The Houston Astros had quite a troubled 2020. Not only did their penalties come down for their sign-stealing scandal, which resulted in general supervisor Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch getting axed, but the on-field trip was a roller rollercoaster. They never truly got things going on a constant basis in the 60-game routine season, however snuck into the postseason thanks to the 16-team format. Then they went 5-1 en path to making the ALCS, where they discovered themselves down three games to none versus the Rays. They fought back to end up being the second team ever to require a Game 7 after routing 3-0 in the MLB playoffs, just to fall in Game 7 on Saturday night.
Whirlwind, no?.
Now heading to the offseason, the Astros have lots of enigma. Of note in looking towards 2021:.
We cant be sure with any team, because weve never ever remained in this circumstance previously. Free agency might be a bloodbath with gamers not getting anything close to what they are worth. If theres a group like the Astros willing to be among the few big spenders, they might benefit on the field..
If not, there are a lot of areas that need to be supported from outside the company. They require to add a minimum of one big bat, maybe two, while getting at least one– possibly 2 and even three– trusted rotation arms and the bullpen could utilize some aid too..
If totally free agency alone wont cut, possibly Correa (one year left before free agency) is made offered via trade, however then again thats also deducting a lot more from the nucleus. Would they trade Correa for some pitching aid while reviving Springer? Does that make them much better? Could they rather simply hold out hope everything they have on the pitching side suffices and stand pat while bringing back Springer on a big free representative deal and hoping the return of Alvarez blunts the loss of Brantley?.
Not only did their penalties come down for their sign-stealing scandal, which resulted in general supervisor Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch getting axed, but the on-field ride was a roller rollercoaster. They never ever really got things going on a consistent basis in the 60-game regular season, however snuck into the postseason thanks to the 16-team format. They battled back to end up being the second group ever to force a Game 7 after tracking 3-0 in the MLB playoffs, just to fall in Game 7 on Saturday night.
Again, things get murky when we think about …
There are several really tough questions here..
The whole offseason is going to be fascinating in Major League Baseball. Provided the state of the franchise, the recent history of on-field success and the scandal the players couldnt shake, put this group on the brief list of the most intriguing to enjoy..
How do things stand with the state of the roster?.
Position players.
A few of the nucleus stays. Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman are secured long term. Carlos Correa has one year left till he hits complimentary agency. Yuli Gurriel is around for a minimum of 2 more years, however hes heading towards his age-37 season. Yordan Alvarez need to return healthy and Kyle Tucker can continue to grow. Martin Maldonado and Aledmys Diaz will be back.
Its the fine beginning to a competitor, but changing the offense Springer and Brantley provide is a high order simply from what is on the lineup. Fortunately is there is so much salary coming off the books that the Astros could most likely have adequate financial versatility to retain a minimum of one of them. Then once again, things get dirty when we think about …
Pitching personnel.
At his age– and there have actually been some bad indications down the stretch– we cant rely on Greinke to be a frontline starter moving on. There were certainly good indications from the similarity Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier this season while Lance McCullers is a fine mid-rotation option. Possibly Jose Urquidy can remain healthy and throw well and theres always hope a possibility (Forrest Whitley?) makes an impact..
Its just that this group is absolutely packed with enigma before we even get to the bullpen, where returns from Chris Devenski and Roberto Osuna will help. In general, the bullpen was unreliable in 2020, so just including those 2 doesnt imply they remain in fantastic shape in relief..
Once again were left questioning: How much financial flexibility will the front workplace be offered by ownership after a season in which Minute Maid Park sold no tickets?.
Pitching staff.
Free firm could be a bloodbath with players not getting anything close to what they are worth.
