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One of these things must happen to keep Astros championship window open beyond 2021
Feb 24, 2021, 10:18 am
Here's the bottom line. Composite photo by Brandon Strange.
One of these moves must happen to keep Astros championship window open beyond 2021
Houston sports have taken several big hits over the last year or so. The Rockets have traded James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Texans have released J.J. Watt, traded DeAndre Hopkins for pennies, and may be trading Deshaun Watson. The Astros lost George Springer on the heels of losing Gerrit Cole in free agency, as well as Justin Verlander to injury. We don't even need to bring into the conversation the front office and coaching changes that have taken place. Uggghhh!
When we look at the Rockets, they're not going to return to contender or playoff status any time soon. The roster and salary cap are in bad enough conditions to the point where they'll need a couple of seasons to rebuild. The Texans are in a similar situation. They may be able to rebuild faster if they do trade Watson instead of keeping him. The Rockets are trying to tank to get a top four pick in order to speed up their rebuild. The Texans are contemplating trading Watson in order to acquire top picks and talent to hasten a rebuild. That, or they're playing the long game to convince Watson they have a plan and that he should stay.
Enter the Astros. They're the 2017 World Series champions, unapologetically. No matter what the haters and doubters say, that can't be taken away. This team has lost several key pieces over the last few years, but their window is still wide open. While Verlander isn't available this season, Zack Greinke, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, and Lance McCullers Jr. are all capable of carrying the load. The bullpen has always been a concern, but this year, it may have been shored up.
Losing Springer will definitely hurt. However, bringing back Michael Brantley will help offset that some. Yordan Alvarez is back, so that's a welcomed sight. He adds a much-needed deep threat to the lineup. If Kyle Tucker, Myles Straw, or any of the other new regular contributors can add anything of significance, the lineup shouldn't lose very much potency. Combine that with the potential in the pitching staff, and I can see this team winning the AL West again and making some noise in the playoffs.
One of these moves must happen
While some could see their championship window as closed, I don't. If Carlos Correa can be re-signed soon, that'll go a long way to keeping said window open beyond this season. If Verlander chooses to re-up with the team following successful recovery from Tommy John surgery after this season, that'll add a veteran to a young pitching staff that can help the youngsters grow beyond 2021. If neither of these moves happen, the window is nearly closed.
Bottom line: this season could be the last season the window is open for the Astros. However, if the young guys they've brought in can step up, and they bring back some key pieces, that window can stay open a little longer.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.