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2023 Official Astros World Champs Offseason Thread


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FYI Saw this on FanDuel from this morning:

 

MLB insider Jon Heyman reports the Astros executives are "meeting on" former Chicago Cub Willson Contreras. Contreras should receive a $19.65 million qualifying offer from Chicago, but reports suggest he'll turn this down and test the open market. 

This isn't the first time Houston had sights set on Contreras. According to Heyman, the Astros had a trade in place for Contreras back in July, but owner Jim Crane "nixed it."

Houston instead traded for Christian Vazquez and used him in rotation with Martin Maldonado. 

The plan worked this past season, but it's clear that won't stop Houston's front office from considering a different route with Contreras available in free agency. Contreras slashed .243/.349/.466 with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs in 2022 and is considered the best offensive catcher on the market.

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1 hour ago, HtownHorn said:

Yet the team won a WS without either of them really doing anything.

That doesn’t make him “more right.” It makes him half right at best. 

And, for what it’s worth, if you’re consistent in that logic, it means his offer for Contreras dumb, because they clearly didn’t need him either. (And it was dumb: 3+ years of control of a proven major league pitcher for a rental part part-time catcher is asinine.)

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Just now, formermav43 said:

That doesn’t make him “more right.” It makes him half right at best. 

And, for what it’s worth, if you’re consistent in that logic, it means his offer for Contreras dumb, because they clearly didn’t need him either. (And it was dumb: 3+ years of control of a proven major league pitcher for a rental part part-time catcher is asinine.)

At the time of trade deadline, the Astros had glaring holes at DH-LF/1B/C. Which is why they traded for Mancini and Vazquez.

Seems they like Contreras enough that they are now interested in signing him. His bat is good enough to be the primary DH or he could move to 1B.

As it turns out, the pitching staff built by Click was so good, the Astros got away with getting nothing from 3 or 4 spots in their lineup in each round of the playoffs. But there is no reason to build a team with 3 or 4 automatic outs.

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18 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

At the time of trade deadline, the Astros had glaring holes at DH-LF/1B/C. Which is why they traded for Mancini and Vazquez.

Seems they like Contreras enough that they are now interested in signing him. His bat is good enough to be the primary DH or he could move to 1B.

As it turns out, the pitching staff built by Click was so good, the Astros got away with getting nothing from 3 or 4 spots in their lineup in each round of the playoffs. But there is no reason to build a team with 3 or 4 automatic outs.

Getting Contreras for cash is good. Getting him for Urquidy was not.

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55 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

At the time of trade deadline, the Astros had glaring holes at DH-LF/1B/C. Which is why they traded for Mancini and Vazquez.

Seems they like Contreras enough that they are now interested in signing him. His bat is good enough to be the primary DH or he could move to 1B.

As it turns out, the pitching staff built by Click was so good, the Astros got away with getting nothing from 3 or 4 spots in their lineup in each round of the playoffs. But there is no reason to build a team with 3 or 4 automatic outs.

To be clear, Click only added five arms to that incredible pitching staff - Stanek, Montero, Maton, Baez, and Smith. Montero was the only piece that had a substantial role in the postseason. You can also give him partial credit if you want for resigning Verlander, but that has Crane’s fingerprints all over it. Not attacking the guy, but let’s assign the credit where it’s actually due…and just bring back Luhnow (know it’ll never happen).

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Just now, IDIOTsavant said:

To be clear, Click only added five arms to that incredible pitching staff - Stanek, Montero, Maton, Baez, and Smith. Montero was the only piece that had a substantial role in the postseason. You can also give him partial credit if you want for resigning Verlander, but that has Crane’s fingerprints all over it. Not attacking the guy, but let’s assign the credit where it’s actually due…and just bring back Luhnow (know it’ll never happen).

Think you forgot Neris.

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7 minutes ago, IDIOTsavant said:

To be clear, Click only added five arms to that incredible pitching staff - Stanek, Montero, Maton, Baez, and Smith. Montero was the only piece that had a substantial role in the postseason. You can also give him partial credit if you want for resigning Verlander, but that has Crane’s fingerprints all over it. Not attacking the guy, but let’s assign the credit where it’s actually due…and just bring back Luhnow (know it’ll never happen).

Also extended Pressly.

