Climbing Tal's Hill
Fansided

Astros will remain opportunistic with remaining free agents

Eric Huysman|
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Tony Watson #33 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros in game six of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Tony Watson #33 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros in game six of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
5 of 5

In Conclusion (All is good).

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a double during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game seven of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium on November 1, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a double during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game seven of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium on November 1, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

As I stated earlier in the post, the Astros roster is pretty stacked. Many of you are probably wondering why I didn’t include Greg Holland. The Houston front office has never been one to buy saves. They try to get them via trade or in-house. If Holland is due anything similar to what Wade Davis received, that is too rich for the Astros blood.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

Jake Arrieta is still a free agent, but I see little interest in him signing a short-term deal out of desperation. If the Astros did not get Cole, I could have seen them going after Arrieta or Darvish, but they were more comfortable with the trade. Could there be a lesser name addition such as a Cameron Maybin or similar? Yes, but that player would have to be better than the 25th player on the team. In other words, no scrubs on this roster.

All three of the suggested free agent additions are not required but would be nice to have. Jeff Luhnow is in the desired position before camp opening, no sense of desperation to make another addition. This is why there are so many free agents out there. The competing teams have already bolstered their rosters while the rebuilding teams are not looking to add payroll. Everyone wants to follow in the Astros footsteps.

Next: The quandary of the slow free-agent market and the Astros’ role within it

One side note about Fisher. The Astros could be hesitant to trade Fisher because he could eventually become George Springer‘s replacement. He is hoping that Springer gets signed long-term, but could give the team the extra incentive to see what Fisher can offer in 2018.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***

Home/Astros News

Schedule