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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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.