The Astros figure to add injured right-handers Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia back into their rotation mix in 2024, though The Athletic’s Chandler Rome notes that, with neither player expected to be ready for Opening Day next season, rookie right-handers J.P. France and Hunter Brown could have opportunities to crack the rotation again headed into Spring Training. The club figures to have Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and Jose Urquidy locked into four spots in the rotation, but that would leave an opening for either France or Brown, with the possibility of both if the club decides to utilize a six-man rotation to open the season.
That being said, Rome also suggests other roles for France and Brown are possible next season. In addition to noting that the Astros would benefit from the addition of a veteran start who could provide “stability” to a rotation that suffered from uneven performances in 2023, Rome also puts forth that right-hander Spencer Arrighetti could factor into the club’s rotation mix as soon as the start of next season. Arighetti, the club’s #3 prospect and top pitching prospect per MLB Pipeline, posted a 4.40 ERA in 124 2/3 innings of work split between Double- and Triple-A in 2023, his age-23 campaign.
With so many possible moving pieces, it’s likely that both Brown and France will be used in roles beyond the starting rotation, at least at some point during the 2024 season. France, in particular, is suggested by Rome as a likely candidate for a swing role that would see him move both in and out of the club’s rotation mix as necessary throughout the year. Brown, on the other hand, seems to have a firmer grip on a potential rotation spot, though Rome adds that Brown’s struggles later in the season (including a 6.72 ERA in his final 18 appearances) highlighted the work Brown still has left to do before he can be the mid-rotation arm the Astros hope he can become.
More from the American League…
- The Red Sox utilized a catching tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire in 2023 to decent effect, with Wong in particular flashing quality glovework behind the plate as the club’s regular starter. Though MassLive’s Chris Cotillo indicates that an addition behind the plate isn’t a priority for Boston after adding top prospect Kyle Teel with their first-round pick in the 2023 draft, he does make note of the fact that Boston was aggressive in their attempts to upgrade behind the plate last offseason. Cotillo goes on to report that the Red Sox “made a serious run” at a trade with the Athletics to acquire All-Star catcher Sean Murphy, making what Cotillo describes as a “competitive” offer to the A’s before they ultimately settled on a three-team deal with the Braves and Brewers to send Murphy to Atlanta. The Red Sox were among the many known suitors for Murphy last offseason, though the A’s set their asking price rather high, with right-hander Brayan Bello’s name floated in the rumor mill as a potential return. That being said, Boston’s level of interest appears to have been greater than was initially reported, given the new information that Boston made a formal offer for Murphy’s services.
- Although the Tigers have one clear big league catching option in Jake Rogers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News suggests that finding a suitable backup for Rogers is a primary question for the club as they head into the offseason. While McCosky notes that the club holds a $3.5MM team option over Carson Kelly, he adds that there’s “no indication” as to whether or not the club will ultimately pick up that option. If Kelly is not retained, the club’s top options to back up Rogers internally would be Dillon Dingler and Donny Sands. Dingler enjoyed something of a breakout season at age 24 this year slashing .256/.361/.478 across three levels of the minors, though his .202/.266/.384 showing in 26 games at the Triple-A level left something to be desired. Sands, meanwhile, struggled to a .230/.318/.360 slash line alongside defensive struggles in limited action last season but has a solid offensive track record at Triple-A from his time with the Yankees and Phillies. Per McCosky, the decision on Kelly’s option could come down to the readiness of Dingler for a major league role in 2024.
Dingler for President
I’d settle for Dingler for legit backup catcher!
Bloom was making the offer I’m sure it wasn’t that was a big push to trade for Murphy and if he even put Bello’s out there he should’ve been fired that very second
case – Knowing Bloom, he probably offered Dalbec and Ort.
We know Bloom had the most roster transactions, he probably had the most rejected trade offers as well.
Fever – I’m struggling to even read the recent articles since it’s a bunch of old news that has a weak source for the information.
Also, who cares. It didn’t happen. Tomorrow what story will be reported about last year’s team or BLoom or Cora or whoever they want to make up just to have news during this quiet period while Breslow assesses his team.
Who do you like in the World Series? Went to game 2 and after game 1 I was disappointed that Kelly shut down the Rangers with what looked to be very average stuff.
TF – I have been rooting for the Rangers to win it all since the start of the season. I love the stadium, love the surrounding area, love the fans, and after all the past heartaches they deserve to FINALLY win their first championship. Of course Nate and Venable getting rings would be an added bonus.
Next year I’m shooting for three trips there, March & July & August. The only bad part about them having so much success is that it’s harder and more expensive to get good seats there! Last time I was at the below ground tables behind third base, had a fantastic time. Man if they really do end up getting Ohtani, combined with Nate and deGrom and maybe Montgomery, that would be an insanely great team.
I think the biggest factor in the WS is postseason experience. Dbacks are talented, but they don’t match up with the Rangers veterans.
