Monday Questions: I’m wondering…

The season’s about half over (it will be time for Dan’s mid-season checkup soon), the lineup changes daily, and the injury list is starting to feel like a group text that never ends. As we roll toward the dog days of summer, I’ve got some questions. Maybe you do, too.

I’m wondering…
Why don’t the Astros just DH Jose Altuve full-time—at least while Yordan Alvarez is out? It’s clear they’re trying to hide his glove, and the shuffle between left field and second base might be messing with his rhythm at the plate. He can still be a spark plug offensively, but let’s be honest: the defense can be hard to watch at times. If you’re subbing him out late for defense anyway, why not just make the move now? Slide Dubón to second, make a steady move in LF, and get a consistent legitimate bat in the DH slot.

I’m wondering…
How long until Cam Smith climbs the lineup card for good. Joe Espada gave us a sneak preview by hitting him cleanup on Sunday, and the numbers back it up. Since May 5, Smith’s slashing .298/.357/.426 with a .783 OPS. Those numbers are slightly down in the past few days because of his move up the card, but the man’s been steady—quietly consistent—and it looks like Espada is ready to start treating him like a real core piece of the future. I’m wondering how long it will take him to catch up, hitting in the fourth or fifth spots.

I’m wondering…
And do you really care…Where would the Astros be with Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman in the lineup this year? Or are you happy with the new direction that Isaac Paredes and Smith bring?

I’m wondering…
What’s really going on with Yordan Alvarez? “Precautionary” is baseball’s version of “just a scratch”—until it becomes a 10-day IL stint and cryptic updates. Same goes for Arrighetti. Add in the prolonged absences of Javier, France, and Garcia, and you can’t help but ask: is there something more systemic behind all these injuries?

I’m wondering…
What kind of trade deadline twist might the Astros’ front office have up their sleeves? Buyers? Sellers? Or just… bystanders? They’ve put the team in a solid position, climbing the standings, but there are still many questions. Should we expect a Verlander-or-Cole-type deal? Or is a bat upgrade in the Astros’ future? Hopefully, there’s more than the return of Jon Singleton!

I’m wondering…
How 42-year-old Justin Verlander keeps grinding through five or six innings on 80–85 pitches with a 90-mph fastball and what I assume is a steady IV drip of Advil. His WHIP is at a career high, and he’s walking more guys than usual, but there’s still something artful about it. He’s less “bulldog” and more “tightrope walker” these days—but you still can’t look away.

I’m wondering…
What Dusty Baker is thinking right about now. Probably something like, “Told y’all this roster needed more than vibes and Verlander.”

I’m wondering…
How many players the Astros will run through in 2025. They’ve already used 43 (18 position players and 25 pitchers). For context: they used 56 total players in 2024, including 32 pitchers. In 2023, the team used only 43 players total all season.

I’m wondering…
Will Joe Espada get any credit for holding this thing together? Injuries. Roster turnover. A revolving door of starters. Yet here they are, in first place. You may not always agree with him (and trust me, I’ve had my moments), but maybe it’s time to give the man his due. He’s keeping the ship afloat in some choppy waters.

Similarly, I’m wondering…
Is the jury still out on Dana Brown? He’s done some good things, but the pressure may be on as the deadline approaches. Can he pull a rabbit out of his hat, or will the Astros’ “best” acquisitions this summer be the return of Lance McCullers Jr., Spencer Arrighetti, and Yordan?

Final thought.
Maybe the real MVP of this team isn’t in the dugout or on the mound—it’s the clubhouse whiteboard trying to keep track of who’s healthy, who’s hurt, and who’s playing second today.

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27 responses to “Monday Questions: I’m wondering…”

  1. Altuve – we have the same thought. You probably missed my postings on the very tail end of the last entry. BLUF – he is the worst defensive leftfielder in baseball. Somehow, even having accrued a 1.5 WAR offensively this year, he has a negative overall WAR. He turned a should have been out into a double, that effectively started the Angels big inning in the middle game. He should be at DH full time until Yordan is back, and even then Yordan should get some games out there. They can’t hide him at this point, he is affecting the game in LF or 2B.

    I would not be putting the pressure the Astros are on Cam. He hit 4th yesterday. I would bat him 7th and leave him there. You know there are going to be ups and downs. He is sky high right now. He might hit .220 over the next 100 ABs. Just leave him alone and let him grow.

