Jump to content

2021-2022 Astros Offseason Thread


Planet Houston

Recommended Posts

On 11/13/2021 at 9:41 AM, Wulaw Horn said:

Jose de Jesus Ortiz, who should be forced to suck off syphlitic dicks for the rest of his (hopefully) short and miserable life. 

One time when I was admitted to rehab my counselor's diagnosis was "heavy alcohol abuse disorder, mild-to-moderate psychedelics abuse disorder, and mild-to-moderate obsession with the Houston Astros."

I don't think she'd have put you down in that category with me. 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Mets offered him 18.4 in arbitration and he got 21 million from the Angels.  He has thrown 2 innings since hurting his elbow in 2019.  His return was delayed this season because of elbow soreness and then he had covid.  The Angels like lighting money on fire.

Edited by kevwun
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, kevwun said:

The Mets offered him 18.4 in arbitration and he got 21 million from the Angels.  He has thrown 2 innings since hurting his elbow in 2019.  His return was delayed this season because of elbow soreness and then he had covid.  The Angels like lighting money on fire.

and they gave up a second round pick - Thor turned down a QO. 

what are they even doing out there in Anaheim?

Edited by The Dog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Is the Thor signing in any way indicative of the market value for JV?

I don’t think so. This is Thor’s 1st contract out of team control. His salary the last 2 years was only $9.7m. He’s only 29 so he still has time to get a mega multi year deal and can afford a prove it year. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesus, why?  I want another title and he’s the most realistic option to improve last year’s pitching performance.  
 

if Correa walks and this era of Astros dominance is effectively over I’m going to be really sad all of Houston suffered through that much losing just for 2017.  

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

I want our FO to do whatever it takes to make this window be open 2-3 years and if that means trading farm guys and signing anyone to do it let’s go all in. I don’t give two fucks about 2025 and if we’re competitive or not. 

Why not?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

Why not what? I care about now not the future, the future is unknown but right now we have the roster to win titles and farm guys don’t always pan out. Strike while the window is open.

Me too, flags fly forever and if we can win one more WS my hope is that the national narrative can move on from trash can lids.  
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

if Correa walks and this era of Astros dominance is effectively over I’m going to be really sad all of Houston suffered through that much losing just for 2017.  

I mean, beyond 2017, there are 2 additional AL pennants too, division titles, etc. In the Crane era, the club has been really good for twice as long as it was really bad. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Hank Chinaski said:

I mean, beyond 2017, there are 2 additional AL pennants too, division titles, etc. In the Crane era, the club has been really good for twice as long as it was really bad. 

Maybe by your calendar.  I watched this team die slowly basically from 2006-2015.  
 

If we only get one World Championship we’re basically the late 90’s Braves (inferior, really, due to their sustained run).  Two championships and we’re an all-timer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Maybe by your calendar.  I watched this team die slowly basically from 2006-2015.  
 

If we only get one World Championship we’re basically the late 90’s Braves (inferior, really, due to their sustained run).  Two championships and we’re an all-timer.

Well sure, going back to the Drayton days. Thought you meant under the current ownership group, who had an actual plan in place (unlike Drayton). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Maybe by your calendar.  I watched this team die slowly basically from 2006-2015.  
 

If we only get one World Championship we’re basically the late 90’s Braves (inferior, really, due to their sustained run).  Two championships and we’re an all-timer.

All teams go through cycles. The mighty Yankees only have 2 pennants and 1 WS championship in the last 21 seasons. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LCHorn said:

Me too, flags fly forever and if we can win one more WS my hope is that the national narrative can move on from trash can lids.  

what you wrote sounds right, but i fear the opposite is likely true.  if we end this run in 2025 with 4-5 ws appearances and 2 titles and 7/9 alcs appearances, it'll still be about the cheating, at least for most of the fans and a chunk of the media.  they perpetuate it because we're winning, not the other way around.  we've been to 5 straight alcs and 3 world series and most people still are writing cheating articles.  

the rockies were caught doing worse shit and it was hardly a blurb.  the narrative goes away when we suck again.

fuck em all.  win win win and fuck what the national narrative is.  we can't control that shit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

Why not what? I care about now not the future, the future is unknown but right now we have the roster to win titles and farm guys don’t always pan out. Strike while the window is open.

Why do you not care about 2025?  Are you going to stop watching?  Because as stated above, 2006-2014 was pretty fucking painful.  I'd rather not go through that again.

It's not either/or anyway.  Keep making the playoffs every year and eventually the dice fall your way.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

what you wrote sounds right, but i fear the opposite is likely true.  if we end this run in 2025 with 4-5 ws appearances and 2 titles and 7/9 alcs appearances, it'll still be about the cheating, at least for most of the fans and a chunk of the media.  they perpetuate it because we're winning, not the other way around.  we've been to 5 straight alcs and 3 world series and most people still are writing cheating articles.  

the rockies were caught doing worse shit and it was hardly a blurb.  the narrative goes away when we suck again.

fuck em all.  win win win and fuck what the national narrative is.  we can't control that shit.

Yeah but right now it’s we can’t win it without cheating and it sucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, WBT said:

Why do you not care about 2025?  Are you going to stop watching?  Because as stated above, 2006-2014 was pretty fucking painful.  I'd rather not go through that again.

It's not either/or anyway.  Keep making the playoffs every year and eventually the dice fall your way.

