Astros: The Carlos Gomez Error, I Mean Era, is Over.

Astros Designate Outfielder Carlos Gomez for Assignment

The Houston Astros have stood by Carlos Gomez since they acquired him hoping that he could return to his 2013 All-Star form. When he struggled to stay healthy last season, the Astros stood by him. When he struggled through April and May of this season, the Astros stood by him. Gomez rewarded them for their patience in June after going on the DL. The Astros stood by Gomez after the Red Sox series where he misplayed a ball that cost the game.

After Monday’s back to back miscues that became triples, the Astros decided to sit him for last night’s game. The situation presented itself for Gomez needing to enter the game as pinch runner for Evan Gattis. Gomez repaid Hinch’s trust in him by stealing second base.

However, Tyler White hit a fly ball to right field, and Gomez must have forgotten how many outs there were and got doubled off second base. Has this happened to other Astros players this year? Yes, but this on top of a low batting average and lack of focus on defense puts him more in the spotlight. He is now a liability in the lineup, on the bases, and in the field at times

ESPN released a report that the Astros are considering designating Gomez for assignment per the Houston Chronicle. Jake Kaplan responded on Twitter that he didn’t say that the Astros were considering it, he just offered some options. Little did we know that it was actually in the works at that moment.

Brian McTaggart reported at 3:27 PM on Twitter that the Astros have DFA’ed Gomez indeed. This is the joy to the ears of Astros fans because he has become the scapegoat of the 2016 season. Gomez is a nice guy who gave full effort, but his talent is not present anymore. His play has become sloppy recently which has partially led to the recent Astros struggles. With him off the team, we can focus on finding a guy who can do the job.

Luhnow said that the decision that the Astros made today was not because Gomez was not giving the effort, but for whatever reason, he has not performed here. This allows for Gomez to try to get a fresh start with another organization. This was from Brian McTaggart’s video via Twitter.

The decision was made in part to get other people looks in the outfield, including Jake Marisnick, Tony Kemp, Preston Tucker, and soon Alex Bregman or Yulieski Gurriel. I wouldn’t be surprised if Teoscar Hernandez gets a cup of coffee in September. I would not be surprised if Colby Rasmus doesn’t play for the Astros again.

Marisnick, who hit a big triple in last night’s game, will be the biggest winner in this decision. Marisnick could be a key piece in the 2017 plans in the outfield with a weak free agent class including Gomez and Rasmus. Marisnick has the speed and defense, if he could hit .260, that would be a plus. The everyday center fielder will most likely be Marisnick, and I’ll look deeper into him tonight.

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I apologize for the error part of the title. I included it because the bottom line is that it was a mistake even to trade for him. I don’t blame Luhnow for doing what he thought was best for the team, but it shows the risks of the deadline deals. If Gomez were the same player he was during his All-Star seasons, the Brewers would not have traded him. It probably took a lot for Luhnow to DFA Gomez because by doing so, he’s admitting that he made a mistake.

I am disappointed in the fact that Gomez could not right the ship because he was a big part of the plans for 2016. He was supposed to be the key bat in the batting order, but instead, he struggled at the plate for most of the season. Gomez was supposed to be a piece to help the Astros win. Who would have thought that he would have digressed this much? We have watched a star collapse.

Next: Offensive Explosion and Gurriel’s Hooks Debut

Good luck to Gomez in his future endeavors, and welcome to Jandel Gustave, who will join the Astros in Minnesota tonight according to McTaggart. All parties involved have to look to the future and learn from the past.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***