Monday Morning Hot Links

*The Winter Meetings start today. Will the Astros do something? Maybe! Possibly not!

*Jake Kaplan has ten thoughts on the Astros as the Winter Meetings get underway. Among the names bandied about: Arizona's Robbie Ray, St. Louis' Jose Martinez, Nelson Cruz, Daniel Murphy.

*It doesn't look as though Houston is in on Japanese LHP Yusei Kikuchi.

*The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reports that the Astros have checked in with the White Sox on Jose Abreu.

*Jon Heyman said the Astros were dangling J.B. Bukauskas and Cionel Perez to Arizona for Paul Goldschmidt.

*Buster Olney has an Insider-Only piece that tells us:
-The Astros have competition looking for a starting catcher in the Dodgers and Mets.
-The Astros were not seriously involved in chasing down Nate Eovaldi, but it seems as though the Astros are more interested in upgrading the rotation via trade (meaning Kluber or Bauer or Syndergaard or Greinke).

*The price tag for Kluber or Tyler Bauer is said to be "very, very high." And why not? Also, I feel that if the Astros acquire Tyler Bauer it will be solely to troll me, personally.

*If you want Robbie Ray - a 27-year old lefty with 601 strikeouts in 460IP and a 3.89 FIP over the last three years, with two years of team control remaining - the price tag is pretty high.

*The Padres are interested in Marwin. Any team with a brain and/or a pulse should be interested in Marwin.

*Alyson Footer writes about the two-day women's inclusion conference hosted by MLB.

*Todd Kalas stays winning.

Bloodys and a day of football. Not a bad way to kick off Winter Meetings ⁦@MandalayBay⁩ pic.twitter.com/IerFq5souQ

— Todd Kalas (@RealToddKalas) December 9, 2018

*Sunday Night Baseball games will be an hour earlier next season.

👀👀👀👀👀@ABREG_1 | #INDvsHOU pic.twitter.com/9TZzBGMEfG

— TORO 🐃 (@TexansTORO1) December 9, 2018

*Harold Baines' similarity scores on B-Ref are Hall of Famers Tony Perez (1), Al Kaline (2), Billy Williams (4), and Andre Dawson (5). His election to the Hall of Fame significantly helps Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltran, Dale Murphy, and Edgar Martinez.

*If this Irish woman and her husband, a 300-year old Pirate Ghost, can't make it then what hope do the rest of us have?

*A musical selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

More Like Oakland L's!

What a big day for the Houston Astros yesterday afternoon. These bats were alive and the Astros have thankfully regained sole control of first place in the west. Everybody got a hit (except Reddick) and Maldonado was a single shy of the cycle, which would have been the first cycle since Luke Scott in 2006 (because I strongly believe Brandon Barnes was out at 2nd base in 2013 do not @ me). 

Another big moment in yesterday's game is Justin Verlander collecting his career 200th win, and he got dunked in champagne to celebrate. Verlander, Hinch, and other key players to the game post-game interviews and recapped can be found here (you might read something about Verlander being dunked in champagne, and that's because I stole that bit because I wanted to tell you that first. Don't worry though, sources cited).

Anyways, now its time for the rapid fire Hot Links part of the program. 

Rondon has not had the greatest few outings. Will Osuna become the closer anytime soon?

Josh Reddick apologized after Oakland fans took one of his quotes out of context.

Altuve was hit by a pitch in his Fresno rehab assignment. He is expected to be okay.

This is the last week for 9:10 CST first pitches. The Sun People are very excited for this, and the Night People are also kind of happy about it as well because then the Sun People don't judge us to harshly about our tweeting habits at that hour of night. Pretty much a win-win everywhere.

The Astros are now ever so close to being #onpace for 100 wins. FiveThirtyEight also gives the Astros a 97% chance of making the playoffs and a 74% to win the division.

Hinch is basically as fast as Jake at this point, in case you were wondering how that was progressing.

Julia Morales blew the lead in the mascot race. Unacceptable imo. 

