How the Houston Astros are finally feeling the sting from MLB's hypocrisy

IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!

So far this offseason for the Astros, there's been way more news about players possibly leaving the organization rather than free agents joining the club.

We've all heard the Alex Bregman rumors, and GM Dana Brown making it seem like spending big money this offseason isn't likely to happen.

But it's not like the Astros are unwilling to spend money, the problem is, they've already spent it. The Astros currently have a whopping 10 players being paid over $11 million for next season.

And a big reason for that is the lack of talent/depth in the farm system. We all know it takes a few years for prospects to develop in the minors before being ready to make an impact in the big leagues.

So as we sit here awaiting the 2024 season without a decent option to replace Bregman in 2025, we can't help but wonder if that would be the case had the Astros not been docked 2 first round and 2 second round picks in the 2020 and 2021 draft for the sign-stealing scandal.

While many national fans complained that the Astros were not punished enough, Houston is certainly feeling the ramifications now. And the Bregman trade rumors are evidence of that. The Astros have let multiple star players walk year after year, but all of a sudden we're hearing rumors about Bregman being traded before a season in which the Astros appear all-in to compete for another championship.

The Astros have been forced to spend money to compete at the highest level because the farm system isn't spilling over with big league talent. Many fans will point to the bad contracts that are on the books. The deals for Jose Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Lance McCullers come to mind.

But think about this. What if one or two of those picks from 2020 or 2021 had turned into a quality big league player by this point. Maybe the club wouldn't have felt the need to overpay Rafael Montero or Jose Abreu. It's not crazy to think one of these draft picks could have developed into a decent bullpen arm or first baseman with some pop in his bat.

While the money saved from these deals probably wouldn't keep Breggy in an Astros uniform past 2024 based on his alleged contract expectations, we doubt the club would have considered trading him before the final year of his contract. Just like George Springer, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Correa.

Plus, it's interesting to see all these MLB fans clamor for Bregman to join their favorite team after booing him incessantly for the last several years. When players leave the Astros, fans seem to treat them completely different. Just look at George Springer and Carlos Correa.

On the other hand, some fans say they would never want an Astro to join their team in free agency, they could never root for them. Which is ridiculous if you think about it. SportsMapHouston's Ken Hoffman pointed out recently how Yankees and Red Sox fans quickly started rooting for players from their rival after they put on a different uniform. Some good examples would be Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon, Jacoby Elsbury, and Wade Boggs.

Fans may take shots a Bregman now, but they'll change their tune if he's hitting home runs for their favorite team.

Be sure to watch the video above for the full conversation.

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Can Joe Mixon help the Texans remain undefeated at home? Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

With the Texans coming off their sorry second half showing at the Jets and the Detroit Lions coming to town riding a six-game winning streak, it has the look of pretender vs. contender Sunday night at NRG Stadium. The 7-1 Lions are obviously the better team but that is no guarantee that they will be the better team Sunday night. The point spread is only three and a half points. It’s not as if a Texans victory would be a stunning upset. The Texans knocking off the Lions would not balance the books for the Detroit Tigers having bounced the Astros from the baseball playoffs last month, but it would be one of the better regular season wins in Texans’ history.

If not upsetting, it certainly isn’t uplifting that Nick Caserio made zero consequential moves before Tuesday’s trade deadline. If you’re a Texans fan it is upsetting, though shouldn’t be infuriating. Claiming off waivers an offensive lineman (Zachary Thomas) who was getting about 10 snaps per game on one of the very worst o-lines in the NFL (New England Patriots) does not qualify as consequential. It’s not as if Caserio could snap his fingers and make a great deal for a legitimate starting left guard. But his job is to build the roster and he made nothing that qualifies as even a modest upgrade to the most glaring weakness on the team. Play can’t be much worse than what Kenyon Green was providing at left guard before his season-ending injury. But Kenyon was only playing because the staff considered him better than Kendrick Green and Jarrett Patterson. Or, Kenyon was getting unwarranted extended run to prove conclusively he was a waste of a first-round draft pick in 2022.

If Caserio believes the Texans are a bonafide threat in the AFC, adding nothing is a clear fail. Any gurgling about “we believe in our guys” as justification for inertia should be scoffed at, unless Caserio or anyone else believes the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens didn’t “believe in their guys.” All those AFC contenders made clear upgrades. This is not talking about the Texans trading high draft choices. Last week the Minnesota Vikings acquired Jacksonville starting left tackle Cam Robinson for a conditional fifth-round pick.

Tale of the tape

As for Sunday, NBC has to be hoping the Texans being 4-0 this season at NRG Stadium bodes well for them, at least giving the Lions a good game. The Texans are with the Chiefs, Bills, Commanders (!), and Bears (!!) as unbeaten at home. On the other hand, the Lions are a perfect 4-0 on the road. The Chiefs and Falcons have also yet to lose on the road.

While hoping that Aidan Hutchinson makes a complete recovery from his multiple leg fractures, the Lions’ beastly defensive end’s absence sure helps the cause of the Texans’ feeble pass-protecting offensive line. Hutchinson was the early leader for Defensive Player of the Year with seven and a half sacks in five games before he went down. The Lions traded for DE Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland this week. It’s unclear whether Smith makes his Detroit debut chasing C.J. Stroud.

The Texans have topped 30 points in a game once this season. The Lions average an NFL-leading 32.3 per game, topping 30 in four of their last five games, only coming up short last Sunday in a rain-soaked 24-14 win at Green Bay. Over those five games quarterback Jared Goff has completed an absurd 83.8 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions. For the season Goff is completing 74.9 percent. If he maintains that number, he’ll break the NFL record of 74.4 that Drew Brees posted with the Saints in 2018.

Third time's the charm?

Only once in their history have the Texans managed three consecutive winning seasons. They went 9-7 in each of them under Bill O’Brien in 2014, ‘15, and ‘16. They did so with three different quarterbacks leading them in passing yardage: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, and Brock Osweiler (really!). The Lions are two victories from securing their first back-to-back-to-back winning seasons since 1993, ‘94, and ‘95. That was the heyday of the great Barry Sanders at running back. Three different quarterbacks led the Lions in passing yardage those years. You’re probably fibbing if you claimed “I know them: Rodney Peete, Dave Krieg, and Scott Mitchell.”

For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube

The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!

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