Major League Baseball’s offseason is underway. Trades and free-agent job are certain to select up over the approaching weeks, ahead of hitting a fever pitch at this 12 months’s version of iciness conferences (scheduled to start on Sunday, Dec. 3). If there is something the early offseason is excellent for, it is halfwits pretending they are normal managers and sketching out elaborate offseason plans. Does that sound stress-free to you? Then, good day, that is your fortunate day.
Below, CBS Sports has roleplayed as Houston Astros GM Dana Brown and laid out a couple of moves we expect he should pursue this iciness. It should (however may not) cross with out announcing that that is just for leisure functions. MLB executives can’t snap their hands and make one thing occur simply because they would like it to occur. Just droop your disbelief and benefit from the gasbaggery, please.
Now, with that out of the best way, listed here are 3 moves we expect the Astros should make this iciness.
1. Extend Altuve, Bregman
We might as smartly get started right here, proper? Brown has been open — in all probability overly so — about his want to stay moment baseman Jose Altuve and 3rd baseman Alex Bregman on the town at some point of their careers. Brown should get paintings this offseason to make {that a} truth, as each can hit the open marketplace subsequent 12 months.
Altuve, 33, is coming off arguably the second-best two-year stretch of his occupation. He’s hit .304/.390/.529 (157 OPS+) with 45 house runs and 32 stolen bases. The truth is that moment basemen seldom stay this fascinating into their mid-30s. That makes it tricky to determine how a lot, exactly, he’s more likely to call for to signal what might be the general contract of his occupation.
Altuve’s most up-to-date contract, which started in 2018, was once simply the second one pact ever given to a moment baseman that had a mean annual worth exceeding $20 million. (The first belonged to Robinson Cano at $24 million AAV.) Barring a coarse 2024 season, Altuve will possibly be taking a look to signal the placement’s 3rd pact value $20 million-plus yearly — despite the fact that it is only on a momentary association. That’s nonetheless a large funding to make in a vacuum, let on my own when mixed with every other doable giant extension.
Bregman, 30 come March, signed a five-year extension value $100 million during his pre-arbitration days. He’s hit .261/.365/.447 (127 OPS+) with 48 house runs and 4 stolen bases the final two years. It’s most definitely truthful to suppose that he is going to wish nearer to his marketplace worth this cross round. The league’s most sensible 3rd baseman have a tendency to fetch $30 million-plus yearly, that means that Bregman may just call for six years and $180 million and be is reasonably.
Would the Astros in point of fact be up for committing greater than $50 million yearly to stay Altuve and Bregman round? We’ll to find out quickly sufficient. Such moves would most likely prohibit how a lot they can spend to shore up different portions in their roster. Keep that during thoughts — and modify your points of interest — heading ahead.
2. Add lefty outfielder
Coming into the offseason, Houston’s outfield intensity chart contains Kyle Tucker, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, and Mauricio Dubón. There should be room for yet one more, preferably a lefty to pair with McCormick.
That function sounds very best free of charge agent Michael Brantley, who has spent the final 5 seasons with the Astros. It’s imaginable that Brantley makes a decision to retire as he nears his thirty seventh birthday. It’s additionally imaginable the Astros would favor a more youthful, inexpensive, and/or extra dependable possibility — Brantley, for his phase, has been restricted via shoulder woes to all of 79 video games over the last two seasons.
In that case, the Astros should have quite a lot of choices to be had to them. Brown is accustomed to Eddie Rosario from their shared time with the Atlanta Braves. Rosario had his membership possibility declined via the Braves regardless of functioning at a league-average clip this season. Free agent Travis Jankowsi, in the meantime, would upload velocity to a roster that ranked 18th in stolen bases. Both gamers are acquainted with specialised deployment, making it much more likely they might settle for much less taking part in time if McCormick’s breakout ends up in a most-days function.
Alternatively, if the Astros take to the industry marketplace, there are two evident goals: Seth Brown (Oakland Athletics) and Luke Raley (Tampa Bay Rays). Each has their very own set of query marks, and, in flip, it stands to explanation why that neither would value so much on the subject of ability so as to add them to Houston’s roster.
3. Address bullpen
The Astros had one of the crucial splendid aid corps within the majors final season, rating 6th in common season ERA. Their end-game mixture of nearer Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris, and Phil Maton was once in particular efficient, with every of the quartet recording an ERA+ of 115 or higher. Neris (having opted out), Maton, and fellow righty reliever Ryne Stanek at the moment are slated to hit unfastened company, that means the Astros will want to upload exterior reinforcements.
With Pressly in position, we expect it is not going that Houston pursues most sensible free-agent nearer Josh Hader. Likewise, we aren’t certain the Astros will try to re-sign Neris or Maton given how poorly their extension with Rafael Montero performed out in its first 12 months. That may just depart them buying groceries a bit additional down the marketplace for any individual who would take a one or two-year deal.
Two names we expect may just make sense for the Astros in that recognize are José Cisnero and Kirby Yates.
Cisnero, who started his skilled occupation with Houston, had a coarse season with the Detroit Tigers, resulting in him being waived overdue within the 12 months. We suppose he is a tight buy-low candidate according to his monitor file (he had a 145 ERA+ from 2020-22) and his contemporary enhancements in opposition to left-handed batters.
Yates, the opposite identify we will throw in the market, not too long ago had an inexpensive workforce possibility declined via the Braves. That suggests to us that the league would possibly now not worth him extremely sufficient to provide him a multi-year deal, despite the fact that he simply posted a 136 ERA+ and a 31.5% strikeout price. Blame it on his age (he’s going to flip 37 subsequent March) or his wildness (he walked just about six in step with 9 innings). Whatever the case, the Astros may just do worse as a seventh-inning sort.
We will be aware that the Astros should get veteran righty Kendall Graveman again forward of subsequent spring. He neglected Houston’s whole postseason run with a shoulder harm after coming over on the industry closing date from the Chicago White Sox. As such, they will really feel comfy continuing after making one or two additions.