Fever – Let me know when your coming to Dallas next summer and we can take in a game together. I try to get to as many games as I can. The Ranger AA team is nearby too so there are lots of places to see quality baseball besides the local High Schools.
Baz is a local boy so it will be fun to see how he does next year after his injury. Heck, Kershaw is a local boy too but I got here after his high school days.
Knowing Bloom, he probably offered Dalbec and Ort.
===========================
Interesting set of comments. You responded to Case implication that Bloom offered too much, by suggesting that Bloom offered too much, even though the article says he made a competitive offer.
Sometimes an article about something that didn’t happen, and didn’t provide any information as to what might have happened, isn’t necessarily an invitation to insult Bloom.
Sometimes it is just an quasi-interesting story.
Joe – Your posts of late have been very …. interesting. I’ve actually enjoyed them, but wow you’ve written some headscratchers.
I suggested Bloom offered too much? Really? Obviously I was joking about D&O, but my point was very valid. Bloom has a history of lowballing, whether it’s contract offers or trade offers. Surely you agree, right?
Joe – Your posts of late have been quite …. interesting.
I’ve enjoyed them for the most part, but you’ve certainly written some headscratchers.
Obviously I was joking about D&O, but my point was still valid that Bloom has a history of lowballing whether it’s contract offers or trade offers. And you surmised I was suggesting he offered too much? Really?
As for Case, how on Earth did you come to the conclusion Case implied Bloom offered too much? He said Bello should have been excluded from any possible offer, and he’s right.
I typed a correction to my original post but probably forgot to send it.
Case implied that Bloom offered too much by saying Bello was too much. And you, even joking, implied (and continue to imply) that he offered too little. No biggie, but sometimes the story is more interesting than folks taking random shots at Bloom. He’s gone and we should all move on.
Joe – I think you’re probably the only one that viewed Case’s reference to Bello as him implying Bello was offered, so I guess we will hafta agree to disagree on that one.
If you mean writers such as Chris bringing up the past, that’s the Sox front office taking parting shots at Bloom. No different than the recent story about the Rangers wanting Sale. I agree with you, no need for old trade negotiations to be made public now. We all know Bloom sucked and needed to go, all these old stories about his failures is just beating a dead horse.
Bello as the centerpiece for Murphy would’ve been completely reasonable.
The problem is that the A’s liked Esteury Ruiz and flipped Contreras for him. Contreras was excellent in Milwaukee. (Though they’re the best team at developing catchers—doubt he would’ve done the work he did with the glove elsewhere.
On the this/that redsox team who had/has no good pitching prospects or starters in their organization that’s just crazy talk especially for a catcher that probably a top 5-10 catcher for the next yr or 2 ur not even in the same ballpark park asking for Bello even more when they used their first round pick on a top college catcher prospect
Bri – Murph is less than a year away from his 30’s, and is due another $69M for the next 5 years.
He’s good, but not on the same level as a Rutschman or Contreras or Raleigh or Will Smith. I’d love to have him, but Bello would be too high a price to pay.
He’s better than Cal Raleigh. He’s comparable to a Will Smith also.
I don’t know what Sox fans think about Bello but he looks like a solid mid rotation guy to me. I don’t see a future top of the rotation arm there. Doesn’t need to be to be very valuable though.
I’m talking last year though. He was an unestablished prospect. That would’ve been a perfectly reasonable swap at the time.
Bri – I dunno, Bello was a highly rated prospect last year with comparisons to Pedro, who also happened to be tutoring him. But I respect your opinion, there’s no guarantee Bello will be a top starting pitcher or even stay healthy for that matter.
What happened to the Brewers development of Navarez, Pina, Grandal, Caratini??
Yes they did a good job with Lucroy almost a decade ago. And Contreas was already pretty solid in ATL so I’m not sure I’d credit all of his success to MIL. Just saying if their catcher development is that good, they shouldn’t have let them take an almost decade long vacation.
Craig, you’re not going to last long if every move the Sox should have made, which could be determined by a 4th grader, comes out in the news a year later “The Sox were in serious talks……. before a deal with Boston ultimately fell apart.” Take note
You are if you declined the HOBO job in Boston
Let’s ruminate about Bagwell for Anderson.
I challenge Mister Deeds to write one single article without using the phrase, “That being said…..”.
The A’s demanding Bello and then getting the subpar package from the Braves afterwards is just hilarious. Hard to imagine Bloom couldn’t outbid for that package without Bello but wow Oakland has failed to capitalize on Olson, Murphy, Chapman and Semien the last few years. All star infield right there all for nothing
I feel like Astros should pretty much stand pat, roster-wise, for 2024.
THE most pressing problem in 2023 was the starting pitching imploding from late June onward; I think some of that was simple fatigue in a lot of the arms, but *most* of those arms have demonstrated, prior to July 2023, that they are attached to really top-notch pitchers. So, rest is indicated, BUT
the implosion I also have to attribute to some combination of the following :
1) Where is Maldonado in all of this? He was widely credited with making ALL these guys (Verlander included) pitch even better than their innate talent & skill-set, in 2022 & prior.