    Bregman and Tucker are gone. We have the guys we have. I would compare how they left to Correa and Springer, but I think the Astros made the right call with Correa and Springer, and probably Bregman too. Tucker is going to be different because the Astros got some good years from Tucker, but they didn’t get his best years. Those haven’t happened yet. The rest of them, we got those age 25 to age 31ish seasons, their career years. Let someone else pay inflated salaries to diminished players. It’s why Framber’s a goner. He is going to get 185M this offseason from someone, but we got his prime. I would be working on getting Hunter Brown extended through his age 32 season right now if I was GM, and Cam’s Kristian Campbell like 10 year deal.

    On that note I was listening to the ESPN Houston guys talk about what 2 guys would you keep if the Astros had to start over and could keep only 2 of the current roster, and unsurprisingly it was unanimous that it would Hunter Brown and Cam Smith. But the answer is yes, the Astros won the Tucker trade because they are going to get Isaac Paredes prime seasons, 6 years of Cam Smith (maybe more, maybe not), and would have gotten Wesneski’s if TJ didn’t.

    I’ve got no idea what is going on with this team and their ability to get players back on the field.

    I think they will be buyers. It’s what Crane has shown in the past if he thinks he has a chance to do something, he is a foot on the gas guy. I don’t know it will be the Verlander or Cole kind of deal, I’m not sure that is even out there for anyone to make tbh, but I expect to see the kind of deals that brought us Mancini, Vazquez and Smith in 2022. Hopefully they don’t give away another Wilyer Abreu doing it.

    I think Verlander was desperate to get as close to 300 wins as he could. But even on a team that gives support and wins, he can’t win. I don’t think he pitches in 2026.

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    • I suppose Espada is largely trying not to hurt Altuve’s feelings, but excepting a game where you’re trying to give someone some rest without taking them out of the lineup he should put Altuve at DH. Was there a reason he moved Pena from DH to SS in the 9th yesterday? I think Espada should get a lot of credit for the performance of the team this year. I’ve felt a lot better about his moves this year. I’d like to see Abreu and Hader used a bit less as we go through the summer, but he hasn’t had a whole lot of choice.

      I do think Brown has done a good job. The upcoming draft is really important though. We can’t afford to have a traditional Astros draft where we reach for someone early and strike out on our 2-10 picks. I disagree with your statement on Tucker, though. It was absolutely the right move for the reasons you stated. I am not as confident his best years are ahead of him. The speed/athleticism/defense have been on the decline. He should be a solid hitter who gets on base and hits for power, but prior to the injury last year he was on track to compete for an MVP award. Do we see that again?

      Verlander has pitched well enough to win most of his starts this year and has zero. I suspect if he doesn’t have an incredible second half run your prediction is right. I really hope Crane doesn’t trade for him this summer.

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  2. Good job Chip…

    • This Altuve question is a long-term question. Altuve is signed thru 2029 and frankly at $33 Million per year is unmovable thru 2027 after which it drops to $13 million. Yordan is signed through 2028. So, you have two guys who are best as full time DHs on one club. There is no great solution to this. Altuve looks awful at 2B. He does not look awful in LF, but his defensive rating is bad. Yordan is below average in LF but does have a cannon of an arm. But we are afraid his knees will give out any minute (or his hands). But for your base question – yes play him at DH as much as you can with Yordan out.
    • Cam seems to rise to whatever occasion he’s asked to meet, but frankly I would not move him into the 4 spot (but they did it because it was a very odd lineup). I see him in that 5-6 spot at best right now – more likely the 6th spot and don’t put additional pressure on him.
    • Sick of talking the medical “stuff” happening – I have no hope for anyone on the list so I guess I will be pleasantly surprised …. one day.
    • I am just not sure what direction the Astros should go with a deadline trade(s). Do they pick up a starting pitcher when they may have a boatload returning off IL? Do they make a trade for an outfielder when they need to find a spot to trade off Altuve and Yordan? Do they go after a reliever when the ones they have are doing well?
    • JV is a bulldog – maybe he is channeling his Zack Greinke-ness with a late career rise. In his last 8 games he is 2-6 but has a good 3.71 ERA. Not sure if he will ever get to 300 wins this way, but he is a solid pitcher even at a lower velocity.

