Sunday Morning Hot Links

Good morning. Pitchers and Catchers report in 24 days. It has been eight days since the Astros even appeared in MLBTR.

*David Nuno talked to George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Lance McCullers, Jr about 2019.

*Brian McTaggart's inbox has a number of questions about free agency, arbitration, and the state of the rotation.

*Chandler Rome discusses the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot and the prospects of Former Astros Greats Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman. It's not, uh, it's not looking good. According to the Tracker set up by the inestimable (FOAC) Ryan Thibodeaux, with about 47% of ballots known:

-Roger Clemens: 71.9%
-Billy Wagner: 16.8%
-Jeff Kent: 16.3%
-Andy Pettitte: 6.1%
-Roy Oswalt: 1.0%
-Lance Berkman: 1.0%

*Evan Gattis played in the UT-Permian Basin Alumni Game.

*Former Astros Great Jason Bourgeois will be the head coach of the Dodgers' Midwest League team.

*Karbach is introducing the Crawford Bock at FanFest on January 26, and will be available across Texas by March.

*Yadier Molina is already mad at the Cubs.

*One possible Mystery Team for J.T. Realmuto is the A's...which would not be Ideal.

*Take this for what it is (I've never heard of this guy, and his journalistic background is a little problematic):

Hearing rumblings that Major League Baseball has found that the Los Angeles Dodgers are in violation of rules involving the international free agency market. There is word they will get penalized similar to what the Atlanta Braves received a year ago

— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) January 19, 2019

*The Ringer: The Untold Story of the Man Who Sang "I Got 5 On It."

*A Runner/Hit Man's GPS watch led to his downfall.

*A Musical Selection, from the band formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.:

Tuesday (afternoon) link dump

FanGraphs' Kiley McDaniel reports in from the Astros' instructional team in Kissimmee. Lots of great info about Lance McCullers ("McCullers ultimate projection will depend on how he balances effort in his delivery and command"), Dayan Diaz, Nolan Fontana, Preston Tucker, and Domingo Santana.

The Astros have received calls about Jed Lowrie, but want to be overwhelmed by offers.

Oldstro Jason Bourgeois is a free agent.

Quintero will catch 2-4 times/week for KC

As the Royals are attempting to sort out their catcher situation, the KC Star's Bob Dutton wrote about the trade from the Royals' perspective.

GM Dayton Moore:
“We acquired (Quintero) to be a guy to catch two-to-four days a week. Ned (Yost) is just going to have to mix and match it (with Peña)."

And on Bourgeois:
“We like his versatility a great deal. He’s somebody who has been very successful against left-handed pitching (40 for 101 in 2011).”

Felipe Paulino had nice things to say about Q:
“That’s my guy. He calls a good game, and his defense is impressive. You’ll see that. He’s like Salvador that way. He’s got good hands, and he releases the ball really quick. He’s a good catcher. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Paulino, in 86 games, has allowed a career .288/.361/.450 against. With Quintero - who has caught Paulino more than any other catcher (29 times) - his slash line against is .281/.352/.457. With Pudge, Castro, and Towles behind the plate, Paulino's OPS-against was 1.344, 1.178, and .908, respectively.

Assessing the deal

There's not going to be a whole lot here that you haven't likely already perused, but let's give this a shot:

*This is another win for Jeff Luhnow. Quintero was clearly the C3 on the roster, and Bourgeois was rendered...not useless, but expendable, by Jordan Schafer. Thing is, the Astros have a few players on the roster who can do what Bourgeois does. Quintero, while he has the 11th-best Caught Stealing percentage among active catchers (32.2%), he also averaged a 60 OPS+ from 2008-11. Bourgeois had a career-high .680 OPS in 2011, but from August 1-end of season, he hit .225/.265/.252. The fact that the Astros flipped them for a Down The Road ML-caliber reliever and another potential prospect is a good thing.

*Like many trades we've seen in the past two years, it's just going to take a while to know for sure. Chapman, and the PTBNL (whom Jordan Sams, via TCB, speculates on here) aren't likely to be ready to see Big League action...maybe until late 2013.

