Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said today that the team is prepared to address its needs in free agency, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports (Twitter links). Houston would prefer the open market to the trade route, he added.
Aiding the ’Stros efforts to return to the postseason will be an enhanced war chest. Owner Jim Crane has given the front office a “go-ahead to increase our payroll and make the investment we need to make,” said Luhnow.
He has previously suggested as much, so this isn’t particularly surprising, but it’s worth noting the extent to which Luhnow emphasized the organization’s desire to add via free agency. “I really think we want to keep this group together and use other resources,” Luhnow said of the possibility of dealing from the Astros’ prospects to bolster the major league roster.
As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne wrote recently, Houston enters the offseason with a variety of needs. The rotation could stand to improve, the pen needs another lefty, the outfield may be targeted even after the acquisition of Nori Aoki, there’s a need behind the dish, and it’s certainly possible to imagine the club adding at first base.
The Astros will presumably boost their payroll over $100MM this year after coming in just shy of that mark in 2016. Houston already has $34MM on its books for 2017 and projects to pay about $30MM in arbitration salaries. That leaves a significant amount of room to add to the books, particularly since the team has little in future commitments on the books.
Everyone is acting like they got Cespedes with the Aoki pick up, sorry to break it to you but he’s not.
@ 24TheKid Sorry to break it to you but nobody asked.
Nobody said he’s Cespedes. He’s a great 4th OF for a playoff team like the Astros plan to be.
Disregard 24thekid. He always making asinine statements. How many times you gonna change name on this site?
I would do 4/90 for EE if I were the Astros. Springer, Bregman, Altuve, Correa, and EE is pretty dirty.
22.5 a year? Or a signing bonus of great size?
This is because the Astros having nothing worth a blockbuster trade left in their farm system.
What lol
You’re so cute, madman. Even close to being adorable with that comment
They still have an amazing farm even with bregman, musgrove and devenski graduating…
This person is clearly a butt hurt Rangers fan who has traded the farm for Hammels and Lucroy and has nothing to show for it. I hope they go after Reddick and get a good starter (Not Rich Hill).
Yes. We MUST get a RBI hitting outfielder & 1st baseman & not just Gurriell . Of course a couple better pitchers
Jon Morosi said we will either go after Miguel Cabrera or Edwin encarnacion. We have what it takes to get miggy, but does Luhnow have the guts? Also y’all think miggy would waive his no-trade? He is friends with Altuve.
oh man how great would it be to get a miggy. Nervehammer i think you could be on to something there, altuve and miggy are pretty great friends, i believe they came from the same town. i guess the price may depend on whether or not the tigers want to do the quick rebuild or go the astros type of rebuild. The reason i say that is if they go the astros route they might not ask for already graduated talents like bregman or #springerdinger (sorry im a biased Astros fan and springer is my favorite player on the team, not to mention i have a ton of his rc autos)
If we took most or all of his contract we may not have to give up as many prospects. Yeah we might have to give up one of the top 100 prospects we have or give up aj reed, but I’ll leave whatever the trade would require to the Luhnow. As long as we can make that trade without giving up someone who is already a contributor on our team.
I’m probably being a little hard on Reed but I dont feel or see him being able to adapt to the majors. Trading him & Moran wouldn’t be too hard of a hit. Bring on Miggy. Hell, on the way pick up Edwin Encanarcion
Aj reed, Colin Moran, David Paulino, and tony kemp for Miguel Cabrera
Tony Kemp could give them that speed they are lacking for the future. Reed could be a replacement for Cabrera. They get a good pitching prospect. If anything else it’s a ton of salary relief for someone who is beginning to enter his mid 30’s and will end the contract being 40
Sounds good so put the deal into action Nervehammer
Forget about Cabrera. Yes, Altuve and Cabrera are both from Maracay, Vzla, but that doesn’t make a deal. He’s amazing but I don’t see the Tigers making a deal like that for players who are not MLB ready. Wilson Ramos, Reddick, or Michael Saunders can be nice additions to fill C and OF positions.
I want to see better talent added than that. Wilson Ramos had a really good year, but he is gonna be injured at the beginning of the season. Saunders and Reddick’s production went south at the end of the season plus these guys aren’t exactly stars.