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The Astros’ weaknesses and how to fix them
The Astros’ catchers cannot hit.
Let me ask you a question — can you think of a World Series champion team that did not have a catcher that can hit? The Astros have pretty much run a two-catcher system throughout their golden years, and at least one of those guys can usually hold their own at the plate.
In 2017, this was Brian McCann, in 2019 it was Robinson Chirinos and Martin Maldonado to a smaller degree and in 2021 it was Jason Castro. This year, the Astros seem to not have this available to our disposal.
The two main guys behind the plate for the Astros in 2022 are Martin Maldonado, who is averaging a .113, and Jason Castro, who is managing a measly .083. Now do not get me wrong, both of these guys mean a lot to the team defensively, but I just do not believe that the club can win a World Series with both catching options basically being an automatic out.
So, how does the team fix it? Maldonado is one of the greatest defensive catchers in the League and is a true leader that will be needed come the postseason. Castro has been with the Astros through the ups and downs of the franchise, but he just does not add enough value to stay on the roster in his current capacity.
Many fans point to prospect Korey Lee as the solution, but the backstop is only managing a .221 batting average in Triple-A. This is not bad, but I am not sure it would be much better than a veteran in Castro could manage.
So the real solution here would be to make a trade with a team that is not expected to compete come October. It would most likely take place towards the deadline, and the main catchers I see in contention here are Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs and Jacob Stallings of the Miami Marlins.
I do not expect either of these teams to compete in the postseason, and I believe the Astros could acquire one of these guys in a package that includes one of the center-field tandem members, as well as a few other prospects. I like Stallings specifically, as his contract is not too pricey.
The Astros’ starting rotation.
With the main issue out of the way, we can talk about the less-worrisome weaknesses that the Astros have. The team has been sporting a six-man rotation as of late, consisting of Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, Jake Odorizzi and Christian Javier.
All of these pitchers have a sub 5.00 ERA, but Urquidy has struggled a bit. However, Odorizzi suffered a horrible injury Monday night, after finally getting his season together and being absolutely lights out in his last few starts.
My heart and prayers are with him, as it is painful to know he is injured after all that’s happened to him this year. Nonetheless, this leaves the Astros with a question mark for sure. With the status of Lance McCullers Jr. being somewhat unknown and with Verlander’s age, I think it is safe to assume that one of these two guys is going to be out with injury come October.
I hope for the best, and if they are there, the rotation is just that much better. However, if only one of them is there, that most likely leaves you with a postseason rotation of Verlander/McCullers, Valdez, Garcia and Urquidy. Personally, I think the Astros need one more quality starter in that rotation.
The problem is I do not know if the Astros have enough to trade away for a superstar guy, while also being able to take on his contract. I think the better solution is to roll with these four and just beef up the bullpen as much as possible.
This means they most likely will have to trade at least one or two of Chas McCormick, Jose Siri, Jake Meyers and Pedro Leon, as well as some other prospects. At the end of the trade deadline, I believe it is imperative for the club to have the best bullpen in the league, poised for an October run.
This way, if one of the starters begins to struggle, manager Dusty Baker has no issue with pulling him, knowing very well that the bullpen will make up the slack.
The Astros’ utility situation.
This problem has been pretty much fixed this week with the addition of Mauricio Dubón from the San Francisco Giants. However, prior to that Niko Goodrum was batting a mere .116. I think this solution will get even better when Leon is called up to the majors later in the year, as he can play many different positions as well.
Next. 3 reasons why the Astros could win 100 games. dark