*With the departure of Quintero, Wandy Rodriguez is the only remaining Astro who touched the field in the World Series season of 2005.

Bourgeois, Quintero traded to the Royals

As this developing trade situation starts to leak out, we find...

3:03pm: Zachary Levine tweeting that Humberto Quintero is saying his goodbyes.

3:07pm: as is Jason Bourgeois

3:08pm: Both say they don't know where they've been traded.

3:09pm: Matt Thomas says the destination is Kansas City.

3:09pm: There may not be any confirmation today.

3:14pm: McTaggart confirms both have been traded. No team identified yet.

3:15pm: Receiving teams won't confirm, since deal(s) have not been finalized.

3:36pm: Jon Heyman says KC is likely destination.

3:36pm: The Royals Official Twitter Feed says that Quintero and Bourgeois have been traded for minor-league LHP Kevin Chapman, and a Player To Be Named Later.

Jason Bourgeois scratched

Jason Bourgeois was scratched unexpectedly from today's lineup, and was replaced by J.B. Shuck.

No word on why - but you better believe we'll be on top of it.

UPDATE: Zachary Levine reports:
Astros close clubhouse. Nothing confirmed but it sounds like Jason Bourgeois transaction in works. Healthy scratch. Mills wouldn't discuss.

Nationals interested in Bourgeois

In a concerted plan by every NL East team to have a former Astro on their roster, the Nationals have checked in on Jason Bourgeois "at least three times" since the Winter Meetings.

Probably like this:
Rizzo: "What about Bourgeois?"
Luhnow: "Nah."
Rizzo: (Hangs up. Waits 15 minutes.)
Rizzo: "What about Bourgeois?"
Luhnow: "Huh-uh."
Rizzo: (Hangs up. Waits 15 minutes.)
Rizzo: "Hey Jeff, Rizz here. Say, you have a player-"
Luhnow: "Nope."
Rizzo: (Softly puts phone back in cradle*)

MLB.com's Bill Ladson said the two sides aren't close on a deal.

*I don't know why I have the Nationals GM using a phone from the 1950s.

Death In Center Field!

It's a fight to the death in Center Field, as Brian Bogusevic will join Jordan Schafer, Jason Bourgeois, and J.B. Shuck in getting some CF reps.

What to do with the outfield?

So here's the scenario: The Astros have a ton of outfielders, and - at deadline - can only have three outfielders. J.D. Martinez' place is solidified as is, presumably, Jordan Schafer's. That leaves one outfield spot for Brian Bogusevic, Jason Michaels, and J.B. Shuck.

I know what you must be thinking: Surely Michaels will not be getting regular ABs, right?

wrong. Check Brian McTaggart:

Perhaps Bourgeois is better fitted for a reserve role, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Having Bourgeois available to pinch run late in a game will be a huge weapon. J.B. Shuck has also seen time in center recently, but he’ll likely split time in right field with Jason Michaels (against left-handers) and Brian Bogusevic (against right-handers)..

Here's my issue: I don't think anyone saw Jason Bourgeois hitting .340 for any duration of the season, so if he gets relegated to the bench, so be it. I'm okay with that. But when the Astros traded Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, and promoted Martinez and Shuck, I can't believe that there is a scenario - even one involving a bus wreck - where Jason Michaels gets even a platoon role.

Only this team could look at Michaels, hitting .219/.288/.329 against lefties this season, as a better option over seeing what Bogusevic or Shuck can do.

Bourgeois activated, Bogusevic sent down

Jason Bourgeois has been activated from the DL this morning, and Brian Bogusevic gets sent to OKC.

I see Bourgeois as a temporary (or longer) fill-in for Michael Bourn if/when Bourn finds himself in another team's jersey before August 1.

And at least Bogusevic gets to play in OKC. He got one start for the Astros, and ten plate appearances total in July. Ridiculous.

