WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?

Here's why Houston Astros are facing critical roster crossroads

Here's why Houston Astros are facing critical roster crossroads
Will Yuli Gurriel return to the Astros? Composite image by Brandon Strange.

Defacto Astros general manager Jeff Bagwell was asked point-blank at the team’s annual Fanfest at Minute Maid Park over the weekend:

Do the Astros intend to sign free agent first baseman Yuli Gurriel for another World Series run in 2023? And if the answer is yes … what’s the holdup?

Bagwell, typically a straight shooter, said, “There's nobody that loves Yuli more than us, myself, Jim (Crane), Dusty (Baker), everybody. It's just trying to find the right fit for the club. He's a huge part of our success here. We'll continue to monitor that situation."

Do the Astros really love Gurriel, or do they love him not?

If Bagwell was speaking truth, and everybody in Astros management is aboard the Gurriel love train, why isn’t Gurriel a done deal so fans can stop worrying?

What does that mean, the Astros are trying to find the “right fit for the club?” Seriously? Here’s where Gurriel fits in: first base, second base, third base, DH, and team leader.

More important than his contribution on the diamond, Gurriel is a symbol of Astros excellence, a key member of this close-knit family of players so beloved in Houston.

Yes, Gurriel is 38 years old and coming off a disastrous 2022 season in which he batted a woeful, power outage .242. It was a major dropoff from 2021, when Gurriel won the American League batting title with a .319 average.

Numbers don’t reflect Gurriel’s value to this team. He arrived in Houston from Cuba in 2016. One year later, he took over as the Astros everyday first baseman. The Astros won the World Series that year and began six seasons of unprecedented success never before witnessed in Houston – two World Series championships, four American League pennants, and five AL West titles. Gurriel was in the middle of every postseason run – driving in key runs and turning errant throws from Astros infielders into outs at first base.

Current MLB rosters allow for 26 players. The Astros can’t find a spot for arguably one of Houston’s favorite athletes of all time? With the best hair (no argument there).

Yes, the Astros have promising young players who need to see the field to develop. But the Astros lineup is loaded with veterans so it’s not like there’s much room for rookies, anyway. The Astros could keep Gurriel and trade a prospect for experienced help behind the plate.

Two years ago, I went to a sports collectors show in Houston. There were dozens of pro athletes, including several Astros, scribbling autographs. The longest line led to Yuli Gurriel.

Recent stories from the Hot Stove League have Gurriel headed to the Miami Marlins. He’s not ready to spend his baseball golden years in Florida. Before we allow a Houston treasure loose, c’mon Astros, prove that your professed love for Gurriel is real. Keep La Pina where he belongs.

Editor's note: The Marlins interest in Yuli Gurriel seems to have cooled off, per Jon Heyman. The Twins or Astros could have interest.

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Houston beat Purdue, 62-60. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Houston spent time this week practicing an inbound play that coach Kelvin Sampson thought his team might need against Purdue.

Milos Uzan, the third option, ran it to perfection.

He tossed the ball to Joseph Tugler, who threw a bounce pass right back to Uzan, and the 6-foot-4 guard soared to the rim for an uncontested layup with 0.9 seconds left, giving the top-seeded Cougars a 62-60 victory — and a matchup with second-seeded Tennessee in Sunday's Elite Eight.

“Great execution at a time we needed that,” said Sampson, who is a win away from making his third Final Four and his second with Houston in five years. “You never know when you’re going to need it.”

The Cougars (33-4) made only one other basket over the final eight minutes, wasted a 10-point lead and then missed two more shots in the final 5 seconds. A replay review with 2.2 seconds left confirmed Houston would keep the ball when it rolled out of bounds after the second miss.

Uzan took over from there.

“I was trying to hit (L.J. Cryer) and then JoJo just made a great read,” Uzan said. “He was able to draw two (defenders) and he just made a great play to hit me back.”

Houston advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in five years after falling in the Sweet 16 as a top seed in the previous two editions of March Madness. It will take the nation's longest winning streak, 16 games, into Sunday’s Midwest Region final.

The Cougars joined the other three No. 1 seeds in this year's Elite Eight and did it at Lucas Oil Stadium, where their 2021 tourney run ended with a loss in the Final Four to eventual national champion Baylor.

They haven't lost since Feb. 1.

Uzan scored 22 points and Emanuel Sharp had 17 as Houston survived an off night from leading scorer Cryer, who finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Houston still had to sweat out a half-court heave at the buzzer, but Braden Smith's shot was well off the mark.

Fletcher Loyer scored 16 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14 and Smith, the Big Ten player of the year, added seven points and 15 assists for fourth-seeded Purdue (24-12). Smith assisted on all 11 second-half baskets for last year’s national runner-up, which played in front of a friendly crowd about an hour’s drive from its campus in West Lafayette.

“I thought we fought really hard and we dug down defensively to get those stops to come back,” Smith said. “We did everything we could and we just had a little miscommunication at the end and they converted. Props to them.”

Houston appeared on the verge of disaster when Kaufman-Renn scored on a dunk and then blocked Cryer’s shot with 1:17 to go, leading to Camden Heide’s 3 that tied the score at 60 with 35 seconds left.

Sampson called timeout to set up the final play, but Uzan missed a turnaround jumper and Tugler’s tip-in rolled off the rim and out of bounds. The Cougars got one more chance after the replay review.

Sharp's scoring flurry early in the second half finally gave Houston some separation after a back-and-forth first half. His 3-pointer at the 16:14 mark made it 40-32. After Purdue trimmed the deficit to four, Uzan made two 3s to give Houston a 10-point lead in a tough, physical game that set up a rare dramatic finish in this year's tourney.

“Smith was guarding the inbounder, so he had to take JoJo,” Sampson said. “That means there was no one there to take Milos. That's why you work on that stuff day after day.”

Takeaways

Purdue: Coach Matt Painter's Boilermakers stumbled into March Madness with six losses in their final nine games but proved themselves a worthy competitor by fighting their way into the Sweet 16 and nearly taking down a No. 1 seed.

Houston: The Cougars lead the nation in 3-point percentage and scoring defense, an enviable combination.

Scary fall

Houston guard Mylik Wilson gave the Cougars a brief scare with 13:23 left in the game. He leapt high into the air to grab a rebound and drew a foul on Kaufman-Renn.

As the play continued, Wilson was undercut and his body twisted around before he landed on his head. Wilson stayed down momentarily, rubbing his head, but eventually got up and remained in the game.

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