    I will answer more later.

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  3. Gentlemen, we agree on Smith, but it may be that the times demand it. We’ll find out rather quickly how he responds. If he can’t handle it, I hope it doesn’t stymie him for the rest of the season.

    On JV, he doesn’t have a win this year and averaged only 6 wins/year over the previous three. 300 is not in the cards for him.

    My guess on the deadline is they try to add a bat, and hope that one, two or three of the pitchers come back in time for the stretch run. Can you imagine if Arrighetti, McCullers and Yordan all come back at least by Aug 1? And Javier apparently threw live batting practice and got his fastball up to 95 mph last week. Hmm.

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  4. Hello Chip,

    Altuve should be the DH at every opportunity possible.

    It’s too bad we can’t leave Cam and his production at sixth in the line up, but our line up is not good enough to have that luxury right now.

    I don’t care about Tucker or Bregman any longer. Dana Brown made an excellent trade and the team remains relevant.

    Yordan is a big man with bad hands. It’s likely hereditary. As for all the other injuries that seem to have kept our guys out of the line up longer than we think they should be out, it’s probably a combination of things. Doctors misdiagnosing, rehab staff errors, vague and/or intentionally misleading updates from management, and whatever else that has caused this fan to have zero confidence in this element of club operations.

    I believe Jim Crane when he says that the Astros will never be sellers while he owns the club….to a degree. There is such a thing as a good sell, as in Tucker. As for what else needs to get done, it will be a lot easier to make that determination once we’ve reach the All Star break. The signing of Singleton makes me think that maybe there is no timetable for Yordan’s return. At all.

    I don’t think Verlander is going to give us more than we’ve been getting from our three AAA guys. But above anything else it seems to me that we are really going to need a legitimate starter.

    I care less about Dusty Baker than I do Tucker or Bregman.

    43 means a lot of roster moves before half of the season is up. I sure hope it settles.

    Anyone not willing to give some credit to Joe Espada is not paying attention or is flat out ignorant.

    Certainly, the jury is still out on Dana Brown. I hope he gets five years to make it easier for him to be judged. Above anything else, the club is retooling on the go, and so far anyway, has not succumbed to the pressure of remaining competitive. This group with just two seasoned starters and maybe four reliable hitters is in first place by five games. I really wish Dana would not talk so much though. He sounds like a used car salesman. But the deal with the Cubs, sending off one guy in return for three guys with 15 years of team control, two that have played big roles, is already a winner. We were not keeping Tucker and he was happy to go.

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  5. The past 2 gms Altuve has taken 4 walks. Granted, Soriano was not trying to give him anything to hit in that AB Saturday. Stevie Wonder could have walked given the P Soriano was throwing Tuv. In one of the blowouts against the A’s I observed Tuv spoil 4 consecutive balls with the bases loaded with no outs chasing a hit. If he walks a run scores. 4 hitters came to the plate with the bases loaded and all the Stros could muster was one run that inning. We’ve seen that replay a lot.

    Last season a broadcaster noted Altuve, one of the best bad ball hitters in the game, was swinging and missing those P at a 71-72% clip. In 2023 he was missing at a 62% clip. Don’t know what it is this yr. He’s declined. Maybe lost some bat speed. With some patience and plate discipline, I’m certain Tuv could coax better P to hit. And he can still hit we know.

    Post this before realizing a new post on board. I agree Dan, DH suits Altuve for the time being.

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  6. And some more:

    • Tucker and Bregman are not “dead to me” but I just can’t picture us with them. Of course at this point Bregman would not be with us he would be entering his second month on the IL (supposedly). I am happy with Paredes and Smith for the longer run and hoping Wesneski eventually helps us – but good with the first two for the time being.
    • Not sure about Dusty – I am sure he did not like getting forced out here – but frankly he should have taken his championship and left a year earlier.
    • At some point the Astros have to run out of guys they can bring up – but Brown has been good at picking up stray cats and sliding them into the lineup. And they may pick up a couple at the deadline. Of course, it could also include Javier, France, and Garcia. I’m going to guess 52 total for 2025.
    • I’ve been giving Espada his due for awhile now. He has not let this team feel sorry for itself and they are performing no matter who goes down, no matter who leaves the team, no matter who is struggling, no matter who comes back and goes down again. There is no way this lineup and this rotation should be 5 games up in the west and a half game out of the 2nd best record in the AL. But they are.
    • GMs like managers are only as good to as their last action, but again he has pushed the right buttons to keep them competitive against the odds. Now if he is the one in charge of the medical staff – minus ten points on the final exam.

