*Maybe it's posturing for the Criminal Enterprise known as the Miami Marlins, but the Astros are fully prepared to head into 2019 with a combo of Robinson Chirinos and Max Stassi.
We certainly feel good about going into the season with Stassi and Chirinos as our catchers. We've got [Garrett] Stubbs in the minor league and other players as well. It doesn't mean we won't take advantage of the opportunity if one presents itself as a way to get better, but right now we feel comfortable with the group we have.
As far as what else is on the agenda for the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas starting on Sunday, Luhnow:
We're still evaluating different ways to improve the team, but starting pitcher is one of the areas where we're looking at, maybe an arm to the bullpen and also another bat for the lineup. Those are the three avenues we're exploring.
So, to recap, the Astros are willing to explore upgrading at catcher, rotation, bullpen, and offense. Tight focus, there.
*Typical Astros said they were maybe kinda sorta in on some free agent deals:
Luhnow wouldn't say if the Astros were in on Goldschmidt or Eovaldi, but said: "We have been involved in conversations with players that have signed or been traded."
*I'm just going to give you the opening line - word-for-word - of this glorified press release: LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) - Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer, shortstop for the Houston Astros is hosting free clinics in our area. According to a post from the Robeson County Government Facebook page, the MLB player will be hosting free clinics with the Robeson County Parks and Rec. for boys and girls ages 7-12 on December 8 and 9.
*Ex-Marlins president David Samson said the Padres kept real and fake medical files on players. Samson: The Padres lied. They had an entire medical file on a player and didn't disclose it. Two sets of medical records is what they had. [Padres GM and former Rangers Assistant GM] A.J. Preller shouldn't be allowed in the game. It's beyond comprehension that he's still working. They did it to the Red Sox. There are a lot of things you mess with, but you don't mess with that.
Man. When David Samson says you're unethical, you are officially at Rock Bottom.
*Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo, both of whom played with the Astros at some point in their careers, were killed in a car wreck in the Dominican Republic Venezuela last night. RIP.
Okay, so catching up on some things that I missed yesterday because I woke up late and had to leave early:
*The Astros and Former Ramgers Great Robinson Chirinos agreed to a 1yr/$5.75m deal. So, at present, it looks as though the Astros will go through 2019 with a combo of Chirinos and Max Stassi. I'm in favor of this deal solely because my Ramger Fan Brother-in-Law is heartbroken.
Chirinos, who will be 35 in June, had an outlier year in 2017 in which he hit .255/.360/.506, good enough for a 120 OPS+. In 2018 he came back to the rest of his career's benchmark, hitting .222/.338/.419. He didn't hit well last year but he sure did strike out a lot (140 Ks in 426 PAs), though he hit a career-high 18 home runs.
Chirinos would actually be an offensive upgrade considering the Astros' offensive struggles behind the plate: Astros catchers collectively put up a .223/.298/.375 line in 2018. Max Stassi hit .226/.316/.394 in 88 games, .220/.307/.379 after April. Oh yeah, but Chirinos is a bad defensive catcher. So, no, I don't get it. I do, sort of, if I squint and shake my head.
*Arizona traded Paul Goldschmidt to the Cheatin-Ass Cardinals for Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, Andy Young, and St. Louis' Comp B pick.
Weaver was St. Louis' 1st Round pick in 2014 and went 7-11 with a 4.95 ERA/1.50 WHIP/ 78 ERA+ for St. Louis in 2018. Carson Kelly, a catcher, was St. Louis' #3 prospect heading into 2018 and has hit .154/.227/.188 in 131 MLB PAs. He was BP's #44 overall prospect coming into 2018 and hit .269/.378/.395 for Triple-A Memphis. Andy Young hit .276/.372/.444 for High-A Palm Beach and in 35 games at Double-A Springfield hit .319/.395/.556.
