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Astros 2025: Silly season in full flow

No one knows the problem of creating content when no obvious content exists than your not-so-humble servant.

But it is … fun? Interesting? Infuriating? … to read what is being tossed out there as sports journalism, examining all baseball teams, but especially the Astros.

Here is a quick look at some recent “news” stories.

It is all over – the Astros are headed for last place

According to MLB insider Jim Bowden….

MLB insider explains why Houston Astros could finish behind Sacramento Athletics in 2025 standings

The Astros lack of moves this off-season not only brings them back to the M’s and Rangers, but also back to the Athletics.

A couple thoughts and questions here. I won’t argue that the Astros might struggle in 2025, but will they have a worse start to the season than they did in 2024? Will they have to overcome having to lose practically the whole rotation early in the season? And most importantly, are they really done making moves this off-season?

And will karma really be with the Athletics after abandoning their fan base in Oakland? Will a few signings make up a 19.5-game gap between the A’s and the Astros?

No one knows what 2025 will bring, but this one is not that likely.

This Astros Insider says Alex Bregman may be coming back

According to manager Joe Espada …..

Houston Astros Skipper Keeping Door Open for Reunion With Alex Bregman

OK – he’s not saying Breggy is coming back – he is saying that the door is open for him to come back.

Alright, the door may not be double-bolted but:

  1. There really is no money, even on a short-term deal available for him unless the Astros decide to sky way above the luxury tax limit
  2. There really is no place to play him after the Astros traded Kyle Tucker for  Isaac Paredes to play either 3rd base or 1st base and signed Christian Walker to cement in the 1st base spot.

So, this is likely more like wishful thinking or even politeness than a real possibility.

The Astros are in the mix to pick up Dylan Cease….

According to SI expounding on CBS Sports…

Proposed Houston Astros Trade Could Make Them World Series Favorites

Maybe I’m wrong here, but after watching Dana Brown trade Kyle Tucker for younger and controllable resources, including Cam Smith, who immediately became their top prospect, and then signed 20 International free-agent prospects, this trade does not feel right.

Cease had a crappy 2023 and a good 2024, but he will only be controlled for one season and could cost them that same Cam Smith in a trade. It just does not seem to line up with an effort to improve the weaker minor leagues that the Astros supposedly have.

And for sure the Astros will sign this guy

According to a web site I’ve never heard of….

The Houston Astros Will Sign Anthony Santander | The Wright Way Network

Well, what I will say about this is – read this….

Blue Jays To Sign Anthony Santander – MLB Trade Rumors

I could go on and on but you get the idea. This is the time of year everyone is trying to have THE take and no subject is too crazy to include.

But maybe some of them should be…

 

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35 responses to “Astros 2025: Silly season in full flow”

  1. As I noted before my jaw still hurts from going for the bait as I had to get that hook out of my mouth. I think I’ve read everyone of these articles but I don’t think I completed any of them since they just had too much BS in them. Sportsmap HOU just had a podcast that talked about the possibility of Bregman returning but basically downplayed since they’d be over the salary cap threshold and Bregman just isn’t worth what was the original offer. Plus what do they do with Paredes who is slotted to play 3rd. Stranger things have happened but I don’t believe this one will come about. And an emphatic NO! as to us finishing in last place. And also Santander has signed with Bluejays for90MM so no to that rumor. Some of these writers must have too much time on their hands. BTW, Pitchers and catchers report in less than three weeks. Oh Joy!

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  2. There are just so many “sites” these days. Experts with no pedigree. Joe Blow’s creating contact for clicks. And even MLB managers providing fodder instead to just being quiet and focusing on facts instead of spouting opinions. Joe, shut up.

    if we’re all a little patient, we’ll get to see how it all plays out. Low OBP, slow, no defense Anthony Santander has found his real home, and it surprises me a bit that James Click might have been a part of that deal.

    Here’s my hope. They decide Joey Lops is a flop. I’d take him back.

    Stay warm all!

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  3. We went out for some snow ball fights – but the snow is powdery and does not make good snowballs. Sure is pretty.

    This is the most snow we’ve seen in the approximately 52 years we’ve lived in the Houston area. We saw a few deep ones when we lived in Arkansas for 7 years in the middle of that.

    The record with one exception was right around the 4″ we were expecting from this – looked like about 3″ on top of our parking deck. The record is from 1895 and was 20″!!!! That is insane.

    Oh well it will screw things up for today and tomorrow and then it should melt away.

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  4. And I sure am hoping that Billy Wagner gets the call in about 3-1/2 hours. Great reliever and I don’t care what he did in the postseason (just like I did not care what Biggio and Bagwell did or did not do).

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  6. I don’t know what to say about all the rumors. One thing I have learned since I retired and had time to investigate stuff is that you very rarely get the truth and you almost never get the whole truth. Another thing I have learned is that sometimes you can count on some to lie all the time.

    But now we get to baseball skuttlebutt. MLBTR is talking some about the Astros and Jurickson Profar. I think these rumors fly around the Astros because it is known that the Astros have many chiefs to try and sign the players and that particular info is out there in the air of the web. Maybe the Astros like it this way because nobody knows what’s what until it happens. Right now 2/3 of the team is set and the rest will be in the next two months. I’ll just sit back and watch it all play out. And comment.

