I'll be a bit upset if we don't at least put in a claim for verlander. His contract isn't awful and ends before any of our big position players are eligible for FA. He's been very durable over his career and I think he could at the very least eat up innings productively and help save our pen going into the last 2 months of the season. Plus , I think he could be a candidate to perform well in the playoffs where he isn't concerned about the long haul and can throw harder.
Verlander certainly looked good against us in his last outing, despite probably not having his best day. With the uncertainty in our SPs and inconsistent bullpen, he would be a welcomed addition.
No, the Astros missed out on not having a plan B and not moving on from Britton like the Dodgers did. Twenty minutes before the deadline the Dodgers moved on to plan B and walked away with Yu Darvish at a very reasonable price. Tony Watson was like plan D or E. As far as plan B's being available, I doubt you find anyone as remotely good as Darvish in August. Plan D or E types like Watson? Probably... but the Astros already got one of those at the deadline. The Astros were only willing to move certain prospects, and they put all their eggs in the Britton basket and trusted Angelo would make a deal.... and they struck out. Philosophy coupled with poor decision making and execution resulted in a bad trade deadline for the Astros. Luhnow deserves criticism, just like he deserves praise for his off season moves and farm system.
I know you have info. Is this something you know or are hypothesizing? (That they didn't have a significant offer in on Wilson or other pitchers at that level or higher)
We probably will. But working out a deal might be tough. Luhnow will "try". If the clubhouse sees Crane/Luhnow land Verlander, it would be HUGE for the psyche of the team. I hope we can make something happen.
The "small market" comment by Lunhow after the deadline was telling. I have very strong doubts that he will pull the trigger on getting Verlander. I don't think he would be willing to pay him $28 million for the next two seasons, and possibly a third. I'm not saying that Verlander is the answer, but it's completely ridiculous to think that we don't need another starting pitcher. And the backlash the front office has gotten from the media, fans, and even Keuchel (aka, the players) has to make him feel a little pressure. He seems hard-headed, though. So I don't think he does it.
I really had a feeling he wouldn't budge on letting his blue-chip prospects go. I was hoping he would make a few big deals. Needless to say, the whole Astros organization has to feel disappointed and so do the fans. If we go .500 or worse this month, it would be a bad sign. On the "small market" comment, that's not a good thing to hear. Ever.
The Astros were very protective of their prospects with the top ones not being offered at all at the deadline. When I say the top ones that doesn't just mean 2-3 prospects. A week before the deadline I had heard the Astros could possibly be talked into moving Franklin Perez in a package for one of the top prizes available. At the deadline the Astros did not offer Perez from what I have been told.
He had a deal in place with the O's for Britton, shipping out top prospects that was "90% done" before the O's owner vetoed it.
Getting Verlander is important not because of being a starter, but showing his pitching skills and veteran experience. Farm boys can be replenished, but quality arms are not easy to find. Yanks, Red Sox and Cubs all traded highly-touted prospects (B.Rutherford to D.Roberston, Y.Moancada to C.Sale and E.Jimenez to Jose Quintana) for pitchers. If the Stros stand pat, it is because they don't want to spend the money.
Astros came up short on one great reliever at deadline. Not directed at you, but seen/heard many criticisms (twitter, here, MMP) suggesting that Astros would have a parade for division winners/there goes the World Series,etc. which pisses me off as a fan. It is insulting to my team. My team may not win World Series this year, but it isn't losing the World Series on July 31. I'm an Astros fan. I'm biased towards players on the Astros. Wilson/Hand/Britton aren't Astros. Sucks to be them..
Wow! I assumed he wouldn't be offered for a reliever, but assumed Astros at least would have had him in a proposal for Gray. I really hope this means Astros are highly confident McHugh, McCullers, and Keuchel don't have anything medical wrong that shouldn't clear up by postseason and that their confidence is well placed.
You give the impression that the organization can do no wrong. And if it doesn't work out, there's nothing that could have been done otherwise. And that's fine. You're amongst the loyal fans who won't second guess. There are also loyal fans who do have the ability to be concerned/upset about the lingering issues that could prevent this team from winning both this year and beyond. Going into the season, the health and effectivess of starting pitching was a big concern. They are still big concerns. Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers will not completely alleviate those concerns. The fact that this offense has been more productive than ever expected has mitigated those concerns...but the sustainability/consistency of offfense doesn't always translate to short/high stakes series.
Verlander will clear waivers, no team wants that contract. He's the same age as Scott Feldman, and pitching worse than Feldman this year. Feldman's contract is for $2.3M, while Verlander has 2 years of $28M/year left after this year. He's even pitching worse than Mike Fiers this year. That being said, he can chew up innings and provide some veteran leadership. Wouldn't be surprised to see Luhnow put in a call to the Tigers after Verlander clears waivers (we'll likely never know about it), but he would want the Tigers to pick up $35M of the remaining contract. And I doubt the Tigers would pay that much to get rid of Verlander and potentially pick up a couple middling prospects.
I've criticized them for Aoki and Beltran, though not harshly. My team is tearing it up for most of the year. My team is being criticized for losing in the World Series this year and in future years for games they haven't played. For games that have actually been played this year, Astros have greatly exceeded my expectations and likely most others considering all the criticism. Considering what the Astros are doing on the field, I give the Astros the thumbs up. If Astros never win a WS in Luhnow's tenure, I see the attacks as warranted. We aren't there yet. This team looks better than any Astros team ever despite Luhnow's philosophy being second guessed by you and others almost every step of the way.