I'm not sure what a comparable package from Houston would have been for a year of Paul Goldschmidt, but at least I can delete the draft of the "What Paul Goldschmidt Would Mean to the Astros" piece I was working up for The Athletic. That's good. Who needs a little extra money, anyway?
*Just in case you were feeling too good, what with the sun going down around 5:20pm, A.J. Hinch reflected on Andrew Benintendi (easily my least-favorite character in The Count of Monte Cristo) and his Game 4-saving catch. Hinch: What Benintendi's play really showed you is how small the distance [is] - in just one play - between hope and despair in sports. *The Astros' organization was/will be well-represented at the funeral services for George H.W. Bush. *The Baltimore Sun takes a look at what the additions of Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal could mean for the Orioles' franchise.
*Jayson Stark is hearing that there is momentum building towards limiting defensive shifts in baseball, because Rob Manfred knows what's killing baseball and it is DECIDEDLY NOT that a family has to take out a loan to go to a game, or that a 6-year old cannot actually stay awake for an entire World Series game. Thankfully Rob Manfred (Smart, Handsome) knows that what fans (Dumb, Ugly) need in order to flock back to baseball is a rule about where the shortstop can legally stand.
*The Nationals gave Patrick Corbin 6yrs/$140m. I don't believe that Patrick Corbin is worth twice as much as Nate Eovaldi.
*Daniella Yoko Rodriguez picked Noel Gonzalez (wife of Former Astros Great Marwin Gonzalez) and Kara McCullers to be her bridesmaids.
I did a Twitter mailbag:
Did you ever, inspired by the Jose Lima, eat at Casa Ole?
Yes. Every September 30 - Jose Lima's birthday - I get my pitch over this plate at Casa Ole. My gluten-intolerant wife even comes with me. I call it Casa Ole Day.
Why isn't Gerald Ford one of our most respected presidents after being handed the worst presidential promotion EVER? UNRELATED.... Who's our opening day catcher?
GREAT question. Not only was Ford never elected to the Presidency, he was elevated to Vice President without being elected because Spiro Agnew was a sack of crap. He is basically Tom Kirkman minus the terrorism but with All The Crimes added. He is not respected because he pardoned Nixon, and did not satiate the American people's desire for BLOOD! in the wake of Watergate.
I'm going to go out on a Big Limb, upon which I have zero support or sources, and say that Sal Perez is the Astros' Opening Day catcher.
Walt Weiss, because I came back to Houston during my freshmen year Fall Break and watched that game at the Dome. Terrible way to close out the Astrodome.
are american arsenal fans the cops
— All we are is Dustin Nguyen, Holiday Edition (@itsdtrain) December 6, 2018
I laughed, because I hate Arsenal (Fever Pitch notwithstanding - I love that book). I also hate Chelsea mainly because of John F. Terry and Frank "Shia" LeBoeuf. Sorry, George. You like Tottenham Hotspur? Nice job, Cowboys fan who also likes Duke, or whatever.
That said, I'm all for Americans enjoying English soccer. I respect you more if you like an absolutely God-awful team. Back in April 2017 I wrote about the Astros and Leeds United (my favourite football team) being too much alike, and then six and a half months later the Astros won the World Series so suck it. Currently Leeds sits in 2nd place in the Championship, which is not as impressive as it sounds, so things might be turning there. But I'm all for Americans picking up a sport that brings them misery, particularly if they get up at 6am on a Saturday to be miserable. Arsenal loves misery, so I hope their fans enjoy the weekly pain.
That said, I'm interested in the Why. Why do Americans pick their favorite English soccer teams? Fulham? You liked all the Americans, including Clint Nacogdoches Dempsey. Everton? Maybe Tim Howard. Manchester United? You don't have a soul and probably also like the Yankees. Manchester City? Bandwagon lookin' ass boiiiii. Now, you want to roll Wigan? Preston North End? Millwall? Rushden & Diamonds? I got your back.