Abad placed on DL

So with Fernando Rodriguez' return to Houston, the Astros put Fernando Abad on the DL with Suck shoulder tendinitis.

Ed Wade:
"He came in over the weekend complaining of some tightness in his elbow and shoulder, and the elbow resolved itself in short order. "He was very tentative throwing when he went out there in the afternoon today, and [head athletic trainer] Nate [Lucero] felt it would be a couple of days. It was the best thing to do, to put him on the DL and go from there."

Within that article, we read that Jason Bourgeois won't be ready until he completes a minor-league rehab assignment after the All-Star Break for that strained quad.

Jason Bourgeois back to the DL

Jason Bourgeois is our very own Mr. Glass, going back on the DL with a strained right quad, and bringing up Brian Bogusevic to take his roster spot.

We also find from Campbell's article that J.A. Happ is not hurt, even if his numbers are:
“I feel fine. I feel good. There’s no excuse, and I can’t say things are going perfectly. I’ve just got to keep at it and try to be consistent.”

Hopefully Fernando Rodriguez can foretell some wins

Fernando Rodriguez had himself a premonition that he would get called up:

"I've been telling everybody, and it's kind of weird, but I had kind of a premonition. I don't want to sound cocky, but it's one of those things."

Elsewhere in McTaggart's notebook, we learn that Jason Bourgeois isn't close to returning:
"When I'm going out there and running pregame, that's when I feel it. I haven't swung a bat or tried to pick up one yet, but I feel it more when I run."

Typical Astros. One of the few guys who looks like he hustles, and he gets hurt. Somewhere Carlos Lee is saying, "See? That's what happens when you hustle."

Meat Wagon Update

While we wait to see what will happen with Jeff Keppinger, here are some Meat Wagon updates for you:

From the Chronicle:
Brandon Lyon has a partial tear in his rotator cuff (which I kind of thought was established back on May 5), and his shoulder apparently has about half its strength. Which means, once he gets back, he should be able to throw a 176mph fastball.

From McTaggart:
Jason Bourgeois got a plasma replacement therapy injection in his strained left oblique, and got some advice from Laynce Nix (of course he did):
"He told me to take it easy. He said, 'Whatever you do, don't move.' He told me by next week I'm going to be hitting in the cage and thinking I'm ready, and I'm going to step out on the field and take a swing like I was in a game -- a 110-percent swing -- and it's going to hurt big time."

Jason Michaels will likely be activated on Friday, meaning that Brian Bogusevic is probably heading back to OKC (speculation mine).

Keppinger's rehab assignment could span up to three weeks.

Tranzactionz

Missed this from last week, but there have been some releasings:

In addition to Cesar Carrillo and Fernando Nieve, the Astros released pitcher Emmanuel Cedeno and catcher John Curtis.

Cedeno posted a rather high walk rate in 2010, and didn't make it past the GCL at 22 years old.

Curtis hit .264/.333/.342 spread out among Lancaster, Corpus, and Round Rock in 2010 (but with the vast majority of his games at Lancaster).

We also see:

May 8: Jason Bourgeois placed on DL, Joe Inglett called up from OKC.
May 8: J.D. Martinez placed on DL (hamstring), Andrew Robinson promoted to Corpus from Lancaster
May 7: Lexington pitcher Gabe Garcia placed on 7-Day DL with left elbow tendinitis. OF Emilio King assigned to Lexington from Greeneville.
May 6: Jordan Comadena promoted to Lancaster from Tri-City

Brad Mills won't even try to slow Bourgeois down

Nice article from Zach Levine on Jason Bourgeois, in which Mills explains what kind of light he has when on base:

“I have full confidence that he’s comfortable with it. A lot of times if you pull the reins back too tight, then he’s not sure when to go. But he’s fine, and there’s no reason to try to put a harness on it at all.”

Bourgeois, despite limited playing time, is tied for 9th in the NL in stolen bases, and is only 3SB behind league leader Michael Bourn.

