THE CASE FOR CASERIO

7 things I don't know for a fact, but just know are true about Nick Caserio

7 things I don't know for a fact, but just know are true about Nick Caserio
Some important things to consider. Composite image by Jack Brame.

Plenty of fans and media have voiced their displeasure with the hiring of GM Nick Caserio, and their concerns are more than valid. But I wanted to look at this hiring from a different perspective, because my only real concern with this hire has more to do with former NFL team chaplain, Jack Easterby, still being in the building and possibly having input into personnel decisions. So I decided to put this list together and give a tip of the cap to one of my favorite HBO Real Time segments that gave me the idea for this article. So without further ado:

Here are 7 things I don't know for a fact, but just know are true about Nick Caserio.

1) He CLEARLY wanted the job. The Texans tried to hire Nick Caserio in 2019 but failed to do so because they handled the process in an incompetent manner, surprise surprise, which caused the Patriots to file tampering charges against Houston. Fast-forward to 2021 when Caserio interviews for the job in person, unlike several other candidates, when he could have done it over Zoom. If you really want a job, you show up in person for the interview. Especially when there were reports not that long ago stating the Texans might wait a year to hire a new GM and coach when COVID isn't an issue and interviews can take place in person. He read the room, the room being CEO Cal McNair, and got on a flight to Houston and landed the job. Also, he put language in his Patriots contract after the debacle with the Texans that would preclude a tampering issue from occurring again.

2) He won't be overpaying veteran players with big money. Overpaying guys, especially players with only a couple of good years left, is not how he's been taught to do business. Caserio does not seem like a guy that would have offered Whitney Mercilus the boat anchor contract he currently has that's killing the Texans' cap. Countless times we've seen the Patriots walk away from a player one year too early, instead of one year too late. Richard Seymour comes to mind when the Pats were able to get a first round pick for him late in his career and sent him on his way to the Raiders. Tom Brady will likely be another example. Sure Brady had a great season, but next year could be a different story. It will be interesting to see what he does with JJ Watt.

3) He's basically had the GM job in New England for several years. The Texans' other candidates can't say the same. Belichick may have had the final say on the big decisions, but he's the best coach in NFL history. The GM candidates the Texans have already interviewed were the number two or number three guys in their respective front offices.

4) Caserio can bring all three phases of the football building together. You want a guy that can bring together coaches, players, and the front office. This is something Lance Zierlein mentioned in one of our SportsMap videos this week. Caserio has worked in all phases of the organization. Yes, he's known for his experience in New England's front office, but he was also the wide receivers coach for the 2007 Patriots. Brady threw 50 TD passes that year. Caserio also played QB in college for John Carroll University, so he has some experience in all three phases.

5) He knows what he's getting into as far as lack of draft capital and cap space. Caserio's been considering this job for a year and a half, so he would be crazy not to keep an eye on what the Texans have been up to. And let's face it, the national media has been crushing the Texans' decisions for months, so you would have to be living under a rock to not know what's going on in Houston. Plus, whatever you think about Jack Easterby, Caserio has had the opportunity to talk to him and get some information that may not be widely known.

6) He's very familiar with how a great QB can elevate a roster without a ton of talent. This one is easy. The Pats haven't been that great for several years from a talent standpoint, but because of Tom Brady, they were contenders for a Super Bowl every year. This will be extremely important since all the Texans have is Deshaun Watson and a bunch of dudes for the most part.

7) He knows Jack Easterby better than any other GM candidate they interviewed. This one is also pretty simple, and Caserio could win the entire fan base over if he shocks the world and fires Easterby. Clearly, that may not happen. But if he can get Easterby to handle the tasks in Houston like he did in New England where he was actually an asset to the franchise, that would be huge.


At this point as Texans fans all we can do is give Caserio a chance and hope that he hires the right coach, and doesn't let Easterby cause problems in the building. The Patriots are good at managing the salary cap, and he will certainly need that experience since the Texans are currently more than $17 million over the cap for 2021. Sometimes a hiring looks like the wrong move at the moment but ends up working out for the best. Let's just hope this is one of those times.

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Vegas likes Houston. Composite Getty Image.

Bruce Bochy doesn’t ever want the Texas Rangers to let go of those memories of their first World Series title.

“We just don’t want to lean on them,” said Bochy, whose first season with the Rangers ended with the first World Series championship for the 63-year-old franchise, and his fourth as a big league manager.

While Texas has the opportunity to be the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back world championships — the New York Yankees were the last, with three in a row from 1998-2000 — the Rangers aren’t even defending champs in their own division.

And they aren’t favored to win the AL West this season.

