ON THE OUTS?
Del Olaleye: 3 players you may not see on the Texans after 2018
Del Olaleye
May 2, 2018, 6:39 am
Jonathan Joseph might be in his last go round with the Texans. Bob Levey/Getty Images
The NFL draft is a weird dichotomy. It means new hope for over 250 players and maybe the beginning of the end for countless others. Teams are afforded seven picks not including compensatory picks and others acquired through trades and those new players have to go somewhere. That means plenty of guys who had roster spots in 2017 may not have them in 2018. The NFL isn’t a game, but a business and with this influx of cheap labor somebody has to go. This cycle repeats itself every year so let’s talk about some Texans who may not call Houston home after the 2018 season.
Kareem Jackson CB
Jackson was a first round pick in 2010. That designation in itself provides plenty of job security. Under Rick Smith it meant you were going to be given every opportunity to prove your worth. The first round pick out of Alabama struggled mightily early in his career but to his credit improved and became a solid member of a top-flight defense. At age 30, with rumblings of a switch to safety, Jackson’s time with Texans could be coming to end. Specifically because any move to safety could be short-circuited by the Texans drafting Justin Reid, the safety from Stanford. Signing Tyrann Mathieu doesn’t make a position switch more likely for Jackson. Mathieu is only on a one-year deal but a big year in Romeo Crennel’s defense would make him an attractive player for the Texans to sign long-term.
Jackson is in the final year of his deal and his 2018 salary will be $6.5 million. Corners who are considered solid at best and who have lost a step don’t usually get paid what they think they’re worth. An average to subpar year from Jackson in Houston could see him looking to sign a final big deal someplace else.
Johnathan Joseph CB
Joseph at points appears to be teflon but his recent contract extension really just amounts to a one-year deal with a club option for an extra year. If Joseph were to be cut after the 2018 season it would cost the Texans nothing. The 2011 free agent acquisition from the Bengals helped turn a defense that everyone saw as a glaring weakness into the backbone of a team that won four division titles in six seasons. At 34-years-old Joseph’s play has declined as you’d expect and the Texans should be looking for a long-term replacement. Though the organization signed Aaron Colvin in the offseason, the pressing need for a young No. 1 corner still remains. While the team did pick up the 5th-year option on 2015 first round CB Kevin Johnson, his inconsistent play and injuries mean the Texans are still hoping he becomes a long-term answer. A first round CB should be high on the list of priorities for the Texans. Paying Joseph in 2019 at 35-years-old shouldn’t be.
Lamar Miller RB
It wouldn’t surprise me if what Miller did in a Week 6 matchup in 2015 against the Texans as member of the Miami Dolphins is the reason the Texans signed him. That day he accounted for 241 total yards and two touchdowns. In a game that the Dolphins led 41-0 at the half, Miller ran for an 85-yard touchdown and caught a screen pass for a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Coupled with Arian Foster tearing his achilles tendon in the same game it almost seemed like Miller’s dominance that day was enough for him to be viewed as Foster’s replacement. Unfortunately the explosive all-purpose threat the Texans saw that day has not manifested itself in Houston.
The University of Miami product only carried the ball 20 times or more in a game twice in his entire career with the Dolphins. He carried the ball 20 times or more three times in his first three games with the Texans. Miscast as a workhorse back in his first season in Houston, the big-play capabilities Miller showed on the college level and with the Dolphins have not been evident in Houston. Miller’s cap hit is $7.25 million in 2019 while cutting him would save the Texans $6 million. Miller will be 28-years-old when the 2019 season begins and barring a year that far exceeds his first two years in Houston he could be another core member of the Texans to be looking for work elsewhere.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or eight games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after the 6-10 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez. A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.