 

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17 minutes ago, IDIOTsavant said:

To be clear, Click only added five arms to that incredible pitching staff - Stanek, Montero, Maton, Baez, and Smith. Montero was the only piece that had a substantial role in the postseason. You can also give him partial credit if you want for resigning Verlander, but that has Crane’s fingerprints all over it. Not attacking the guy, but let’s assign the credit where it’s actually due…and just bring back Luhnow (know it’ll never happen).

Uh, the only 3 pitchers that pitched in 2019 WS that are still on the team are Verlander, Pressly, and Urquidy. McCullers is essentially a wash as he didn't pitch that season, and I think everyone wished he hadn't pitched game 4 either.

So, Click was in charge of developing an entirely new pitching staff in 3 years. If anyone deserves credit for Javier, Valdez, Urquidy, and Garcia being in the organization it's Oz Ocampo.

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1 minute ago, HtownHorn said:

Uh, the only 3 pitchers that pitched in 2019 WS that are still on the team are Verlander, Pressly, and Urquidy. McCullers is essentially a wash as he didn't pitch that season, and I think everyone wished he hadn't pitched game 4 either.

So, Click was in charge of developing an entirely new pitching staff in 3 years. If anyone deserves credit for Javier, Valdez, Urquidy, and Garcia being in the organization it's Oz Ocampo.

Don’t disagree on the Latin American contingent, but Click didn’t do anything to drive that. Everything Oz put in place that we’re reaping was in place prior to Click arriving. 

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It's fair to acknowledge Click built a great bullpen, and that was pretty much his doing. It's also fair to acknowledge he inherited all the pitchers in the rotation (unless you want to count Odorizzi...). 

I don't see why there needs to be different "sides" to this, it's pretty straightforward.

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Just now, TonyTexas said:

Crane can get Stearns this year if he’s willing to pay the piper. Everything has a price. I’m just not sure what Milwaukee’s price is. Everyone needs pitching. Urquidy for Stearns?

 

pass, he's free next season. im good with another year of click 

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22 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

I was fine with moving on from Click when Sig's and Steans' names were being floated, but Crane acting as GM with Bags and Reggie as advisors sound like a terrible idea:

 

Passan doesn’t have a clue. Crane keeps Jackson around because it might be some minimal marginal help in spring training and around the building, but he knows it’s all about ego for Reggie and not really serious. Bagwell’s role/relationship I haven’t heard anything about but trust me, he ain’t putting a whole lotta stock into Reggie Jackson on serious matters. I’m guessing Bagwell is the same. 

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Just now, Planet Houston said:

Passan doesn’t have a clue. Crane keeps Jackson around because it might be some minimal marginal help in spring training and around the building, but he knows it’s all about ego for Reggie and not really serious. Bagwell’s role/relationship I haven’t heard anything about but trust me, he ain’t putting a whole lotta stock into Reggie Jackson on serious matters. I’m guessing Bagwell is the same. 

Goodness I hope so

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By the way have any of y’all seen Passan in person? I saw him a couple of times in the third baseline concourse during the playoffs - they guy is seriously about 5’7” 150 lbs. LOL I just looked it up and see Wiki has it at 5’9” - no fucking way. 

Seeing him in person strangely made me a little less hostile - I’m sure I’d be an overcompensating dick if I looked like that. 

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42 minutes ago, kevwun said:

I don't know how much money I would offer Montero.  He's had one good season in his career and bullpen guys can start sucking again overnight.

Another reason I maybe don't give Click as much credit as others do.  The bullpen was very, very good this year but some of that has to be luck right?  So many guys are crap shoots year to year.  I don't think coming into 2022 that Click though Abreu would turn into one of the best relievers in the game.

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4 minutes ago, WBT said:

Another reason I maybe don't give Click as much credit as others do.  The bullpen was very, very good this year but some of that has to be luck right?

Maybe not. I feel like last year's bullpen performed well overall and the additions of Graveman, Yimi, and Maton were key to their run to the World Series and the fact that this year's bullpen performed even better is arguably a testament to Click's ability to put together a key component of every championship contender. The x-factor this year was the incredible overall health of the pitching staff and the front office/coaching staff did a tremendous job managing the overall innings pitched across all arms and that has to be a feather in Click's cap imo as the general manager. 

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