Big offseason
Patrick Creighton: Who’s next? 5 potential additional Astros moves
Jan 16, 2018, 3:44 am
Should the Astros upgrade over Ken Giles? Al Bello/Getty Images
Patrick Creighton is co-host of "Nate & Creight" on SportsMap 94.1 FM Houston, a host on SB Nation Radio and PxP broadcaster for Texan Live. Follow him on Twitter at @PCreighton1
Astros GM Jeff Luhnow may be fresh off stealing SP Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates, but that doesn’t mean he’s finished sculpting the roster of the defending World Series champions. One message that Luhnow has always been consistent with since taking his post in Houston is that he is always looking to improve the club.
The Astros don’t have a lot of holes or needs (they did just win the World Series after all) but here are 5 moves that could bolster the team as it embarks on its quest to repeat as champs in 2018:
Greg Holland, closer
Holland (32) is coming off a season where he led the National League in both saves (41) and games finished (58). He is a thee-time All Star who racks up tons of Ks (11.0 K/9 in 2017). He’s the best reliever on the market.
There are reportedly some within the Astros organization who feel the closer spot (currently occupied by Ken Giles) is a question mark that needs addressing. Holland is the best and surest solution to that question on the market.
Holland won’t come cheap (he passed on a $15M option and declined Colorado’s $17.4M qualifying offer), he’s struggled with handing out free passes (4.1 BB/9 in 2017) and he did miss all of 2016 with Tommy John surgery.
While the offseason has moved slow for many higher end free agents, there is a chance the Astros can wait out his asking price some more and get him for a more amenable price. That said, Holland is easily the best choice the team has in free agency to upgrade from Giles.
Jonathan Lucroy, C
The Astros have been fans of Lucroy (32) for a while, including chasing him at the trade deadline in 2016.
Lucroy’s power tailed off last season, although perhaps part of his offensive struggles could be related to the Texas Rangers overall struggles, as his offense saw a significant uptick after being traded to Colorado. Lucroy slashed .310/.429/.437 (.865 OPS) in 142 AB for the Rockies after being acquired.
Lucroy is no longer the elite receiver he once was, but he’s still considered above average defensively, which is far more than can be said for Evan Gattis’ prowess with the leather.
Lucroy could pair with Brian McCann in a platoon behind the plate, allowing Gattis to focus strictly on being a DH, which is ultimately his best position. In this situation, Gattis would share time with Marwin Gonzalez at DH, as Marwin is a significantly better hitter as a LH than a RH batter. Also, A.J. Hinch likes to get Marwin ABs at various places in the field regularly, so Gattis would get a significant number of ABs in a DH only role. It would also allow the team to go full platoon with McCann/Gonzalez as LH batters vs RHP & Lucroy/Gattis as RH batters vs LHP.
Tony Watson LHP
Jorge De La Rosa LHP
Fernando Abad LHP
The Astros would love to have two LHPs in their bullpen. Right now they have none (or they shouldn’t have one, as Tony Sipp and Reymin Guduan don’t belong on the roster). They definitely want at least one.
The LH reliever is a scarce commodity, and these are likely the 3 best available on the market.
Watson (32) is not as dominant as he once was but he is still a workhorse who went a combined 7-4 with a 3.38 ERA last season, although he pitched better after being acquired by the Dodgers at the July 31 deadline (2-1, 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP in 24 G). He had a 5:1 K/BB ratio vs LHB, surrendering only 5 XBH to LHB in 2017.
De La Rosa (36) made the transition to the bullpen last season after spending the previous 10 years exclusively as a starter. He has spent the last 10 years of his career pitching in hitters’ ballparks as well (nine years at Coors Field in Colorado, last year at Chase Field in Arizona). He finished last season 3-1 with a 4.21 ERA. He was very tough vs LHB, holding them to a .194 AVG, and a very weak .545 OPS. He also had a 5:1 K/BB ratio vs LHB.
Abad (32) is someone most Astros fans are likely familiar with, as he started his professional career with the Astros Dominican Summer league team in 2006 and progressed through the system, ultimately making his major league debut with Houston in 2010 at 24.
Abad was solid in his first year with the team in 2010, but struggled badly as the Astros lost 100+ games for the first times in their history in 2011 & 2012. Since then, he’s found himself as a pitcher and been one of the better LH relievers in baseball. He finished 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA for the Red Sox in 2017, proving he could pitch in one of baseball’s toughest divisions and in the heat of playoff race. He gave up only 4 XBH hits to LHB last season and held them to a .227 AVG and .288 OBP, while maintaining a 4.2 K/BB rate vs LHB.
Adding any one of these three LHPs to the bullpen would be a boost.
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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!
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