The trade deadline has become a traditional time of big moves for the Houston Astros during this “Renaissance” period of their history. Most have been positive, though a few have not been that great in retrospect. Looking back, there were a few that I had forgotten or was not so sure about the details. Let’s take a quick look at 2015 thru 2022.
2015 – This was the Astros’ first pennant race since the dismantling of the team. The team had taken as much as a 6-1/2 game lead in the division in the first half, but by the time late July hit the race was very close and was even tied some days. The team made two rather large deals. In retrospect, the pickup of Scott Kazmir as a two-month rental from Oakland was the better of the two trades, even though he was a bit inconsistent in both his pitching and his fielding. The other trade will go down in Astros infamy for two reasons. First, the Astros gave up four players to Milwaukee, including Josh Hader, Domingo Santana, Adrian Houser, and Brett Phillips, who ranged from bit player to All Star in their contributions to the Brewers. Secondly, the trade brought back Carlos Gomez, who never returned to his 2013-2014 All Star heights, and unfortunately, Mike Fiers, who would make some inconsistent contributions to the team before ratting them out in the “IT” scandal.
2016 – There was a little frustration with the front office in 2016. They spent most of July straining to move from a little under .500 to a little over .500 and to get within 6 games of the Rangers. The team over-performed expectations in 2015, and so when they returned to the earth a bit in 2016, the fans were hoping for a boost to get them back to the playoffs. The team only made two close-to-the-deadline trades involving a major leaguer and in each case, the major leaguer was leaving. They dumped Scott Feldman to the Blue Jays for young Lupe Chavez, who bounced around a bit and ended up in the Mexican league. Those major leaguer for minor leaguer trades rarely work. What? The other trade? Oh, that was Josh Fields sent to the Dodgers for a newly signed Cuban prospect Yordan Alvarez. Sometimes lightning does strike.
2017 – On the one hand, the Astros were very comfortably in the lead in the AL West, holding at least a double-digit lead from June onward. But they had had quite a few injuries, especially in the rotation, and were stumbling through a sub-.500 August.
The 2017 trade deadline ended up being the most impactful in the Renaissance period as the Astros picked up Francisco Liriano from the Blue Jays.
Wait – oh, you meant the way the Astros grabbed Cameron Maybin off waivers.
Alright, alright. The Astros benefited from the now-gone waiver deadline and, with either a few seconds or a few minutes left to the deadline at the end of August, picked up Justin Verlander for four prospects who have not brought the Tigers to the promised land, like JV helped the Astros to – twice.
2018 – Even with a very strong returning team and fine performance, the Astros had trouble shaking the much-improved Oakland A’s in 2018. They felt like they needed improved bullpen performance, so they made two big moves at the end of July. They picked up Ryan Pressly, who had been a steady but not great set-up man in Minnesota, but who had the kind of spin the team liked. Then they sent away one current headache – Ken Giles to Toronto for Roberto Osuna, who would become more of a headache due to the action of a front office person rather than anything he did after he came to Houston. Note – to self, it is not good to try and rub folks’ noses on behalf of someone who was accused of domestic abuse, no matter how well-behaved he may have been here.
2019 – Despite being on a really fine pace, the Astros again had a decent but not safe lead over the fine Oakland A’s. It was felt that the Astros needed another strong starter to back up JV and Gerrit Cole, with the uncertainty that Wade Miley was going to stay strong after exceeding his 2018 innings early. The Astros went out and got Zack Greinke (great), Aaron Sanchez (great for one start), Joe Biagini (no good) and picked up Martin Maldonado to help Robinson Chirinos behind the plate. The Astros gave away a few prospects, plus WS hero Derek Fisher, fan-favorite Tony Kemp, and backstop Max Stassi.
2020 – The 2020 season was just odd by all standards, as the pandemic pushed the start of the season in front of no fans to a point where the season would only be 60 games long. The Astros were inundated with injuries, but at the first trade deadline under GM James Click, they stayed pat. The team collapsed down the stretch, eked into the playoffs, and then came within one win of the World Series.
