of $6.5 million plus a $10 million add on. That accounts for $21 million of the $151 million. The remaining $130 million is in 5 years at $26 per year, with a chance of extras added as incentives in the last three years of the deal if he is in the MVP races.

        Like

  24. It is axiomatic that the key to ‘dynasty’ style excellence is training up and incorporating into the team when needed new talent equivalent to the talent that is leaving.

    Who will replace Keuchel if he leaves? Hopefully, C. Perez.

    Who will replace Verlander? Quite frankly, nobody. But hopefully, McCullers can develop as an ‘ace’ that will be a stopgap, or Whitely will be all that we hope.

    Who will replace Morton? Hopefully, Paulino or Armenteros.

    Who will replace Cole? Hopefully, Bukauskas.

    Who will replace Springer. No one. We need to sign him to a long term deal.

    Who will replace Reddick as #2 outfielder? Hopefully, Kyle Tucker.

    Who will replace Correa? No one. We HAVE to sign him to a long term deal.

    Who will be the 3rd outfielder after Fisher and Marisnick are gone? Not much in our system. Can Alvarez really play OF?

    Who will replace McCann? No one in our system, unless it’s the Cuban.

    Who will replace Gurriel? Hopefully Reed or Alvarez.

    Who will replace Marwin? If we can sign him long term, we need to sign him long term. Nobody fits that bill.

    We will probably have to refill the bullpen from the FA and trade market.

    Who will DH? Well, that’s never been our strong point anyway.

    Like

    Reply

  25. I’m stuck here with my ipad, and keep losing posts when I attempt to send. So I’ll try a few short ones.

    If Keuchel has too good a year, I think we lose him. If he’s just fair, or sits due to injury, we let him go. I just don’t see him back.

    If Marwin repeats, Dan, it will be 12 plus, and probably for at least three years. We keep Marwin, it might close the door on Springer.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  26. I think we’ve seen the best of McCann. He’s an old catcher. I hope he’s got one solid season left and as OP notes, is carefullly used, and has something left to go deep into the playoffs. I also think that if he hits the wall, Luhnow won’t let him hit .190 all year unless we’ve got the big lead again. Our GM will make a move to strengthen up the catcher position before the deadline, if he has not identified a starter in house.

    If Morton has the same health and success in 2018, he might just stick around and give a bit of a loyalty discount. Before he got rescued by Luhnow, could he has even imagined his career taking the turn it took?

    I’ve said it over and over, so I’m out on a limb. Gattis will hit. And if he brings an .800 plus OPS on the season, someone will give him 10 million too. If that turns out o be the case, I think we lose him for in house DH options. But it sure is good to have that third catcher option handy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. If Verlander gets another ring, I think he’ll be ready to retire, move to LA and start his new career.

    Cole, assuming he corrects his career path, will need a lot of money. How many guys can we pay? At some point, a couple of in house guys are going to have to become top of the rotation starters. I’m pretty sure we have a least one of then.

    McHugh might be the guy that hangs around and ends up with a three year deal.

    Harris, Rondon, Smith. It’s all about what kind of seasons they have.

    Like

    Reply

  28. I’m assuming Altuve is already working on Springer. It’s unusual in baseball today, but this is a remarkable group of guys and just maybe George recognizes that the relationships he’s got here trump getting the biggest deal possible. Will he let Luhnow craft a solid deal that will also allow all four guys to stay together? It would be unprecedented in this day and age, but I think we deserve it Becky.

    Yuli might be our DH next year. But at 36, that’s long in the tooth for this group. I’m wondering if he can still become a better ML hitter in 2018.

    Reddick, Marisnick, Fisher. It’s a crap shot. I just don’t know! Dan, this is an exhausting exercise. Tucker is going to provide to provide huge lefthanded bat. Reddick might not be needed, especially if Geoorge’s deal gets done. Let’s see if Fisher hits in 2018. I almost hope Jake does not improve further as a hitter. That might help keep him as a 4th outfielder.

    I’m still not convinced Giles is the answer. I need to see him dominate a World Series. I guess my expectations are pretty high. But that’s what we want to have in the pen.

    Peacock, if healthy, will one day get a chance to be a starter. And he’ll be a good one.

    Like

    Reply

  29. Op – I have tried to post this for you but keep losing it – thanks for the Altuve contract info – this was not clear on the Astros web site

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  30. Before getting into the offseason following 2019 I want to take a stab at this dynasty thing:
    – The best way to include George Springer in this long-term-core-four thing was to get Altuve signed. You can’t get the second piece until you get the first. Springer will be older than Altuve when he is nearing an extension, he will not have the stolen base weapon, he will not have four years in a row leading baseball in hits. He may like the same amount of money but he won’t have the resume to get it. I think the Astros could go after him before his year 4 of arbitration and offer him an extension in the 5/100 range that would pay him through 2024, the same years as Altuve.
    -When it comes time to Correa, if you have the first two signed and Bregman is still at 3B, the Astros can make a big commitment to Correa because he is much younger, plays the big SS, Correa and Springer would be into the initial years of their deal and Bregman would be into his arbitration years.
    This is the pivot point of the dynasty years. If you pay Correa big and sign him long term, then
    -Bregman might sign on because he’s happy, rich and on one of the best teams in baseball with his three co-stars on board. And he and Correa are the faces of the franchise going forward.

