ON THE MOVE
Dez Bryant is a free agent; would he be a fit for the Texans?
Apr 15, 2018, 7:38 am
Dez Bryant is on the move. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
The relationship between the Dallas Cowboys and wide receiver Dez Bryant finally soured and he was given his walking papers this afternoon. He is now available for anyone to sign. Immediately stories are being written with loads of speculation about where this former top tier receiver will land. A team I haven’t seen mentioned is the Houston Texans, for good reason. They are set at the number one position with DeAndre Hopkins and there are younger players who can develop in Houston for less money than Bryant will cost.
But let’s not assume it’s a non-starter. Despite not breaking the 1,000 yard mark since 2014 and coming up on 30 years of age; I believe he still has something left to offer. Being cut means that it’s unlikely he will find the same money he would have made this year ($12.5 million base salary and $4 million signing bonus). If the Texans give him a call and offer him a chance to make about half of that for only a year or two (think Tyrann Mathieu) then Deshaun Watson will have one of the best 1-2 receiving tandems in the league.
They still have a little over $32 million in cap space available, and he’s the kind of player that moves the needle. It’s not a stretch to think Brian Gaine stopped his big free agency push after only about two weeks because he was waiting to see who became available after offseason programs and the draft. Well, programs are starting and this is the first big domino to fall.
In six and a half games last year Watson threw for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns. He had Hopkins as the clear number one and Will Fuller made an impact in the red zone, but behind that there were players that could easily be forgotten. Adding Dez Bryant to play opposite Hopkins and moving Fuller into the slot is like a dream come true for a head coach and young quarterback.
If they aren’t going to add more talent to the offensive line, maybe adding another player who can get open quickly will keep the ball moving. The aforementioned Mathieu has already gone to Twitter telling Dez “Come to Houston bro…”
Maybe while the Texans get back on their feet after a disastrous 2017 season, it will be short term veterans that bridge the gap for Houston’s new GM.
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The phrase most associated with the late former Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis was “Just win baby.” One has to think Al would strongly approve of the Houston Astros. Going to the fifth inning Sunday against the Mariners the Astros were facing a 3-0 deficit and staring at the prospect of being swept out of Seattle and having their American League West division lead slashed to just two games. Now after roaring from behind with 11 unanswered runs to take the series finale in the Emerald City, and then sweeping three games from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, the Astros stand six games up with 60 games to go. So, if the Astros play just .500 ball the rest of the way (which would have them finish with 90 victories), the Mariners have to play .600 ball to catch them. If somehow the Astros are to maintain their season long win pace to the finish line they’d close with 95 wins, and the race is already over unless someone thinks the M’s are poised to uncork a finishing kick of 41-19 or better. It’s quite a pleasing perch from which the Astros survey the standings. Coupled with the freefalling Detroit Tigers having dropped nine of their last ten games, the Astros amazingly start this homestand sporting the best record in the entire American League. On the homestand they follow four games against the team with the second-worst record in the American League (Athletics) with three versus the team with the second-worst record in the National League (Nationals). I know, I know. There is fear of the Astros playing down to the competition, but that is not the way to look at it. A bad Major League team can beat a good team in a series at any time. If it happens it happens, but it wouldn’t mean it happened only because the Astros didn’t take their opponent seriously. This isn’t the NBA.
Trade deadline looming
Of course, It hasn’t been all good news with Isaac Paredes badly injuring a hamstring Sunday. Paredes could be back in three weeks (doubtful), he could miss the rest of the season. GET WELL SOON JEREMY PENA! Lance McCullers’s latest Injured List stint could be considered addition by subtraction for the Astros’ starting rotation. Whether impacted by his blister issue, Lance was lousy in four of his last five starts. So, one week from the trade deadline, if general manager Dana Brown has the ammo to get one deal done, where does he make the upgrade? The left-handed hitter everyone knows the Astros can use regardless of Yordan Alvarez’s status is a natural priority. With the Astros’ weak farm system it would seem difficult for Brown to put forth the winning offer for the top bats that could be in play. That probably rings even truer now, since if he wasn’t already untouchable, Brice Matthews may have cemented untouchable status by darn near winning the first two games of the Diamondbacks series by himself. Matthews is going to struggle mightily to hit for a good average if he can’t make notable improvement in the contact department, but the power is obvious, as is the athleticism in the field. The 23-year-old Matthews and 22-year-old Cam Smith (though presently mired in a three for 36 slump) are the clear (and right now only) two young shining beacons for the lineup’s future.
You can't have enough pitching
While Brandon Walter has been a revelation, a starting pitcher would make sense unless the decision is to hope Spencer Arrighetti and/or Cristian Javier can contribute meaningfully upon return to the big leagues, likely sometime next month. Going after a reliever or two may make more sense in terms of availability and transaction cost. Overall the Astros’ bullpen has been excellent, but Bryan Abreu is the only trustworthy right-handed option for Joe Espada. Back to Walter. Barely two months ago no way Walter himself would have believed he’d be where he is now. Nine starts since being summoned basically out of desperation, Walter has a 3.35 earned run average, and a stunning 13 to one strikeout-to-walk ratio with his 52 strikeouts against a measly four walks allowed in 53 2/3 innings. Walter has pitched fabulously in seven of his nine starts. He only has two wins, but that’s because in five of the six Walter starts the Astros didn’t win the game they failed to score more than two runs. Walter turns 29 years old in September. His only prior big league experience was 23 innings in relief with a 6.26 ERA for the Red Sox two years ago. The Bosox released him last August, the Astros signed him basically as minor league depth. Look at him (and the Astros) now.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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