The Astros have been within the information rather a lot recently. They traded Ryan Pressly to the Cubs. They reportedly nonetheless have the door open a crack for Alex Bregman and, relatedly, have some willingness to maneuver Jose Altuve from second base to left area. Common supervisor Dana Brown addressed these numerous subjects whereas talking to the media Tuesday, with Chandler Rome of The Athletic amongst these to report on his feedback.
On Pressly, Brown stated that the connection between himself and the reliever “took a barely totally different flip” when the membership signed Josh Hader going into the 2024 season.
“Any time you’re taking a major-league participant out of a task the place they really feel snug, it’s going to fracture your relationship some,” Brown stated. “I believe we continued to speak. He was a real skilled and I saved it actual as a real skilled myself. Finally, I wouldn’t say (the connection) was the identical as (when) we first met, however I believe there was some frustration, which I completely perceive from a competitor.”
Pressly had been the membership’s nearer for a number of years. He racked up 12 saves within the shortened 2020 season after which completed the subsequent three campaigns with between 26 and 33 saves. However the membership was trying to bolster the bullpen going into 2024, largely on account of components unrelated to Pressly. The Astros had misplaced Héctor Neris, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek to free company after which Kendall Graveman required shoulder surgical procedure that was seemingly going to maintain him out for your complete 12 months.
They determined that the easiest way so as to add to the bullpen was to get Hader, signing him to a five-year, $95M contract. He took over the closing duties in Houston, bumping Pressly to a setup function. It appears Pressly was privately a bit miffed by the change, although he didn’t make any public complaints. He was credited with 25 holds and 4 saves final 12 months whereas posting a 3.49 earned run common.
Rumors of a Pressly commerce have been floating round all winter. A part of the logic was that the Astros have some want to keep away from the aggressive stability tax in 2025, which additionally offered some motivation for the Kyle Tucker commerce. Pressly’s contract pays him $14M this 12 months, a wage in vary of market charges for a strong nearer however maybe a bit excessive for a setup man on a membership attempting to limbo underneath the tax line.
The complication, from an out of doors perspective, was Pressly’s 10-and-5 rights. Since he had not less than 10 years of service and not less than 5 with the Astros, Pressly had the correct to dam any commerce. Since he’s from Texas, it was honest to surprise how a lot urge for food he had for leaving the Astros, however the stories in regards to the behind-the-scenes discord maybe shed some gentle on his choice. By approving a commerce to the Cubs, he’ll get a contemporary begin and certain get an opportunity to be a more in-depth once more.
For the Astros, they despatched $5.5M to the Cubs within the deal however that also allowed them to clear $8.5M and duck underneath the tax, not less than for now. Rome provides that Brown is attempting to commerce Rafael Montero however with out getting wherever. That’s not particularly stunning since Montero posted ERAs close to 5.00 in every of the previous two seasons and has been outrighted off the roster. He’s nonetheless owed $11.5M for the ultimate 12 months of his deal, a three-year pact signed within the 2022-23 offseason. At the moment, the membership had parted methods with GM James Click on and had not but employed Brown. Proprietor Jim Crane was working the baseball operations division in the course of the interim, a time by which the Astros signed Montero and José Abreu.
It stays to be seen whether or not the membership will keep underneath the tax line. Latest reporting has urged that re-signing Bregman remains to be potential, despite the fact that the membership has acquired Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. These two mission because the membership’s third and first baseman respectively however the membership has apparently thought of re-installing Bregman at third, shifting Paredes to second and Altuve to left.
Regardless of these stories, Brown characterised the chance of re-signing Bregman as a “longshot” final week and continued to downplay the possibilities Tuesday, saying that the plan is one thing that been the topic of in-house discussions and never one thing that has been mentioned with Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras.
“We’re positively having conversations inside our entrance workplace,” Brown stated. “We haven’t reached again out to Boras. In some unspecified time in the future, it might flip to that. We’re taking a deep have a look at what it could appear to be if we acquired him and the way it could search for us financially, does it make sense to do it? I might largely say it’s all inner conversations as to what we wish to do when it comes to Bregman.”
RosterResource at the moment initiatives the membership’s CBT quantity as $236M, simply shy of the $241M base threshold. Signing any participant of be aware would push them again over the road. That’s very true of Bregman. The Astros have reportedly provided him $156M over six years, which is a median annual worth of $26M. Rome reported final week that the provide remains to be on the desk, regardless of the membership pivoting to Paredes and Walker, although Brown’s framing of issues in the present day suggests their dialogue with Boras has been pretty informal. Bregman has additionally been related to golf equipment just like the Tigers, Pink Sox, Blue Jays and Cubs however stays unsigned with spring coaching set to ramp up in about two weeks.
As talked about, a domino impact of Bregman returning to Houston can be Altuve ending up in left area, although that looks like it may very well be an element this 12 months with or with out Bregman.
“We aren’t taking something off the desk and we’re weighing all choices,” Brown stated. “We’ll see what it appears to be like like in left area with understanding that he’s going to play some second base or be at second base very often, relying on what the teaching workers comes up with. However we’re not taking something off the desk when it comes to seeing what he appears to be like like in left area.”
Altuve has been nearly solely a second baseman in his large league profession, with six innings at shortstop being his solely expertise wherever else. He’s by no means been thought to be an particularly robust defender, however his already-weak metrics have slid even decrease of late. Altuve has been price -82 Defensive Runs Saved over his total profession, with DRS tagging him with a -13 grade or worse in every of the previous three seasons.
Shifting him to left area is clearly dangerous on account of his lack of expertise on the market, although the Crawford Packing containers give Daikin Park one of many shallower left fields within the majors, so maybe it’s simpler for the Astros to take such of venture. Altuve himself lately expressed a willingness to do no matter it takes to carry Bregman again to the membership although it’s much less clear how he would really feel shifting to left unbiased of that.
If Altuve can stick within the outfield, it might assist the membership on the market since that’s a transparent weak spot on the roster. The membership plans to have Yordan Alvarez spend extra time because the designated hitter this 12 months and in addition traded Tucker. That leaves them with Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Taylor Trammell and Mauricio Dubón as their projected group on the market. Having Altuve in left with out Bregman on the roster might open up second base time for somebody like Zach Dezenzo, who has at all times hit effectively within the minors however doesn’t at the moment have a path to common enjoying time.
It’s additionally potential that the membership pivots to Jorge Polanco, who’s reportedly one other free agent the Astros have been involved with, along with Bregman. Polanco is coming off a tough season and simply had knee surgical procedure however has a powerful pre-2024 observe file. The membership might contemplate Polanco in left area as effectively, although he’s 4 years youthful than Altuve and is a former shortstop.
Polanco can be a switch-hitter, which appears to swimsuit the membership’s preferences. Within the post-Tucker world, Alvarez is the one lefty projected for normal motion as of now. Brown has lengthy stated that he wish to add a lefty-swinging outfielder as a method so as to add stability and reiterated that in the present day, saying that including a left-handed bat is “kind of a precedence.” Including Polanco after which placing both him or Altuve in left can be an uncommon method of undertaking that however is probably extra engaging than signing a free agent like Alex Verdugo or Jason Heyward.
There are a number of shifting items, and so they all make the Astros an fascinating membership to look at within the the rest of the offseason. Pitchers and catchers report back to spring coaching in about two weeks.
