I haven't seen him play yet but I read scouting reports that say he doesn't have the arm to play the left side of infield. How does that play in RF? Right now 3B and RF are the 2 positions I worry about if there is a bad injury. What I have read makes him a poor fit for those 2 positions which lessens his chances in 2024. For the last year+ I have viewed Loperfido as a multiple position guy who can start for large patches of the year at 1 position where there is a hole, like Marwin did but 1B, 2B, LF, CF. For 2025-2030 I expect to see his name listed below the 9 starters on the Baseball Reference page even though he will be 7th or 8th in PAs. In the 110 OPS+/wRC+ range and 1.5-2 WAR.
I am very high on Loperfido. His ceiling is that of a really good player. I don’t think he’s going to be a star; he doesn’t have the power of someone like Bellinger. But a Michael Conforto level 3-4 fwar player is within his ceiling. Most likely he will end up as less than that, but I’m really confident that he will have a relatively long MLB future as at least a good lefty bench bat with athleticism. He probably isn’t a long term CF, but he will be fine in LF, RF, and 1B, and can serve as a backup option at 2B and CF. He has an average arm but his speed/range makes him playable in RF.
Trying to figure if there’s any way Snell or Montgomery make any sense for the Astros given their unique situation of having 8 solid SP but 2 of those currently out for months and 2 more currently dealing with minor injuries (along with Framber’s uncertainty). Right now there’s a big dropoff in expected payroll after 2025. I don’t think 1 year deals (or deals with perennial opt-puts) make much sense for Houston, but if Crane is just trying to capitalize on the current window, maybe a front loaded 4-5 year deal with an opt out after years 2, 3, and 4 makes some sense. It means Crane paying a shitload of tax this season and next, but it keeps the medium and long term books relatively clean. Something like $140M over 5 years, with the breakdown as: 2024 $40M 2025 $40M 2026-2028 $18M/yr plus $2M/yr innings incentives That still probably doesn’t make much sense, but if Crane’s game for it then I wouldn’t consider it a bad deal.
Didn't Dana Brown just say yesterday that they are no longer considering bringing in pitching? I saw a story on mlbtraderumors but just skimmed it. If that's the case: press conference tomorrow to announce the Montgomery signing.
Dana Brown has pretty much proven that nothing he says can be taken with any certainty. He often talks in word salad and contradicts things he recently said.
We're at the point now where even the press doesn't expect any comment from a GM or coach to carry much weight.... and with everything being tracked on social media, those in the front office who give interviews are going to be fairly non-specific (or in Brown's case.... word salad) to the point where they may both confirm and deny and re-confirm in the same sound-byte a certain intention. But everybody here was equally upset when Luhnow would keep everything fairly close to the vest (including avoiding discussion of stuff that had already been leaked... by whom?) and wouldn't say anything of note (especially after the press was trying to hammer them every single chance they could get... and things went totally silent with clubhouse bans, etc.).
Dana Brown’s tenure will be defined by the 2023, 2024, 2025, and (maybe) 2026 drafts and international signing periods. He was hired to identify and develop cheap star-level talent. Crane is going to lead all meaningful free agency, extension, and trade deadline activity.
LOL! Is your name Jim Crane? That's the only guy whose opinion matters on Astros Matters of this nature.
I don't mind Brown speaking out of his ass. Hell, Morey has done that to us and players (see CP3) for years - we have been conditioned as fans.
He said he was going to stay involved but not full-time. More of a consultant like Bags used to be before he took a more active role.