2021 – The Astros bounced back to a strong start in 2021. They were in a battle with Oakland that morphed into a battle with the up-and-coming Mariners. They decided that what they needed the most was a shot in the arm for the bullpen. Just like in 2023, they brought in Kendall Graveman along with Rafael Montero from Seattle for Abraham Toro and Joe Smith, which still feels like a steal. Little did we know that Montero, in 2022 would have the most impact for the Astros. They also picked up Yimi Garcia and Phil Maton for Myles Straw. Oh, and a throw-in along with Maton was the catcher of the future (who should be the catcher of now), Yainer Diaz.
2022 – In July, the Astros established and held a double-digit lead over the Mariners. They decided they wanted some help on the offensive end for their bench and possibly to bolster a struggling Yuli Gurriel and first base. They picked up Trey Mancini (who, after a quick start, fell into a deep ditch), Christian Vazquez (who did not get many at bats behind Maldy – sound familiar?), and a token lefty reliever Will Smith. Out the door went Jake Odorizzi and Jose Siri.
Today, the Astros sent Korey Lee packing and brought Kendall Graveman back for a second shot at a title. Fans are waiting anxiously for the big trade they expect to bring starting pitching help. Will it happen? Stay tuned, but this could be another impactful trade deadline for the Astros.
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
76 responses to “Astros 2023: Trade deadlines during the Renaissance”
Wouldn’t be ironic if Verlander followed Graveman back to town.
LikeLiked by 3 people
JV is trying to extend his career. Getting anywhere near Dusty the Clown would be a real dumb move for him. Kate would prolly remove his acorns with a dull spoon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“…Christian Vazquez (who did not get many at bats behind Maldy – sound familiar?)…”
Sure does. Doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Just watched MaldoNADA strike out like a blind Girl Scout. Again.
“Deja vu all over again.” Yogi Berra
LikeLiked by 1 person
That conversation with GM Brown in the booth was interesting. I feel a little better about the rest of July. But still keeping the “expectations” knob set a little below 1.
Especially seeing that Javy apparently hasn’t done PFP for a while…… Phooey!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looking California. Feeling Minnesooooota…… – Ryan Pressly’s new walk on song
This Graveman trade might be the best thing Brown coulda done. Maybe he can come in and slam the door. Pressly sure can’t anymore. He’s throwing that slider WAY too often and hitters know it.
But Dusty the Clown will prolly never even consider taking him out of the closer role. Anybody care to take that bet?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sitting here listening to some old Jethro Tull trying to induce another premonition as I reflect on Pressly’s p___ poor performance (of his many recently). Do y’all spose there’s any way GM Brown can get Yimi Garcia to come back?
Severe disappointment is transforming into extreme cynicism…..
LikeLiked by 2 people
Tull was a bit eclectic even for a progressive band – those lilting pastoral flute and acoustic guitar parts offset by some unbelievable searing lead guitar solos. Yes, that might help wash away yesterday’s game.
I’m thinking Pressly like the rest of the bullpen just has been working too much.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dan, your brain is full of remarkable stuff. What’s a weak category for you?
LikeLike
I was listening to the early stuff that came out before Aqualung. It did help. Would’ve helped more if I could inhale nowadays what I inhaled in those daze. But alas, father time has caught up to me and is fixing to overtake. I did me some good to see that the Strangers also got beat..
Hopefully, young Mr. Brown can chew up some good innings tonight and give the guys in the pen some rest. They’re gonna need all they can get.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tonight may be Mott the Hoople while watching the Rangers/Padres. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning! It sure is weird that Sahara dust can blow all the way across a big ocean and hide the sun from us. Allegedly, this same dust helps keep tropical weather systems from forming, so that’s a good thing.
tof, I hope Graveman gets here and helps Pressly with about a weeks worth of rest. I think he’s as gassed as anyone in the pen. I’d love to see Javier develop a ground ball pitch at some point. But outside of the first inning, we saw the old version of Reptile last night. I can’t imagine Framber working his way out of a base loaded, no out situation right now.
We need another outfielder that can hit. Send Julks or Jake down. Give Dirden or Loperfido a shot. Lefties! Maybe that happens after the deadline. And a catcher that hits. And can make throws to second base. Wait, we’ve got one. Diaz had a pretty good at bat late, but it’s got to be tough for a rookie, once again relegated to part time status coming off the bench to face a guy throwing 101 that he’s never seen before.
Alas, the Rangers lost again! Which Texas team is best going to take advantage of the deadline? Let the Renaissance continue, but don’t give away the ranch!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“I can’t imagine Framber working his way out….”
He sure does know his way INTO those spots. But I’m with you. He couldn’t find his way out with both hands and a GPS. I’m just real grateful he’s not doing anything important for a living like driving a truck. He would freak out in Houston traffic and jam up everything for hours!
Hope they can pull their heads out tonight. It’s a new day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah daveb – the Sahara dust is not only coating your islands but has been all the way over here a number of times this summer. We are also getting the Sahara heat, but that is not coming from Africa.
The last couple games have been a bit disappointing. We thought the team would be inspired after Altuve and Alvarez returned. We thought they might have had a jauntier step (except for Mushinski who is the likely odd man out) after picking up Gravemen.
But no, a Ranger’s finale that turned in a heart beat to a beat down and a loss to the Rays where a Chas walk in the ninth was the biggest rally point and the only baserunner after the fourth inning. I was hoping the way they rallied back from 3-0 down would inspire them to flip this game but it did not happen.
Not all bad things last night. Outside of his two out lapse in the first inning and hitting three hitters overall, this was by far the closest to last season Javier we have seen. It was good to see the big bomb by Abreu to get them back in the game. Altuve with two hits including that ambush triple in the first was a plus and Yordan had a hit again last night.
I was not happy to see Siri beat us with hustle and speed. Julks did not charge that single and get it in quick and it cost us.
Well, all we can do is pull for a turn around tonight.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I said the same about Julks when he went to corral the ball that Siri hit. Siri gives 100% when he is on the field. Something that many of the Astros do not do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dan, the idea of Pressly pitching the 9th is obviously to keep the game tied. Chas in left and Jake in center has been repeated so many times. It’s the best defensive alignment we’ve got in the outfield. But as we see so often, our manager does not think or simply does not bother to utilize all 26.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thinking isn’t Dusty’s strong suit. Must be the effects of ingesting too much wood fiber.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t get to see the B9 as my livestream cut out. Probably just as well. Too much yelling and cursing just wakes up the neighbor’s dog and gets him to barking all night.
Not very surprised to learn there was a lack of hustle, though. Been seeing a lot of lollygagging from too many (Pena comes to mind) lately and don’t like it. For the amount of money these guys are paid, they could at least PRETEND they care while we’re watching. They could laugh at us suckers later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the important numbers right now are 2 and 4…as in two behind the Rangers and four up on the Angels. The key is to go out and keep winning each series. The tough part is also keeping the bullpen whole enough to finish the season. Hopefully they can put more runs up and reduce the stressful innings.
Tough spot for Diaz last night, but kudos to him for legging out that FC.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems whenever we’re tied in the 9th Mr Toothpick rings in Pressley and he either blows it or we don’t score and then lose on extras. I don’t understand it but then again what do you expect?
LikeLiked by 3 people
The Clown has all the imagination of a fruit fly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since “trades” is the focus of this blog post I’ll jump in:
*One look at Grandal’s contributions to the White Sox during his 4-year, $72million time there is reason for me to believe that the Sox wanted Korey Lee badly. He is rated as a defensive catcher and Grandal turned out to be bad on defense and bad on offense.
The Sox decided to learn a lesson and change their direction at catcher.
* The Astros have not had an ace this year and Javier has not pitched like a #2. The Astros need an “Ace” if they are to compete against other team’s Aces for the rest of the season and postseason. No I don’t have an answer to that problem beyond giving up a ton of money and a ton of prospects and/or players off of the major league team.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1OP, if Cohen gives a crap (and I kind of doubt it) about fiscal responsibility, then Verlander should be within reach. And he’s the closest guy to an ace I can think of.
LikeLike
Informative list of some potential trade targets
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/top-50-trade-candidates-deadline-edition.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is pretty close to the line up we’ve been squawking for all year. Time to hit. And we need a game from Brown too. Got to start owning the home park.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chip just texted me that the Mets have an agreement to send Scherzer to the Rangers if Max agrees
LikeLiked by 2 people
And also passed along from Chip
https://www.si.com/mlb/astros/news/houston-astros-mets-deep-discussions-regarding-blockbuster-justin-verlander-trade
LikeLiked by 3 people
Verlander would qualify my Ace requirement!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank God for the pitch clock rule. Even without Joe Buck, these Faux announcers are tough to listen to. Hoping for an 8-1/2 inning game tonight!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice to see Brown and Diaz smiling and laughing coming off instead of seeing MaldoNADA trying to be a badass thug. Which he ain’t.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And the hit parade o clear some bases
LikeLiked by 2 people
16-2….nice
LikeLiked by 1 person
It will probably come as a surprise to no one that I much prefer the feast to the famine we’ve been seeing. King Tuck is likely not a happy guy tonight. But I think he’ll be all right. Looked to me like he was just trying to do too much.
The bottom of the order looks infinitely better without the mouthy gangsta wannabe MaldoNADA killing all the Astros rallies. But I’m confident in saying that I’m sure Dusty the Clown will trot his worn out butt out there again tomorrow. It’s just a question of which Brandon Bielak shows up on the mound.
Monterrible again showed why he got his nickname. Watching him impersonate a major league pitcher is painful to watch even in a blowout game. But at least the (relatively) more reliable relievers got some rest today with Mushy and him picking up the slack. If they can, the Stros need to send Monterrible down to single A. He never was ready for the bigs and still isn’t. Probably never will be.
But this is why we (at least I) love baseball. Tomorrow is always a new day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope this a prelude of better things to come from the lineup (having Tuv/ Alvarez back). The bottom of the lineup did enough damage before the blowout began. Peña will have to get going in the 2 hole and not be a drag grounding into outs. Dusty may have to get creative in the 2 hole until Brantley returns or a decent L bat is brought up or in. At some point, like tomorrow, Dusty has to be compelled to make Diaz the primary C. The coaches only decision for the lineup should be who bats 9th.
??? Will Brown be compelled to makes an audacious trade for a TORP or will he look for lesser pickings. I don’t think the Rangers are done and our P staff is in need of life support.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Old School!
“…Dusty has to be compelled to make Diaz the primary C.”
That would also be my greatest wish. I guess we will know for sure when the lineup comes out tomorrow. I can’t help but think, however, that compelling Dusty the Clown to do anything particular thing is something Crane is not capable of doing. Or willing to do anyway.
But if anything could clearly demonstrate to everybody (including the Clown) that Yainer should be the Astros starting catcher it would be Diaz’ performance over the last couple weeks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Today’s final rehab start for Urquidy could go a long way to determining what the Astros do in the next three days of the trade deadline.
It is just my observation, but I believe Brantley is crossed off as an outfielder for the rest of the year and would be limited to the DH/PH role if he did return.
Altuve, Bregman and Alvarez would make the start of a very good slow pitch softball team.
Yainer has a future as a major league catcher and is surprisingly quick, for a big catcher, on the base paths.
Gotta head out to Mass.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Gosh, all this liking posts is difficult. I’m typically not so agreeable. No worries though, I’ll be back to my. normal self tomorrow. By the way, who the heck is “Sahara Dust”?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thoughts –
– If they could get Justin Verlander – that might be the piece the starting rotation needs to roll into and through the playoffs. But at what price.
– I think it was during an in-game interview with Dana Brown the other day and the way he answered the question about Michael Brantley made me think that it would not be long until we get the final answer on his season – and that final answer might well be that he is done.
– We are all thinking it – the Astros score 17 runs yesterday including 5 runs and 3 home runs against a catcher and today they will struggle to do anything. I hope not – with Bielak pitching we need a bit of another outburst.
– Can anyone imagine with how the season has gone lately that the Astros would score 17 runs in a game that Kyle Tucker went 0 for 6? Maybe he will carry the day today.
– This would be a nice day to tie the Rangers for first place
– It has been great to see how deep the lineup can be (especially with Maldy sitting) now that Altuve and Yordan are back.
– Nice to see the catcher come up to bat and not flinch
– Good game from Hunter – he really didn’t give up the runs until it did not matter much
LikeLiked by 1 person
My thought. I want to throw up. Diaz back on the bench.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Carole King and James Taylor had this to day about what unfolded at MMP a few hours ago:
Tonight you guys … were soaring!
No one could stop … your scoring!
Can we believe … the magic is returning?
Will you still Astro … tomorrow?
We all saw Bregman’s … web gem?
and how Hunter Brown … dispatched them.
But, tell us now, don’t make us ask again …
Will you still Astro … tomorrow?
Tonight with bombs a-flying;
you said you were the team to beat …
But will you leave … us crying …
when we look … at the next … score sheet?
Was that the real Abreu?
Or a mirage – what say you?
Will we need … to bid … for playoff tickets soon?
Will you still Astro … tomorrow?
Will you still Astro … tomorrow?
Will you still Astro … tomorrow?
LikeLiked by 1 person
https://www.si.com/mlb/astros/news/houston-astros-mets-deep-discussions-regarding-blockbuster-justin-verlander-trade
Since you mentioned it Dan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Andre – good to hear from you!
If the trade happens it would be a boon I think for the team – he certainly has had no problem taking the pressure that being THE guy brings.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The lineup today
Altuve 2B
Peña SS
Tucker RF
Bregman 3B
Alvarez DH
Abreu 1B
McCormick LF
Dubon CF
Maldonado C
Diaz is thanked for his HR, double and 3 RBIs with a seat on the bench.
Oh yeah day game after a night game. These 20 year olds are so fragile.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Jake should also be playing. He’s better at the plate than Dubon and certainly a difference maker in center. At some point, the other players on the team have also got to wonder what’s going on with the lineups. They also want to have the best chance to win.
LikeLiked by 2 people
One would imagine so. But one can also imagine a manager named Dusty who is so petty, spiteful, and vindictive that saying anything to that effect would be harmful to their career prospects as well. That IS Dusty Baker.
He has got to go. For the team. The sooner the better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t say I’m surprised that it’s the T4 and MaldoNADA is back and has already struck out once. In fact, I would’ve been flabbergasted had Dusty the Clown started Diaz today.
He is the Les Steckel of the baseball world.
LikeLike
This is one troubled, schizophrenic team. We can love them, but it is impossible to like or enjoy them. Bring in a position player to pitch if Bielak gets tired – and put in every other scrub we’ve got. They obviously exhausted every ounce of baseball talent they possess last night. Making any regulars play this game – behind a pitcher who should never see a major league mound again – is an unforgivable waste of time, energy, and talent. MAKE DUSTY PITCH!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And then I’d be praying for a 110 MPH comebacker to hit him right smack in the toothpick!
LikeLike
I’m over Maton as much as I am over Maldonado at this point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m trying to think of one pitcher in the Astros bullpen that I DO still trust. Graveman, I guess. And to a certain extent Stanek. But then I think back to 2021when I had to take the “e” out of his name and how long it took for him to earn it back and I realize I don’t trust him 100% either……
LikeLike
Neris and to a lesser extent, Abreu. Other than that, that bullpen is GASSED
LikeLike
Watching this travesty that will be recorded in the books as an MLB game has put me in desperate need of a good laugh. This video did the trick for me. Maybe at least some of y’all can find it therapeutic as well…..
LikeLike
There’s so many things that are just out of sync with this team that I’d be willing to bet that they don’t win the division and IF they make the playoffs they won’t get to the ALCS. There are too many other teams that are just better teams and are playing better. JV is not going to make that big of a difference so I would hope they take a pass on him. I think a while back I posted a list of things that I thought contributed to this season but I’ll concentrate on one in this post.
It’s obvious that the bull pen is just out of gas as they have pitched around 330 innings thus far which equates to 3 2/3 innings per game. We have 7 relievers who have averaged around 44 IP. That’s 95% of all reliever IP. Aside from the bull pen woes when the starting rotation can’t get into the 7th inning that creates more stress. Of course we have several relievers who have simply stunk this year. Montero leads the pack with Seth Martinez, Ryan Stanek, and Ryan Pressley. Oh I forgot about Phil Maton who was just super in the 1st half of the season but has self destructed in the last 6 weeks.
I don’t think Kendall Graveman will make that big of a difference.
I hope I’m wrong about the division and the playoffs but with the Rangers acquiring Scherzer and maybe more they’re trying to slam the door in our face. They already have the bats, just need to shore up the pitching.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with every single thing you said. Every one.