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  7. To finish my opining – I agree with Dave, I don’t care what Baker thinks. I appreciate what his professionalism brought to the team when it needed. But he probably thought this team would stop pitching the day Maldy left. Its only blossoming despite the injuries, and guys no one had heard of are out there gutting out starts and keeping us relevant. Even if he won’t give Yainer any credit, I will.

    Teams win on the consistency of starting pitching. Teams generally win when they can get 75% of their starts by the same 5, and do not generally win the other way around. Valdez and Brown have to keep healthy and make 30+ starts. Gusto has gotten this done with bubble game and tape. Just when you think he is going to get got, sometimes he works out of it. Sometimes he gets got a little and the offense picks him up. I don’t know how long you can function at 9.8 H/9 AND 3.4 BB/9 and not have the clock strike midnight. I don’t blame the Astros for sticking with him though – he has a major league fastball. Sometimes he ought to try not throwing it down the middle. I fully expect him and Gordon to remain the rotation for a while, if not the rest of the year. Its really filling the gap between the TOR and BOR with a MOR guy. Arrighetti could be that answer, but again, the Astros have not been the best at getting guys back on the field.

    Espada deserves the credit. As armchair QBs we can always count on getting disappointed by a few decisions, but you can’t argue with the man’s body of work. If you told me that Gusto, Gordon, Walter were going to get a significant number of starts, and that Woo, Castillo, Gilbert, Miller and Kirby would all at least make some starts, I would think the records would be reversed.

    Dana inherited a bad situation. Team still paying Jose Abreu. Still paying Zach Greinke. Just paid Michael Brantley 8M to cheerlead. Montero. Not very many tradeable assets in the minors, not to mention a poorly rated minor leagues. He had to deal with Baker’s exit. He had to deal with maybe the biggest pitching star ever for this franchise not aging gracefully. Fans generally don’t care. They want lemonade no matter the ingredients you get. I’ve been bias since the day he traded Tucker. But if took my not so rosy colored glasses off for a minute, subjectively, he has kept this team relevant through a lot that would sink most franchises, and doing it while dealing with a mandate to stay below the cap at least for 2025.

    Maybe it is the guy with the dry erase board where under IL is a ton of names. It’s a tough job.

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  8. Mauricio Dubon comes off a road trip where he hit 4 home runs. Having the advantage of seeing each at bat with them whittled down to one pitch, I was stunned at how he pulled off the first one. Then after seeing the next three home runs I found the change he made in his approach and his swing. Let’s see if it carries over to this home stand or if our opponents figure it out.

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  9. I did not realize Dubin was on the 15 day IR with a forearm strain. That’s another huge loss based on how well he bridged the gap from starter to 7th, 8th inning guys.

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  10. I thought that was an interesting game. Suarez was making it look easy. I’d say the Astro hitters looked terrible, but Ranger has been doing this to everyone since his second start of the season, which didn’t come until the beginning of May. Framber had a hard time throwing strikes again but kept digging out of his own problems. Joe knew he was done after seven innings. The Phillies don’t have a pen though, and Suarez was sent out for the eighth, first time all season. Thank you Cooper Hummel for being the next man up.

    In the meantime, I think pitching has become a bigger priority for the Astros, if there is a choice between a legitimate guy to replace Dubin or a left handed bat. But I don’t know who is going to want to help the Astros with pitching.

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  11. Don’t look now, but the Astros have the second-best record in the American League (behind Detroit) and the fourth-best record in all of baseball (behind Detroit, LA, and Phliadelphia).

    Of course, they *could* move up the second ladder this week with a sweep.

    And…you were worried, Dan. 😉

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  12. Happy for win last night. Framber wasn’t great but good enough to shut down the Philies and the bullpen came through again. Hummel with an opo-taco at the right time. The Home Plate umpire was a big disappointment as he gave Suarez calls that were obviously balls. The worst being when Paredes was up with two on in the bottom of the 6th with runners at the corner. The pitch was at least 2 -3 inches inside but we overcame.

