TEXANS NEWS
Texans GM confronts rumors, reveals intriguing draft options for Houston
Apr 17, 2023, 5:27 pm
Nick Caserio met with the media on Monday. Composite image by Brandon Strange, photos by Getty Images.
How the Houston Texans can avoid an unmistakable draft trap
Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio addressed the rumors that he could leave the organization shortly after the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday.
His response to the rumors was right out of the page of Jordan Belfort.
“Quite frankly, I am almost embarrassed that I have to say anything,” Caserio said. “I mean, honestly, I feel like Leonardo DiCaprio on The Wolf of Wall Street, but I’m not leaving. There has never really been any substantive discussions of the sort.”
The rumor that Caserio could be on the move and head back to New England first originated from Michael Lombardi, an NFL insider, who said there could be some drastic movement within the Texans’ organization after the draft.
As is the case this time of year, albeit not usually relating to executives, the report grew into speculation that Caserio was potentially leaving the Texans just two years into his takeover of the organization as its general manager.
Over the course of the past few days, Caserio said the speculations have left him “literally laughing.” He doubled down by saying he has no idea where the source of the rumor came from.
“I can’t speak for anybody else other than myself, so I mean again, maybe you can do some digging on that,” Caserio told reporters. “My focus is on the draft. It is on the people in this building. It is on the coaching staff and my responsibility is to the people that are here.”
Houston has a plethora of draft capital in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, including the No. 2 overall pick, which will be crucial in filling the roster with future cornerstone players.
While Caserio said he has no plans of going anywhere, who the Texans pick at No. 2, or how they choose to utilize the selection, could ultimately end up tying into how long Caserio is the general manager for Houston.
With the draft just 10 days away, he revealed that the team has received calls for the second overall pick. While Caserio did not say what the offers or conversations for the pick have been, he did say Houston is leaving all doors open.
“Are we open for business? I would say we are open to listening … I think our responsibility is to listen, try to take the information in and try to make the right decision,” Caserio said.
With five picks in the first 73 selections, and Houston also owning a top fourth-round pick, Caserio stated there likely will be movement up or down at some point for the Texans over the course of the three days.
Whether that is as early as Houston’s top pick or later in the draft, only time will tell. The ultimate motivator behind any deals will be because the Texans are making a move to acquire a player that checks all the boxes to what Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans deem important.
“We won't eliminate anything. We’ll just try to make good decisions,” Caserio said.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
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.