I want Bum. I think we need Bum. Bum would help. That and the magical healing of Altuve’s knee and Correa’s back. Also how does one get invited to the Correa wedding? MY COLUMN
I can't think of a good reason not to let Madison Bumgarner be the Astros' SP3/4. I'm assuming that you mean Bumgarner, and this isn't a 1960s British Booty Call. While I do think McHugh is better than Bumgarner at this point. However, a rotation of Verlander/Cole/McHugh/Bumgarner/James would be pretty okay with me.
Will there ever be another @LimaTime_Time episode again?
Okay. If I could take one show out of human existence, it would easily be Gray's Anatomy. I don't trust that show. I don't trust anyone who watches it. If you watch Grey's Anatomy you are watching a time capsule. Please stop reading this web site if you still watch Gray's Amanoty.
Can I do Hot Links again starting a week from today? (please don't answer right now I would like to read about it in tomorrow's post)
— Flick Nickem, Fayetteville Woodpeckers #1 Fan 😎 (@FlickNickem) December 6, 2018
PLEASE DO. THIS IS A TRAIN WRECK.
*It's the 25th anniversary of a movie that 13-Year Old Me really liked. The Ringer: How Cabin Boy turned Chris Elliott and Adam Resnick into Hollywood pariahs and comedy legends.
At least there are rumors and whispers about which we can talk:
*Jon Morosi started it off by noting that the Astros are showing "continued interest" in free agent pitcher (and Alvin native, don't forget that. No one will let you forget that he is from Alvin) Nate Eovaldi. Among the teams also showing interest: pretty much every team that thinks they might win 85 games next year.
MLB.com's Matt Kelly: How Houston could unlock more of Eovaldi's weapons, a la Gerrit Cole.
*Tomorrow is the deadline for the Astros to offer contracts to 11 arbitration-eligible players. Those players:
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, Chris Devenski, Will Harris, Chris Herrmann, Jake Marisnick, Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh, Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock, Ryan Pressly.
*Jayson Stark told an Arizona radio station that he thinks Paul Goldschmidt will be traded. Stark: If I were a betting man, I would say that Goldschmidt ends up in Houston. I think that's the fit.
*Former Astros Great Brian McCann said that he should have gotten knee surgery in November 2017. McCann: Last year...I was stuck behind the eight-ball from Day 1. I should've gotten the surgery after the World Series. I still have a lot left. Two years ago, I almost hit 20 homers and had a productive year. That's where I feel like I'm going to be. I feel like I'm going to be more back to 2017, if not better, this year.
*From Ken Rosenthal's Notes column:
-Expect Patrick Corbin to receive a 6yr offer worth more than Darvish's $126m deal last year.
-Does Tyler Bauer's desire to not sign an extension mean that he's on the trading block?
*From Eno Sarris and Emily Waldon: How Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Daz Cameron compare their tools to their respective dads' tools.
Good morning. There is nothing happening. Why won't something happen? Got dang Boras.
*Via Buster Olney, the Astros are interested in the following players: A.J. Pollock, Andrew McCutchen, Michael Brantley.
Note that they're all outfielders, which - should this report be true (and I have issues with Buster Olney but they're not with his Sources or his Reporting) isn't exactly great news for Kyle Tucker. It's even worse news for Game 5 Hero Derek Fisher. Josh Reddick has 2yrs/$26m left on his deal, so the Astros are probably a year away from deciding whether he's worth the expense (though 2017 would indicate that, yes, he was).
*Related to Pollock and Arizona, the Diamondbacks are apparently legit interested in moving Paul Goldschmidt. According to Olney's sources, the return would be greater than what the Pirates got for McCutchen but less than what Baltimore got for Machado. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo says he keeps hearing the Astros are in on Goldschmidt.
*This is the worst time for Baseball.
*Mental Floss: The highly unusual funeral of Lee Harvey Oswald.
*Have you read The Blinds yet? No? What the hell is wrong with you?