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    • I’m ok with all three guys getting elected this year. I would have been disappointed if Billy Wagner had missed out, but only because there are a number of guys clearly not as good as him who have been elected. Next year’s newcomers are Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, Hunter Pence, and a bunch of guys who don’t deserve to get the 5% of votes needed to stay on the ballot in my opinion. That probably means Beltran will get enough votes to push him across?

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  9. I know that the city is not prepared for snow, gritters, etc etc, but this is a light dusting compared to what we got in Aberdeen …. often 1-2ft and sometimes 4’ overnight …. and we just got a shovel out and went in with the day. Don’t remember the whole city coming to a standstill!! I know, I know, the infra is not set up for it. But still, it’s amusing xx

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    • Simon I understand the bemusement and there are reasons for the problems here:

      • I have lived here since 1966 (except for a few years in Arkansas) and the only thing close to this was a 4″ fall in 1973.
      • Part of the problem here is the wintry mix where we have ice and snow and what happened yesterday is we had 4″ or so of snow – had some melting and now we had a hard freeze last night 22 F and the melted snow froze – making so many of our overpasses frozen over
      • Most of the people here drive poorly under optimum conditions, worse when it is wet and hopeless when it is frozen – where they have no experience
      • There is virtually no equipment here to plow the snow and not enough to treat the overpasses chemically
      • Folks here do not have snow shovels – only people like my parents who moved here in the mid-60’s from the north have them and after a while they tossed it

      Bottom line – the best thing to do here was to have folks stay home and off the roadways to limit the number of accidents and tie-ups

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      • I know, Dan, I know it’s the rarity and the inexperience and the lack of equipment. And I know that the local driving is, er, mixed at best. I didn’t appreciate every overpass would freeze, makes sense. Indeed even though I am much experienced in bad winter driving, I’ve stayed home and not ventured out these last days …. Didn’t mean to sound condescending, was just having a bit of gentle humour. Er, humor.

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  10. I am learning not to be surprised about anything happening in Baseball. Not surprised by rules or players or front office decisions or money or anything involving those things.

    Not surprised by a rumor concerning Bregman rejoining the Astros.

    Not surprised by anyone the Dodgers sign.

    Won’t be surprised by Wagner, if he chooses a hat from Houston or any other club.

    Won’t be surprised if Beltran enters the HOF next year.

    Nobody who has been a baseball fan as long as I have should be surprised by anything MLB does or doesn’t do.

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    • First things first. A decade after it should have gotten done, Billy Wagner finally got to Cooperstown. Yeah, he was outspoken. He had a very short sample of post season play. But he also put up HOF numbers in most every facet of his role for 15 seasons. The problem is that there are not enough baseball writers left on the planet. And too many BBWAA members today don’t even understand the game. Baseball players should determine who gets into the HOF. Players hit against and pitch to Hall of Famers. They know that who is a Hall of Fame shortstop. They don’t need WAR or any other stats to assist them. It will never happen in my lifetime, but voting should be taken over by the peers of those recognized. Let the remaining few baseball journalists that exist today write about it afterwards.

      I remain dubious of Ryan Pressly leaving Houston. But if he wants to close bad enough and his wife is cool with leaving her hometown then I’d be happy for him. I still think he can help our bullpen but a trade that would allow us to improve an outfield that really needs help might trump his role in our 2025 pen. This is one of the more reasonable MLB trade rumors, coming from the only source I take any stock in.

      Steven, where have you been as we’ve made our way through your position by position outlook suggestion? Hope all is well.

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  12. Five new cities have sprung up within 3 miles of my house, each of them with as many workers in them as there are residents of my town. There are 5 new wells fixing to be drilled in the next few months. Hundreds of millions of dollars of investment. Rock haulers, dirt haulers, equipment haulers, welders, restaurants, gas stations, motels, oilfield suppliers and convenience stores are all going crazy. Also, old wells are being reworked!

    The oil patch is back! It started a little over two months ago.

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      • Actually, dave, the property values won’t go up because over the last few years property values all over the state have risen because of Chinese money buying up property and then turning it into marijuana farms and driving up the price of farms. This is no joke.

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      • I understand. Chinese money is buying up land on the 36 square mile island I live on. And you’re right. It is no joke.

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  13. lots of stuff on the Astros/Cubs and Pressly and Bregman in the last couple of hours and it is coming from different sources. Nothing but rumors, so far. But the talk of Altuve moving to LF is new.

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  14. Hard to believe, but some sources say BOTH Bregman and Astros are interested in a reunion. Who saw that coming at this point.

    Then, again, remember Scott Boras is involved, so this could be positioning and smoke.

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  15. The Astros managed the Bregman situation well. They made him a fine offer which he declined. They moved on. They got the best defensive first baseman in MLB for three years and a 25 year old guy with a fair amount of upside for the other corner. We’ll likely see 50 plus homers from Walker and Paredes. We got two guys for the price of one and avoided a long term contract, giving the team much more flexibility going forward.

    We have Smith and Matthews, two guys that might even play a role (outfield included) at some point this season. We’re getting younger. We’re getting more athletic. We’re moving in the right direction. I sure hope we don’t screw this up.

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  17. I assume this talk about Espada is the idea he is trying to influence the bringing of Bregman back into the fold, thus thrusting himself into the GM’s territory? Asking this question for myself. Have I missed something?

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    • The way I saw it is that he was asked about Bregman in an interview with mlb.com and he gave a tap dance answer – the door is open – we would take him back etc.

      I don’t think he was trying to influence the front office I think he was just trying to allow for it if it happens – not rule it out when he does not have any control over it

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