And by limited playing time, I mean 36ABs. Of the Top 10 in NL steals, Bourgeois has 51 fewer ABs than his closest competitor - Will Venable - who has 87ABs.

Many plethoras of reactions to today's moves

First, about the Cancel re-assignment to Big Boy Camp, from Zach Levine:
Robinson Cancel was brought up to major league camp but will return to Class AAA after last exhibition game.

From McTaggart, on Bourgeois' and Shuck's continued presence:
The two have emerged as the only candidates to win the final outfield spot after Brian Bogusevic was optioned to Minor League camp on Thursday. Bourgeois has certainly had a strong camp, entering Thursday hitting .314 with four stolen bases. The fact Bogusevic swings the bat from the left side was a bonus for him, but Bourgeois' good spring couldn't be ignored.

On Manzella's departure:
His departure leaves four infielders -- Matt Downs, Anderson Hernandez, Angel Sanchez and Oswaldo Navarro -- battling for two spots. Downs might have the upper hand because he can play anywhere and has swung the bat well, but Hernandez can also be moved all over the diamond and is a switch-hitter. Sanchez is out of options and performed well last year with the Astros.

Levine astutely noted that those two spots are actually one spot, because once Keppinger returns, somebody is visiting Oklahoma City. Sanchez would have to clear waivers in order to even get to Oklahoma City (which may happen), but it's still a risk - even if the Astros do have a ton of middle infield possibilities. We still give the nod to Downs.

Who do you want as OF5?



It is the opinion of Astros County that it should be Bourgeois, and Shuck can continue to develop at Triple-A.

Astros ink two more

Alyson Footer tweets that the Astros have agreed to terms with:

-Jason Bourgeois ($424K)
-Aneury Rodriguez ($413K)

More OR trips scheduled

Zach Levine wraps up the regular season Notes column with reminders that, in addition to Fulchino (elbow) and Byrdak (hernia), Bogusevic (foot), and Brad Mills (knee replacement) also have surgeries scheduled.

On the Winter Ball front, Tommy Manzella and Henry Villar are headed to the Dominican, Angel Sanchez is going to Puerto Rico, and Jason Bourgeois is going to Mexico.

Bourgeois knows his role, wants to fill it here; Castro focusing on adjustments

In McTaggart's Notebook, we find that Bourgeois realizes he's probably going to be OF4 anywhere, and would rather do that in Houston.

Bourgeois:
"I would love to come back here. It's the No. 1 place I (want) to be. The role I would be in would be a fourth outfielder coming off the bench, and I'd rather do it here at home. I haven't talked to them yet, but we'll see when the season ends. I'm playing right now and am focusing on that and will deal with the rest later."
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We also hear from Brad Mills on the effort of Jason Castro:
"He's done a real good job. We've talked about his aptitude for the game and his willingness and desire to learn. When he got to the big leagues [in June], he had to learn a full pitching staff, and that was amazing. Offensively, it's going to be a continuing learning process for him...

...You try to give [rookies] as many at-bats as you can to give them the opportunity to see where they are, how much of a learning process it's going to take, until they become the kind of hitter they're capable of becoming."

This is echoed in Zach Levine's Notes Column. Castro:
"Coming into this year, there were some adjustments that I tried to make and they never really took hold. It's just part of the game, making adjustments and seeing how they work, and if not, you go from there. I think I'm kind of at the point where I tried to make some adjustments and they weren't necessarily successful for me, so I'm moving on and staying positive. I've definitely learned a lot...

..."That's what I need is to take time and pound things out without having to implement them in the game right away, so this offseason's going to be really big for me as far as really fine-tuning some things."

Over his last 28 days, Castro is hitting .244/.320/.311 for a .631 OPS - 57 points higher than his 2010 total. The problem is facing lefties. Castro is hitting an astounding 3x39 (.077/.143/.103) with a .115 BABIP against LHP. Also - and this, I imagine, will come with time, but if he's going to get a hit, it's probably going to be the first time he sees the pitcher. His OPS declines from .615 to .612 to .523 as he faces the same pitcher, respectively.