LikeLike
FDB
LikeLike
Plenty of baseball still to play. And the deadline is still a day plus away. But this club is not playing good baseball. Pitching is way over stressed. And we just don’t have enough good pitchers. But the thing that gets me is that this club has now given up 50 unearned runs. When a guy like Bielak is on the mound, the defense has to make plays. We played crappy against the Rangers and got lucky winning 2 of 3. And we got what we deserved from the Rays, playing crappy 2 out of 3. It’s a rudderless ship. I want the Astros to get to the post season. But I really want to see the last Dusty Baker managed game to happen too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, brother, there are NEVER enough good pitchers on a Dusty Baker (mis)managed team. Not for long anyway. The folks in Chicago, San Fran, and Washington predicted this decline in Houston before the scamdemic had even hit. He did it there, too. It’s going to take years for the Stros to recover from Dusty Baker’s disgraceful legacy of failure.
Last year was an aberration in the sense that the injury bug never really hit our team and not very much management was even necessary to win a championship. Heck, even Les Steckel could’ve led them to a WS championship last year and he’s not even a baseball guy!
What games this team wins now are DESPITE Dusty Brown – not because of him.
The sad part is that if they don’t get rid of him before it’s too late, they’re gonna lose valuable players like Tucker, Diaz, and McCormick. God knows how many others.
Hard to believe Crane can’t see it. Maybe he does see it and he’s just afraid to fire the black guy. I dunno……
LikeLike
No need to bring race into it; managers generally don’t get fired in the thick of a pennant race especially for the defending WS champs. Comment makes even less since when you consider the GM (who likely will replace Baker at the end of the season with his own candidate) is also black.
In any case, Dusty will be munching all the toothpicks he wants in between juice boxes and meals on wheels at Shady Pines next season
LikeLike
I may be the only one saying it. But I assure you I am not the only one thinking it. Dana Brown will have nothing to say about whether and when Baker stays or goes. That comment is completely specious and merits no response.
LikeLike
Doesn’t Dusty own a winery? Would you by a bottle of wine with his picture on it?
He has a baseball on the label though. Will that do it? Oh and they ain’t exactly inexpensive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
HaHa. That could explain why he’s driving Astros fans to drink!
No, I’m not going allow anybody or anything to drive me back to that life. I like being clean & sober.
LikeLike
The Rangers are all in for sure. Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer are probably overpays but they are in right now, they seem to be less concerned about tomorrow as they are making a run this year and probably next.
We continue to sit on our hands, the question is can we stare down the Mets long enough to beat the clock for another Verlander deadline deal. They need to eat a bit of the salary to do it because Crane seems to refuse anything that puts him over the tax.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not happy with the Rangers picking up Montgomery while Dana Brown is saying we aren’t pursuing a starter anymore…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dan, did he give a reason as to why they are not pursuing a starter any longer? Exactly what are they after?
LikeLike
He was kind of hinting around that the price was too high. Texted back and forth with Chip, who thinks he is just posturing to get someone to come down off their high horse on what they want.
We are hearing it has to do with how much they want the Mets to throw in cash on the Verlander trade, more than prospects.
LikeLike
Right. Don’t hold your breath waiting for Verlander in a Stros uni, either, friends. Not going to happen. And even if it does, it isn’t going to help. It’s too late to salvage this season now.
Until Baker is in the rear view mirror, the Stros aren’t going anywhere and the Renaissance will continue regressing to the Dark Ages.
LikeLike
The lackadaisical fielding is a problem as well, especially between Bregman and Pena. Pena has nine CHARGED errors, even though he could have more but home cooking… Bregman has ten! We were concerned about Abreu’s fielding at first base but he has only four errors. On the other hand, Yuli has two errors in half the amount of games as Abreu. Maldy is another problem fielding. Six errors and EIGHT passed balls.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely right. Now what should we think may be causing a lackadaisical attitude across the whole team? It couldn’t possibly be that the starters know they’re going to continue starting and the up-and-comers won’t regardless of their on field performance, could it? 3 for 5 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored and you still don’t get a start the next day? Really?
Nah, that couldn’t have anything to do with it…….
LikeLike
Astros team stats:
Abreu 95 strikeouts
MaldoNADA 88
Pena also 88
Julks 72
Altuve has 30 in only 36 games or he would be right up there, too.
So what exactly are Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker being paid to do again? Oh yeah….
If I were the owner of this team, I would feel like I was being ripped off across the board.
LikeLike
Is it too early to make the determination that the Jose Abreu deal was NOT a good one? Or does our new GM think $2,000,000.00 per home run is satisfactory?
Perhaps if we calculate the piece price of every unearned run that stems from his iron glove?