*In The Athletic, Jake Kaplan discusses what new Orioles GM Mike Elias' departure means for the Astros' front office. Kaplan: Whether in amateur scouting or international scouting or both, special assistants Kevin Goldstein and Oz Ocampo are among those who could see an increase in responsibilities moving forward. Both are former department directors with experience in one or both of the amateur and international arenas.
Chandler Rome spoke with Luhnow about how the Astros plan to replace new Orioles GM Mike Elias. Luhnow: I don't think there's any magic formula, having one or two or three assistant GMs like some clubs have. I think it's a matter of making sure you have the right people in the right spots overseeing the critical functions. We were preparing for this eventuality, we've got really good bench strength across the entire organization and feel pretty good that we're not going to skip a beat in this year's draft, the international market or really anywhere else.
*The Mariners traded James Paxton to the Yankees for three prospects, including pitcher and #1 prospect Justus Sheffield. The Yankees are really taking this whole "losing-in-the-playoffs-to-the-eventual-World-Series-champs" thing seriously. The Astros were in on Paxton but refused to include Forrest Whitley in a trade package.
*Speaking of the rotation, the Astros have apparently made a one-year offer to Charlie Morton with an additional option year. Unsure if it's a team- or player-option.
*Per Ken Rosenthal: Houston and St. Louis have had "the most meaningful discussions" with Arizona regarding a trade for Paul Goldschmidt. I assume this means they've discussed having kids and their worst fears. Goldschmidt is from The Woodlands and went to Texas State. Thus I have completed the Southeast Texas task of noting when a player linked to the Astros is from the Houston area.
*Houston has until Tuesday afternoon to add Rule 5-eligible players to the 40-Man Roster, protecting them from next month's draft. The Astros have 35 Men on the 40-Man Roster. They have four players in their Top 30 prospects list who are Rule 5-eligible:
#12 - RHP Rogelio Armenteros, an AC Favorite.
#15 - C Garrett Stubbs
#17 - RHP Riley Ferrell
#23 - SS Jonathan Arauz
Armenteros, 24, is 16-2 with a 3.32 ERA / 1.22 WHIP, 206K:67BB in 176.1IP at Triple-A Fresno. I would very much like to see him get a spot on the 40-Man. This, of course, has the weight of the world behind it.
Stubbs, 25, is a catcher. The Astros have like three catchers total. He hit .310/.382/.455 in 84 games for Fresno last season. The only catchers in front of him on the depth chart are Max Stassi and Chris Herrmann (Park).
Ferrell, 25, was the Astros' 3rd Round pick in 2015. He struggled like hell in 2018 at Triple-A, throwing 28IP, 34H/21ER, 34K:16BB - a 6.75 ERA / 1.79 WHIP. He also went to A&M Consolidated High School and, for reasons not associated with Ferrell...or baseball, I'm not a fan of A&M Consolidated High School. Still, that was his first taste of Triple-A. It wouldn't be unheard of for one of the 22 non-contending MLB teams to take a flyer on Ferrell.
Arauz, who is somehow only 20 years old, came over to the Astros in the fabled Ken Giles/Mark Appel trade, which totally worked out for both sides. He's the least likely to get selected next month because he has only played 71 games at High-A, and had a .511 OPS at that. Hard to see too many teams lining up to give him a 25-Man Roster spot.
*Randy Cesar signed with the Twins, so 2017 4th Round pick Peter Solomon entered the Astros' Top 30 prospects list, at #26. Click that link. That system is thicc. Solomon has 114 strikeouts in 100.1IP with 26K:4BB in 23IP at High-A in 2018.
*The Guardian: The multi-billionaire philanthropist Sackler family (think art museum at Harvard, Victoria & Albert Museum in London) are getting sued mainly because they're behind Purdue Pharma, who makes and distributes OxyContin.
*I'm sure I'm not the first to post it. I haven't yet seen Bohemian Rhapsody, but I have watched their full Live-Aid concert about six times in the last four days:
