Falcon Points
Texans continue to make off-field news for all the wrong reasons
Aug 14, 2019, 1:45 pm
Scott Halleran/Getty Images
It's hard to know what the Texans are as an organization right now. While every team has off-field controversies and issues, the Texans have taken it to a new level over the past few months. They have made significantly more news off the field than on it, and most of it has not been good. While things might still work out this season, the off-season has made them look disorganized, rudderless and like they are flying by the seat of their pants.
Key moment?
The issues probably started with the draft, when the Eagles traded up one spot ahead of the Texans to take tackle Andre Dillard. The Texans then took Tytus Howard, who was not nearly as highly regarded. Reports since then are that the Texans were never that high on Dillard, but that was likely spin control. They got out-maneuvered for a player who could have helped immediately.
All hell breaks lose
In the time after, the Texans fired GM Brian Gaine, who had barely been on the job for more than a year. Gaine had been head coach Bill O'Brien's hand-picked choice. A few days later, a lawsuit came out alleging racist practices by the Texans. While the lawsuit may or may not have merit, it was yet another bad look.
Things looked even worse when they team tried to pursue New England's Nick Caserio, who was still under contract.
After that, they simply decided not to have a GM. While it may work, again, yet another bad look.
Then they punted on running back D'Onta Foreman, a third-round pick from just three years ago, necessitating a trade with Cleveland to get Duke Johnson, which could cost them another third round pick. While a good move, once again, the optics are poor.
More fallout
One of the reported issues with Gaine was how to deal with Jadeveon Clowney's contract situation. Clowney is on the franchise tag and has yet to report. Rumors have begun to swirl that the team is looking to trade him. Of course, with rumors, you have to wonder where they come from. Clowney's agents? O'Brien's people often leak info that makes him look favorable. Did they do it to see what the reaction would be?
Regardless, the entire situation is yet another bad look. If they had decided to move on from Clowney, the time to trade him would have been before the draft. It's unlikely you can get fair value for him now. Yes, if you could get a legitimate offensive tackle or lead cornerback, it might be worth it. But are those players really available?
Cooler heads?
The smart move would be to simply wait for Clowney to report, play him this season, tag him a second time and trade him next year when you get more value. But who is making that decision? O'Brien? The mysterious Jack Easterby? Cal McNair?
Let's not forget Cal McNair's corporate speak description of the GM arrangement. "It's a flatter organization with a faster management style," he said. "The organization is totally re-energized with a team-based approach and new leadership based on sub programs with each sub program being fully optimized as a goal.
"I know it's a lot, but it's a lot of improvements and we can't wait to get out of the office on the fields and get back to winning football games."
"Flatter" organization. "Sub programs." Word salad. Will all that lead to the right decisions? Who knows? The no-GM thing might actually work. Depending on how the Clowney situation plays out, of course. Otherwise, it's just another bad look for a team that is making more noise off the field that on it.
One of the biggest mistakes pro sports franchise owners make is trying to run it like their other successful businesses. McNair is talking like just such an owner. And more voices will mean more leaks. None of this will matter if the team succeeds on the field. But with one bad look after another? Fans should be concerned.
Will McNair be right? Will they get back to winning football games? For now, that has become a sub plot. Or a sub program. Whatever it is, if the Texans fail on the field, it will be the worst look of all.
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Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
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