Then we look at the long term deal they gave Monterrible and I have to start to have very serious doubts about the future of our Astros. Graveman didn’t exactly look like Cy Young in that inning he pitched today, either.
But if it’s OK with Crane, it’s OK with me. Not coming out of my pocket……
LikeLike
On Abreu I’m more interested in RBIs than dingers. He’s on pace for 86 RBIs, which is not bad considering what he did the first two months of the season. If he repeats what he’s done in June and July in August and September that would give him 92 RBIs for the season. A reminder – Yuli had 53 RBIs last year.
Abreu is not as good a fielder as Yuli, but not a butcher, he has 5 errors so far this season, Yuli in about half the time has 2. Yes, Yuli probably would get to a few more than Abreu gets to and does not get charged with an error.
I’m not going to try and defend Montero. He is not good this year.
LikeLike
The Astros are in the middle in the majors in errors – they have 53, which is 16th. However, they are tied with the Angels for next to worst in giving up unearned runs with 48 on the season, with the Cardinals and their 51 earned runs the only team below them.
That means the pitchers are not helping out when errors are made. We saw that yesterday.
LikeLike
I don’t disagree with people being frustrated over some losses, but really don’t like the tone shift on the comments. The bullpen is gassed, but you should probably be blaming the offense and starting rotation rather than Dusty. The problem people had with Dusty’s management of pitchers was from overuse of starters with Chicago and SF. Thus far, the following pitchers have gone over 100 pitches:
Valdez – 6 / 20 starts, 109 max
Brown – 1 / 20 starts, 102 max
Javier – 2 / 20 starts, 104 max
France – 2 / 14 starts, 105 max
Bielak – 2 / 14 starts, 106 max
Excepting Montero the bullpen has been great, but not deep enough to account for lack of innings by starters. Pressly has always blown tie games so I can understand questioning his usage, but once you hit the ninth inning you’re either deciding to use him or give him the night off. Maton gave up the following runs by month:
April: 1
May: 1
June: 8
July: 10
He probably needs to a stint on the IL with a pulled eyebrow. So the question is how to fix this? I actually like the starters. I really like them a lot more than paying $40M+ to Verlander. I’m a big Verlander fan, but based on his performance last postseason is he more likely to put together HOF efforts in October or match what the guys on the staff would already bring? I like the Graveman acquisition because you can give him some high stress innings and hopefully let some of the guys have nights off. Diaz was playing a lot of DH because Alvarez was out. Now he’ll probably catch more. I doubt he gets much more than a split of time with Maldonado unless an injury occurs. I would really like to see more Diaz and agree with any civil complaints there.
Regardless, we’re 1 game behind a Rangers team that just got swept in SD and just paid a high price to bring in a pitcher I can’t stand. Let’s keep checking his fingers and hope for more starts like the Mets fans have been griping about. Also, lets see if Altuve, Alvarez, and Tucker can put us past them in the standings this week. I’m actually more worried about the Angels (with an assist from Mr. Manfred) passing the Astros. Let’s make sure we check those balls they’re using for Ohtani at bats!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I make it a point not to go off on the Astros after a loss. I also try not to attack players or coaches when I, myself are upset with my team losing.
I try to level off my tirades by noticing that my team is the defending WS champion and that they are one game out of first place in our division despite not having high draft picks for the last seven years or so and a ton of injuries to important players. https://www.espn.com/mlb/standings
I always give my opinions about what the Astros should do in all areas, but the season is not over, the deadline is not past and our team is in the thick of a pennant race with a big battle among four teams in our division. I will continue to enjoy this ride and if it ends, I’m ready for another battle in 2024, without the WBC!
Thank you to Dan and Chip and my friends here for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Devin and Old Pro – thanks for your good posts and your request for a bit more civility – I am planning on making myself heard on this the next time it comes up – have been a bit busy.
LikeLike
My apologies to everybody for my scathing commentary about the team lately. Too caught up in it, I guess.
Now that I think about it, whether this team wins a WS or never wins another game (just like the Hollywood strike) isn’t going to change my life one iota either way.
Best wishes to everybody!
LikeLike
TOF – Hey man we appreciate your enthusiasm, just maybe reel it in just a bit and lighten up in some areas such as racial that we would rather steer clear of here. We are fine with people being fanatics, just take it a little easier. Thanks
LikeLike