Astros off-season

[astrosfanatic]

i am a little slow getting this up. there have already been quite a few things happening...

the Astros have some choices to make about the direction of their team since they have started a rebuilding phase by trading Puma/Oswalt. Here's what has happened so far:


Jeff Bagwell has declined to return as the hitting coach
The Astros have hired minor league instructor,Mike Barnett, in his place
we have gone on record to say that Berkman will not be back this next year


while i am sad that Baggs will not be returning, i can understand his reasoning (family)...there have also been some rumors that he was not a fan of video analysis, and that wasn't okay with Mills...Barnett was the video analysis pioneer with the Yankees back in the 80's, so i guess he with mesh with Mills a little better...Barnett is also a big proponent of working counts and working the opposing starters out of the game....that would be real nice to see...

the whole Berkman ordeal tells me that the Astros are going to move forward with Brett Wallace and Carlos Lee at 1st base this year...that is a good thing for Bogusevic who would benefit from LF being open...the sooner we get TJ Steele or JD Martinez up to the big leagues, the better

[astrosfanatic]

a couple BIG notes:

The Astros are officially up for sale!! this could be good or bad....time will tell

http://www.foxsportshouston.com/11/18/10/Astros-are-officially-up-for-sale/landing.html?blockID=356156&feedID=3716

and the Astros traded RHP Felipe Paulino for SS/2B Clint Barmes

Barmes is a clear upgrade at SS, and Paulino is a severe injury risk with good potential...i think i need to wait out judging thsi trade until Spring Training comes along

[Cathy]

a couple BIG notes:

The Astros are officially up for sale!! this could be good or bad....time will tell

http://www.foxsportshouston.com/11/18/10/Astros-are-officially-up-for-sale/landing.html?blockID=356156&feedID=3716

and the Astros traded RHP Felipe Paulino for SS/2B Clint Barmes

Barmes is a clear upgrade at SS, and Paulino is a severe injury risk with good potential...i think i need to wait out judging thsi trade until Spring Training comes along

I read the bold part on mlb.com

[astrosfanatic]

i cant wait to see if the Astros will make a pick in this year's Rule 5 draft...we have 2 open spots on the roster based on who we expect to have on the team already....those slots would most likely be used for LOOGY's since we DFA'd our only 2 lefties from last year....

so maybe we do what we did with Wright a couple years back and pick a Lefty RP and hide him in the pen...i would like to see the Astros pluck a Middle Infielder who can play 2B/3B and maybe a little SS to replace Geoff Blum....we also still need a left-handed bat on the bench

for the first time in the last few years, there will be a lot of competition in Spring Training for multiple positions

[astrosfanatic]

with Ryan Church being non-tendered today, i think that he would make an excellent target for our need of a Lefty bat on the bench...he would be the 4th/5th OF i believe....

[astrosfanatic]

Astros reached agreements with Bourn, Keppinger, and Barmes yesterday! Nothing outrageous, but i was expecting Bourne to get more than 5 million this year, but he came up a little short.


That leaves only Pence and Wandy to sign, and IIRC they went down to the wire last year. Our payroll is at 55 million right now. ~8 million for Wandy and ~7 or 8 million for Pence would bring it to the 70 million mark....Not too long ago we were pushing 100 million!

[Mr. Baseball]

Astros reached agreements with Bourn, Keppinger, and Barmes yesterday! Nothing outrageous, but i was expecting Bourne to get more than 5 million this year, but he came up a little short.


That leaves only Pence and Wandy to sign, and IIRC they went down to the wire last year. Our payroll is at 55 million right now. ~8 million for Wandy and ~7 or 8 million for Pence would bring it to the 70 million mark....Not too long ago we were pushing 100 million!

I've always been a fan of Bourn as a lead-off man. I know you saw a drop in his batting average last season, but his speed is something you can't overlook. When he gets on base, he's just as deadly as Ricky Henderson. Infact, Bourn's career SB% is considerably higher than Henderson's, meaning he's not only fast as lightening but he's a smart base-runner. A fast runner can be the difference between a double-play and a run more often than most people realize.