    Like

    Reply

  31. Spring training win-loss records are not predictive of much at all, but just for fun, let’s look at the AL West with 8 games left to play:

    Astros: 16-7
    A’s: 12-11
    Angels: 12-15
    Mariners: 11-14
    Rangers: 7-17

    Any thoughts – well, other than ‘so what?’

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • My thought is that great pitching wins games and the Astros ERA is the best in baseball in spring training. The coaching staff and trainers have been terrific with getting the team into shape after the marathon of last year .
      The team has been healthy and the minor leaguers who have been finishing up the games have hit better than other team’s minor leaguers have, when it counted.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  33. Speaking of lefty relievers not named Tony Sipp….Fernando Abad was just released – he had a 3.30 ERA in 48 appearances for the Red Sox last season – anybody interested?

    Like

    Reply

  34. -Josh Reddick had a triple and a homer and a single today, all off of LH pitchers.
    -Lance McCullers Jr gave up only two hits today and they were both ground balls to LF, one of which I thought Bregman could have had. He walked two and struck out six in 5.1 innings. His curve and slider were used today and he used his changeup against Lefty hitters, including Bryce Harper.
    -Devenski and Giles were each touched for a home run.
    -Marwin had two hits and a walk in 3 PAs.
    -McTaggart seems to think Hoyt’s slight injury may hand Sipp the final bullpen spot.
    – Gurriel is close to playing in the minor league camp. He may rehab there on the 10 day DL and then serve his supension.
    – The Astros substituted with players in the low minors today.

    Like

    Reply

  35. Dan, I’m not worried about having to have a lefty out of the pen. If our right handers are good enough to get the outs, then we don’t need that obligatory Sipp.

    Like

    Reply

    • Here’s the problem – right now Sipp is going to be in the bullpen. Do you want him in the bullpen or someone else like Abad?

      Like

      Reply

      • I’d rather let Sipp convince everyone that he should be released and then move on from there, rather than picking up a guy the Sox can’t use.

        Like

      • I personally would rather have Paulino who was nails before being sent down – at least he had an upside.

        Like

      • How much of the upside was due to steroids, though? Look at Jordan Schafer when he got popped

        Like

      • Reading between the lines on what Paulino said about his abuse – he was using it to recover from an injury – not for overall enhancement. I think there is a difference.
        He seemed to pitch very well this spring – when he knew he would be checked.

        Like

  37. The Marlins leadoff hitter Derek Dietrich, who is their version of Marwin, has an interesting Houston connection. He was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round in 2007 and when Drayton would not violate Bud Selig’s “guidelines” on slotting he went to college and eventually got drafted 3 years later by the Fish.

    Like

    Reply

  38. The new, leaner, ‘laughingstock’ Marlins are once again giving our Astro superheroes all they can handle and more.

    Like

    Reply

    • I am following on gameday and gameday audio. It is now 6-3 Marlins after 3 innings. Morton is not doing well at all against the Marlins’ left handed hitters. The only reason we are still in this game is that the Marlin’s starter walked 5 and hit one in 1 2/3 innings.

      Like

      Reply

    • The radio guys say he’s throwing mostly fastballs. The Marlins are taking them to to the opposite field with precision and powerr.

      Like

      Reply

  44. I’m trying hard not to start talking everyone off the ledge again. I mean guys are going to have bad days. Guys are going to slump. Guys are going to regress. Guys are going to get hurt. But we have a lot of depth so hopefully we can sustain through the season and have a healthy strong team heading into the playoffs.

    Like

    Reply

    • I’ve got no worries. I suspect Charlie threw a few changes, the thing he’s trying to work into his mix.

      And hypothetically, if Charlie all of a sudden sipped, then I’d have the luxury of using the best #6 starter in MLB.

      Then I’d have my Cuban friend Rogelio, just a day away. I think he’ll get some frequent flyer miles built up this year.

      And don’t forget the talented, once misguided, hopefully rehabilitated, David Paulino.

      I’d also be remiss in not mentioning Francis!

      We’ve got options.

      Does anyone really think Tony Kemp might get the nod over Derek Fisher? That would put Marwin out in left most days.

      Like

      Reply

    • No ledge for me either. Today was a tough day – and we have proven, with the Marlins, that we still know how to play down to the level of our competition.

      Like

      Reply

  45. 13-6 Marlins in the sixth.
    And Tony Sipp has made the team, which proves that you can be bad all the time and keep your job.
    Charlie Morton did his best Sipp imitation today to honor this decision.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  46. Peeps are going to be coming after us hard and we may as well get used to it. What was that post Dan had before we won WS, can’t quote exactly, something about us being in uncharted territory. Well, we is again.

    Like

    Reply

  48. Oh Lordy…..today’s game reminded me of one of those spankings we used to get from the Cardinals! Made me feel like the guys were back in the NL!
    So who’s it gonna be: White, Davis or Fisher? Becky⚾

    Like

    Reply

  49. JV DK LMJ Cole Salt McQ
    Pea, Devo, Giles, Smith, Rondon, Harris, Sipp
    McCann Stassi Gattis
    Bregman CC Tuve Marwin
    (Gurriel)/Davis Springer Fisher Jake Reddick

    McCurry to 40-man for Boshers

    Like

    Reply

  50. It is interesting that the Astros are 1-3-1 against the Marlins this Spring – and 16-5 against everyone else.

    Are fish this team’s kryptonite?

    Like

    Reply
Newer Comments »

Leave a reply to Devin Cancel reply