Houston is again the odds-on favorite in the division it has won each of the last six full MLB seasons since the Rangers finished on top in 2016. The Astros won their regular season finale last Oct. 1, matched Texas at 90-72 and won the AL West since they were 9-4 head-to-head.

The Astros have made the AL Championship Series the past seven seasons, even when not division champs in the 2020 season shortened to 60 games because of the pandemic. They made four trips to the Fall Classic and won two titles in that span.

Dusty Baker retired days after Houston lost ALCS Game 7 at home to the Rangers last fall, finishing with 2,183 wins over 26 seasons as a big league manager with five teams.

New Astros manager Joe Espada, their bench coach for six seasons, is certainly familiar with a lineup that has big hitters Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, and a loaded starting rotation.

Espada isn't the division's only new manager. Ron Washington, who took the Rangers to their previous World Series in 2010 and 2011, was hired by the Angels, who still have Mike Trout but not two-way star Shohei Ohtani, now with the other team in Los Angeles.

Seattle again revamped its roster without big spending in free agency and hopes for a quicker return to the playoffs. The Mariners missed by one game last season, a year after its first postseason appearance since 2001.

And just like last year, the Athletics go into another season not knowing if it will be their last in Oakland.

HOW THEY PROJECT

1. Houston Astros. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, reacquired in a deadline trade last July, will start this season on the injured list. But the 41-year-old’s IL stint is expected to be a short one. The Astros still have lefty Framber Valdez (12-11, 2.45 ERA, 200 strikeouts and a no-hitter) and right-hander Cristian Javier. Eight-time All-Star second baseman Altuve signed a new $125 million, five-year contract that goes through 2029. But two-time All-Star third baseman Bregman, the only other position player to make all seven ALCS trips, is at the end of a $100 million deal.

2. Texas Rangers. After going from six losing seasons in a row to a World Series title, the Rangers should be playoff contenders again. They return ALCS MVP Adolis García and most of the lineup that hit 233 homers and scored an AL-high 5.4 runs per game. But World Series MVP and AL MVP runner-up shortstop Corey Seager (sports hernia), Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique strain) and All-Star third baseman Josh Jung (calf) missed significant time in the spring. All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi tops a rotation still missing injured multiple Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom.

3. Seattle Mariners. The front office put together a roster that might be better than last year, but everybody has to stay healthy. Seattle should be better offensively with the additions of Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley to go with young superstar Julio Rodriguez. If J.P. Crawford can replicate last season at the plate and Ty France returns to his 2021-22 form, the lineup will be deeper. Couple a better offense with one of the best rotations in baseball led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners should once again contend in the division.

4. Los Angeles Angels. They feel like they’re starting over yet again and still haven't been to the playoffs since 2014. Ohtani left after six seasons for a record $700 million with the perennially contending Dodgers. The Halos added almost nothing in free agency, only revamping their bullpen again and taking low-cost flyers on Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano. Trout and Anthony Rendon are back, and an open DH spot will allow them to rest their injury-prone bodies more regularly. Their rotation is last year’s group minus Ohtani. The 71-year-old Washington brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm, which should benefit an exciting crop of young talent ready to break through in the majors.

5. Oakland Athletics. This could be the final season playing at the Coliseum with a lease set to expire. So the A's are still trying to figure out where they will play beyond this year with a new ballpark and move to Las Vegas scheduled for 2028. Manager Mark Kotsay has been committed to keeping his team focused on what it can do to be better on the field after two years with a combined 214 losses (112 last season). The A’s acquired Ross Stripling from the San Francisco Giants and added Alex Wood to the rotation.

OLD SKIPPERS

When the 74-year-old Baker retired, Bochy became the oldest manager in the majors. That lasted only a few weeks until the Angels hired Washington. Bochy will turn 69 on April 16, just 13 days before Washington turns 72. Bochy, with 2,093 wins going into his 27th season, is one of six managers with four World Series titles, his first three coming in San Francisco (2010, 2012 and 2014). Washington won a franchise-record 664 games in eight seasons with Texas from 2007-14. He was on Atlanta's staff the past seven years, and part of the Braves' 2021 World Series title.

RELIEF HELP

Several new relievers are in the AL West, including hard-throwing lefty Josh Hader with the Astros, veteran right-hander David Robertson and former All-Star closer Kirby Yates in Texas, Gregory Santos and Ryne Stanek in Seattle and Robert Stephenson with the Angels.

Hader's $95 million, five-year deal was the biggest after becoming a first-time free agent. The 29-year-old, once in the Astros' minor league system, turned down a $20,325,000 qualifying offer from San Diego.

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