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    • Yes, the ump def missed that call that caught Paredes looking. But I thought he was solid otherwise and consistent. Suarez was getting small bits of the plate all night and was rewarded.

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  13. Thoughts

    • Yes, Chip I was worried and still am. But I will say this is becoming one of my favorite versions of the Astros. They are gutting things out.
    • It feels like every time Framber or Hunter are starting – they pitch great, the team struggles to score and the bullpen picks up a win
    • Let’s see on my list of Astros who could knock in the game winner – of the 13 position players on the roster – Cooper Hummel would be #13.
    • Framber gets into trouble, but his ability to pull double plays out of his hat at the key time saves him
    • Excellent one-two from Abreu and Hader.
    • Go get the series clincher guys

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  14. I had to go back a minute for this –

    https://chipalatta.com/2025/03/19/astros-all-time-best-and-worst-broadcasters/

    In there I advocate for Cooper Hummel, Luis Guillorme, and Jon Singleton all having a shot at making this roster. In the next week it is very possible we see all 3 on the roster, maybe together (maybe Cooper is who bites the bullet when/if Singleton comes up). However it shakes out, I hope we never seen Rodgers again. Funny how two of them had to leave the franchise and return, full circle stuff.

    None of the three should be thought of as solutions to lefty hitting option. Brown should find one that gives him both the ability to work a count and not chase, and has the bat to ball a starter should have. All 3 of these guys can extend at bats, but none of the three have a track record of making enough solid contact to hit well enough to be anywhere higher than 9th in an order.

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    • I remember. Me, I still think Guillorme might help. And we’ll probably get a moment from Cooper and Singleton again too. But I’m hoping none of the three are needed as we go down the stretch. Trammell last night looked serviceable in left. He might have made a a heck of a catch without the guy in the Astro shirt taking the play away from him. I think gloves in the ballpark should be allowed for players and kids only. Anyway, Trammell sure needs work at the plate.

      Some of these games really illustrate the small differences between success and failure. I think we’re winning more than our share for now. I’m sure pleased, but I still see some bumps in the road, or maybe on the road.

      But, another great win last night and I’m forced to look for the sweep now. Hunter and Abreu?

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      • I thought the second angle they showed was the best, I don’t think there was a chance Trammell could get to that ball.

        Watching the guy bat he sures looks like a career .176 hitter to me. But it’s very possible that Zac Wheeler can make a lot of guys look like career .176 hitters. He showed no strike zone recognition, and when you are getting K’d on consecutive at bats by a pitcher throwing that slider out of the zone that the break is at you, that’s not a good sign. My wife had no idea who the guy was but I told her before the game started that he will probably go 0-3 with 2 Ks because he is a terrible matchup for Wheeler. Why Espada didn’t see it I don’t know. He could have put Altuve at DH, Hummel in LF, and Guillorme at 2B and gotten the same number of lefty bats in the lineup. But, I don’t know that Hummel makes that catch.

        It seems unlikely, even with Hunter on the bump, that we would score three straight shut outs on that offense. It’s helped that we had 2 leftys going and they have a some good lefty hitters in their lineup.

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      • I could care less about a shutout today. This could be the day the third pitching duel in the series turns into a 9-6 win by someone. I’d take that too.

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  16. Yes, daveb, but who’d have thunk that there would be a “pitching duel” between one of the top guys in the league (Wheeler) and a guy named GORDON! 😉 Would love to have seen Wheeler and Hunter…that might have been some fun!

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    • Chip, I like that we’ve already won the series. And I like that Hunter is on the mound today. If we can muster some offense against yet another good pitcher, we’ve got a shot at a great sweep. Hunter battled a bit last time out, just 5 innings and 87 pitches in Anaheim. Hopefully he’s fresh and shows us some more of that 1.19 home ERA this afternoon.

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      • Unless I’ve miscounted, the Astros have not LOST a series since May 21 (Tampa Bay). Tied one, but not LOST. In other words, 10 straight series either won or tied. FWIW…That’s why the record keeps moving up… Two steps forward, one back…

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