Because it’s 2021/2022 season. I care about now and let later take care of itself. If we have a team to win it all then you go hard at the deadline and improve your team and not keep Prospects that may or may not be a piece down the road. I’ll take another WS ring over being competitive only every year and not winning anything

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Scraps said:

I would take Verlander back in a heartbeat 

There’s a difference between bringing him back, and mortgaging too much of a future with a lot of risk. I don’t care how hard he was throwing, the motherfucker is old now. See also Greinke at the end of 2021, while also attaching a huge financial obligation into the future. Fuck that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

I definitely support going after a SP at the deadline when we needed one. Guess you guys like being the Braves of the 90’s. I would make our window be another 3-4 years and load the team up for the hope of winning 2 more at the least. 

This is a false dichotomy, though. You don’t have to mortgage the future to load up now. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those who’ve been asking: He’s alive! But just barely. 

Quote

Forrest Whitley Talks Injuries, Tommy John Surgery, Rehab and More…

Back in late 2017 things seemed to be going right for the Astros. They were coming off their first World Series Championship in franchise history, but also had one of the top pitching prospects in baseball still in waiting in right-hander Forrest Whitley. While the Astros continued their dominance of the American League, Forrest suffered a few setbacks dealing with some nagging injuries and ultimately missing the 2021 season.

Drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft, Whitley quickly burst onto the scene with a dominant 2017 season which saw him strikeout 143 in just 92.1 innings across three different minor league levels. Forrest was suspended for part of the 2018 season but still had some solid numbers with a 3.76 ERA and 34 K in 26.1 innings. In 2019, Whitley was thrown another “curveball” when he had an oblique injury, a nagging elbow injury and some mechanical adjustments which led to him throwing just 59.2 innings.

With the minor league season getting cancelled in 2020 due to COVID, Whitley went down to Corpus Christi where things didn’t go as planned. I asked Forrest about his time there and he said “When things got moved to Corpus, I had to deal with some quarantine stuff because of COVID which took me out of throwing for a few days. I ended up throwing one of the best outings of summer camp after the quarantine, I actually struck out every batter. After I had made the last out, our pitching coach quickly called me back to throw to another hitter because I hadn’t reached my pitch limit, so I threw to Jake Meyers. During that AB is when I tore my UCL initially”.  The doctors told Forrest that his UCL was partially torn and he could possibly build it back with rehab.  Whitley added “It was really unfortunate timing, I really thought I was going to get called up right after that outing.”

Fast forward to the Spring of 2021 and Whitley found out he was going to have Tommy John Surgery, which he stated “I totally knew I needed”. I asked him about getting that news and he actually said he was relieved. “I was so happy that I could finally have a healthy elbow again to pitch in games with. It had honestly been bothering me from the beginning of the 2019 season but I thought it was something that every thrower dealt with. It could have been torn for a lot longer than I realized”, Whitley added.

Forrest Whitley had the surgery in March of 2021. We are now about 8 months post-surgery so I asked him about the rehab process and what kind of throwing he is doing. “I’ve been throwing for over 3 months now and it feels incredible, it doesn’t feel like I have a gaping hole in my elbow every time I throw now. I’m throwing about 5 times per week and I’m back to 120 feet. I honestly couldn’t be happier with how rehab has gone thus far,” Whitley stated. I asked Whitley if he would be ready for Spring 2022 and he said he won’t be fully ready but will be throwing off of a mound, “so I’ll be participating in everything but games I’d imagine.”

Despite the setbacks, players can still find a way to grow through it all. I asked Forrest about this and he said “I wouldn’t say the adversity has helped me grow as a baseball player, it’s allowed me to look at things through a different lens which has helped me grow as a man. I used to be so fixated on what other people said about me, it kind of drove me mad without me realizing it. Then when I had the tough season in 2019 it was the hardest fall of my life, I felt worthless. But building things from the ground up since surgery had been very therapeutic for me, I’ve slowed my process a ton, a lot less of a sense of urgency revolved around getting to the show.”

From one of the top pitching prospects in baseball to working his way back from Tommy John Surgery, Whitley has never lost confidence in his ability to be a major league pitcher. He ended our conversation stating “I genuinely believe I’m still a front of the rotation guy, if not the best arm in all of MLB. I know it might sound conceded to say, or even ridiculous based off of my recent track record, but when I’m back, I’m coming for their necks with everything I’ve got.” The Astros are still in a good position with a talented squad, but getting Whitley back to top form would add another young arm to one of the best teams in baseball.

 

 

Edited by TonyTexas
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, slorch said:

There’s a difference between bringing him back, and mortgaging too much of a future with a lot of risk. I don’t care how hard he was throwing, the motherfucker is old now. See also Greinke at the end of 2021, while also attaching a huge financial obligation into the future. Fuck that.

Bringing back Verlander is actually exactly what the Astros should do for the future and keeping this window open. A 3 year contract would help with both. I don’t see any way that signing Verlander mortgages the future. Should they give a 6/7 year deal to Robbie Ray? Him and Greinke are completely different pitchers, to compare them is ridiculous. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Verlander doesn't cost draft picks and won't get a long deal.  It's only money and they have it to spend if it wasn't just lip service.  Greinke has been losing 1-2 mph every year going back several seasons.  They are nothing alike. 

Edited by kevwun
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...