Felix Hernandez is back in the rotation just in time for the Houston Astros to roll into town.

Here is a piece on Ex-Astros prospect Ramon Laureano and how he's been since he went on to pursue other opportunities.

Bryce Harper AND Daniel Murphy were placed on revocable trade waivers.

I listened to the new episode of Lima Time Time while making these and it is good. You should listen to it.

Big Al was quite the hit at the Williamsport Sunday Night Baseball game.

16 nurses are pregnant in the same hospital and it is extremely suspicious.

On This Day In Baseball History

In 1921, Ty Cobb got his 3000th hit.

In 1997, Wade Boggs pitched. He threw one inning and did not allow a hit.

In 2010, the Astros traded Pedro Feliz to the Cardinals for David Carpenter. The trade was made so the Cardinals could replace injured third baseman David Freese.

In 2012, the Mets-Nationals game screeched to a halt after a praying mantis was discovered in the outfield.

  

Monday Morning Hot Links

We took the weekend off and now it's time to #rise and #grind and be #blessed.

*Morgan Ensberg's "Mindset Coach" title is misleading, says Mindset Coach Morgan Ensberg.
I would say it's much more an advocate for players, coaches, managers.

Director of Minor League Operations Allen Rowin:
The concept is Morgan is going to travel around and make sure that all of our curriculum is implemented. He'll make sure everybody is on the same page unifying all the staff and players across the system from a philosophical standpoint.

*Nick Cafardo's Sunday column says...
-Daniel Murphy could be attractive to the Astros (among a number of other teams)
-David Price's price tag: 7yrs/$210m
-The Astros "could bid" for Matt Wieters

*Good article in the Chron about the downtown neighborhood revitalization around Minute Maid that never came.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros made a whole bunch of internal personnel changes yesterday. Notably:

-Quinton McCracken, who was director of player development and also apparently a possible GM candidate, is now Director of Player Personnel.
-Allen Rowin, who was assistant director of player development is now the Director of Minor League Operations
-Brandon Taubman is Director of Baseball Operations
-Mike Fast is Director of Research & Development
-Pete Putila is Assistant Director of Minor League Operations
-Tom Koch-Wiser is Manager of Advance Scouting
-Bill Firkus is Director of Sports Medicine and Performance

Luhnow, on the moves:
This is just sort of a next step, next wave. I challenged every functional leader to come up with a five-year vision of...how we can be the best, and a lot of the things you're seeing are as a result of that initiative.

Two weeks ago McCracken and Rowin were mentioned by Evan Drellich in a Chronicle piece about how Luhnow was looking to alter the landscape of the front office.

*Joel Sherman wrote yesterday about how Daniel Murphy's breakout postseason could put him in line for Chase Headley money (4yrs/$52m). Sherman asked executives where Murphy would land should he make it to free agency. First team up? Houston:
...because they love versatility and could use Murphy at first, third and DH, and want to diversify a lineup that strikes out too much. In addition, in private Astros notes leaked last year, it was revealed Houston and New York discussed a trade of Murphy for shortstop Jonathan Villar. 

Ahhh, good old Cardinals. While I look to see how close the Cardinals' front office is to getting indicted by a federal grand jury, I'll go along with TCB's take on this one: where would Murphy play? Doesn't mean that logjam can't be cleared with some trades or non-tenders, but it's hard to see happening.

*Johnny Cueto's Game 3 start last night:
2IP, 6H/8ER, 2K:4BB, HBP, HR.

With that Josh Donaldson home run, Johnny Cueto is the first pitcher in playoff history to go two or fewer IP and give up eight or more ER.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 20, 2015

I don't know if I'm elated or forlorn.

*Palm Beach County commissioners are scheduled to vote this morning on approving the budget that will allow the Astros/Nationals to begin work on their new Spring Training site. Work has not yet started, but it's already over budget by $9m.

*Bruce Markusen has been writing up a Where Are They Now of Jim Bouton's Ball Four and got to the 1969 Houston Astros.