Should the Astros go all-in and sign Bryce Harper?

Kerry Brooke

Should the Astros go all-in and sign Bryce Harper?
Harper would give the Astros some left-handed pop in the lineup. Composite photo by Jack Brame

The Astros made an attempt to trade for Bryce Harper a few months ago, but were not able to get a deal done. Now that Harper is a free agent, should the Astros pay a huge price and bring in the left-handed slugger?

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Both teams are loaded! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

It all comes down to this! The perfect defense versus the perfect offense, who wins? That's the game Texans QB CJ Stroud played with Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons. Here's how it works. Stroud has his pick of the formation and the players he wants to execute his offense. In turn, the same rules apply for Parsons on the defensive side of the ball.

The goal is to put together the team that has the best chance to win in a 4th and 3 scenario. You can see which players were selected below.

Team Stroud (offense)

Stroud elected to attack Parsons' defense with 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR)

QB: CJ Stroud (HOU)

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)

X Receiver: Davante Adams (OAK)

Slot: Tank Dell (HOU)

Z Receiver: Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)

TE: Travis Kelce (KC)

LT: Laremy Tunsil (HOU)

LG: Kevin Zeitler (DET)

C: Creed Humphrey (KC)

RG: Quentin Nelson (IND)

RT: Lane Johnson (PHI)

It's hard to argue with Stroud's selections. You can see that he drafted two members of his current team in WR Tank Dell and LT Laremy Tunsil. One does have to wonder if Texans receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins might take exception to Stroud picking Davante Adams and Ja'Marr Chase over them. He's not wrong for doing it, but I bet he hears about it from Diggs and Collins. Receivers can be a sensitive bunch.

Team Parsons (defense)

Parsons elected to roll with six defensive backs using Dime coverage.

DE: Micah Parsons (DAL)

DT: Aaron Donald (LAR-RETIRED)

DT: Chris Jones (KC)

DE: Myles Garrett (CLE)

LB: Fred Warner (SF)

Safety: Kyle Hamilton (BAL)

CB: Sauce Gardner (NYJ)

CB: Trevon Diggs (DAL)

Nickel: Patrick Surtain Jr (DEN)

Nickel: Jalen Ramsey (MIA)

Safety: Derwin James (LAC)

No doubt, this is a terrifying defense. The defensive linemen alone would have any offense in trouble. So, in this hypothetical, who wins?

Be sure to watch the video above as Stroud and Parsons make their cases. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. You'll definitely be impressed with Stroud's knowledge of the game.

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