[Official] Astros Spring Training Thread

It's only spring, but that doesn't stop Cooper from having a closed door meeting. He is furious by the teams play, giving up so many runs and being shut out in the last 2 games.

http://blogs.chron.com/gamedayastros/2009/03/cooper_holds_closed_door_meeti.html

 

Spring game results are meaningless. But its bad for morale to get clubbed by a football score every day.

We need to turn this around.

 

Except, this is the best case scenario – the outcome that occurs only if multiple things go exactly the way you want them to. How many times has the best case scenario ever actually occurred in reality? How would you respond if your wife said, "If we go to Vegas with the total sum of our savings and bet all our money every time we play roulette and if we hit the exact number seven times in a row we will be rich! Let's go do it!"?

Currently the Astros Rotation Mega-Millions Jackpot Powerball pays out "Not great, but not awful either". That isn't encouraging.

 

Doesn't look like it did much good. We're down 5-0 to the Cards with 3 hits through 7.

But we haven't been shut out in our last 2. Before Atlanta we beat Panama and tied Venezuela. The game before we lost 12-2 against the Rays. So the last 2 Grapefruit games have been a combined 25-2. Maybe 30-2 in the last 3 after today.

In the Grapefruit League, we've given up the most runs and scored the 3rd fewest runs. I know it's spring training but DAMN!

 

Hampton and Ortiz were bad today. Jose Capellan has to be the leader at this point for the 5th spot based on his performance against Venezuela. The catching situation is real bad. All the catchers have like 3 or 4 hits combined this spring. I would sign Pudge. You could get for like $1 million. I would also take a look at Pedro Martinez who pitched very well today at the WBC. You could get Pudge and Pedro for like $3 million combined. Some other catchers who are on the trade market are John Buck, Brayan Pena, George Kottaras, and Rob Bowen. Kottaras is out of options so the Red Sox have to DFA he doesn't make the roster which he won't because they signed Varitek and Josh Bard this past offseason.

 

Astros could free up a couple of million of dollars by releasing or trading Brandon Backe and Tim Byrdak because their contracts are not guaranteed. Byrdak had a 6.85 ERA after the All-Star break and well know how Backe pitched. Rule V lefty Gilbert De La Vara has pitched real well so far and would be a lot cheaper to keep than Byrdak and would be a better pitcher. Use that money to sign Pudge. His only season in Florida they won the World Series and his second season with the Tigers he helped them go from last place to the World Series.

 

"We're not signing Pudge. Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."

-Ed Wade

source

 

Anyone watching the WBC?

Pudge is 2-2 with a HR and a stolen base.

Think that pretty much matches our entire roster of catchers production in the entire spring training.

 

Make that 3-3 with a HR, SB, single and a double

 

Pudge has three hits - today. If Pudge is available for $1MM, he's a better investment and than any other player the Astros have signed this offseason simply because of the differential between him (even a mediocre him) and the catchers on our roster.

(Unless the Astros are convinced that JR Towles needs a full season to figure out if he's the Astros' catcher of the future - they gave up on him pretty damn quick last year after a spectacular debut in 2006.)

 

4-4 2HR, a single, a double, a stolen base

 

who???

 

Pudge - the guy we don't want to sign for a couple millions bucks. If money is the issue here (as opposed to concerns about chemistry) and what rikesh said above is true, let's make a move here. It just makes too much sense given the Astros' catching situation.

Quintero still doesn't have a hit in ST after another 0-fer.

 

yeah, i'm with you. just depends on the price. i have no idea what he's willing to take.

 

I'm betting it's less than the $4+ million we gave to Doug Brocail, Aaron Boone and Jason Michaels.

 

The sad thing is I bet some team goes out and signs Pudge early this week and it won't be the Astros, the team most desperate for catching help.

 

and a walk. drayton, you're appalling.

 

in other news, palmisano, quintero, and towles are now 1 for 40 this spring.

 

and carlos lee is fatter than ever.

 

As I see it, these are the big question marks heading into the regular season:

1. 2 through 5 in the starting rotation
2. offensive production out of our catchers
3. offensive production out of our 3B platoon
4. offensive production out of Michael Bourn, our starting CFer, regardless of where he hits in the lineup

We could eliminate 1 of these 4 issues in one simple move by signing Pudge. That would still leave us with a bunch of question marks but if we can do it on the cheap, why not? Again, if what rikesh said is true, we can release a couple of the players with non-guaranteed contracts to minimize or completely avoid taking on more payroll.

As far as the rumors that the Astros are concerned about Pudge causing chemistry problems in the locker room, is there any legitimacy to that? Is Pudge known for being a distraction?