2) Where is/are the pitching coach(es) in all of this?
3) Where is the battery of highest tech monitoring equipment in all of this, and
4) Where is the analytic team in all of this? I’m not privy to them, but the answers are out there : velocity, pitch mix, location, release point, etc etc….What happened here, from late June onward, with each of these guys?
5) Going forward, and adding Blanco & Bielak to the list, Astros have TEN legit MLB starters on the 40-man, and that is NOT including Arighetti. Get these guys pitching as well as they can, and we are likely to cruise to a 100-win season in 2024.
Why is Urquidy locked into a rotation spot? I know Crane is happy with himself for nixing the Contreras trade and holding onto the guy but he shouldn’t be a lock.
Brown’s upside is higher than anyone else and JP France outpitched Urquidy by a wide margin this year.
Dear Astros Hot Takes, as a Mariners fan I have some solutions to some of the issues you bring up!!! I propose Jim Crane should a) fire his analytics staff & declare Astros now a 100% “feel” organization b) declare Maldy “permanent” catcher who shall never be pinch hit for c) hire a hitting coach to be the pitching coach d) decide to replenish his farm system by trading 4 or 5 starting pitchers from his excess of starting pitching depth. Hope these were helpful! Hit me up anytime! :^)
The Astros have plenty of starters but it’s fair to wonder how many of them can be elite? I agree they should mostly stand pat. Blowing up the roster is no guarantee.
Personally, I don’t have any specific hope for the team other than to make smart moves and keep building the farm.
Maldonado is, thankfully, gone. Statistics do not back up that he made anybody a better pitcher. The staff ERA was lower when Yainer Diaz was behind the plate. This is despite the fact that Maldonado always caught Valdez and Verlander. Maldonado was horrible at throwing out runners. Maldonado led Major League Baseball in PB. Maldonado is overweight and never runs hard to first base. Maldonado cannot hit .200 or carry an OPS above .600. In summary, no major league manager other than Dusty Baker would have Maldonado as their primary catcher.
okay my bad, Maldy had a .606 OPS last year. Still, .606……
It was weird. I can’t complain about the results of Dusty’s four year run, but his strange lineups will be talked about for decades.
I think we had results “in spite of” his bizarre line-up choices, rather than “because of” them.
We’ll never know, but wouldn’t be interesting if we could see what would happen if we replayed the Rangers with Diaz in the lineup rather than Maldonado?
Well the next manager will inherit the same lineup. We’ll have to see how the offense does with a more analytical lineup.
I expect the Kelly decision will have to be made right after the World Series. How much improvement does Dingler have to show between now and then? That’s right, None! I don’t think Dingler will make the team out of spring training, but I doubt they will pick up the option on Kelly, either. Too expensive for a back up. There are cheaper options, and there is Garver, who can cover for 1/2 a year until Dingler is ready, and DH the rest of the time.
I don’t think it will be very tough to replace Kelly’s offense. Dingler or Sands are cheaper and could carry the same .200 BA. I like your idea of Garver (splitting with Rogers).
Can POBO contracts be sold or traded?
Apparently, they can in basketball.
Saber – Theo Epstein was traded with Bogaerts to the Cubs for Chris Carpenter and Aaron Kurcz.
? Really ?
The moon is made of cheese, I suppose. And no doubt,
Kraft was the manufacturer or chef rather.
Saber – Yes, I’m not kidding. Theo was still under contract and after he lost his power struggle with Lucky the only way John Henry would let him leave is by receiving compensation in return.
Murphy was never coming to Boston. The Sox do need to upgrade at Catcher, even if it’s a stopgap until Teel is ready
They are approximately league-average at catcher, at close to minimum wage. Catcher is the last position I’d spend a dime on.
Who cares what Bloom offered, now Teel -a 1st Rd pick- will be given a chance. With Wong/McGuire holding down the C position until he is ready.
Joe – Sandy Leon is available, and he’d cost less than a dime.
Jake Rogers is the backup catcher. The Tigers need to find the primary catcher.
Who are they going to get though? As a defensive catcher with a bit of pop he seems good for now. I wonder if they could pry away Davis or Endy from Pittsburgh for pitching, or even better Kevin Parada from the Mets. Catchers are hard to predict. More likely he ends up in a time share with someone like he did with Haase. Melchez mentioned Caratini who is a decent backup. Stymedone mentioned Garver to split between C and DH but with Riley Greene reportedly set to take some DH time after his injury, Carpenter being best suited for DH and Malloys likely promotion that squeezes someone out.
The Tigers absolutely need to address their catching issues.
I keep hearing Jake Rogers is a good defensive catcher. I don’t see anything special when I watch the Tigers. I think Rogers would be a good half part of a catching tandem.
Since the Tigers are in rebuild mode, I don’t want to see the Tigers acquire older catchers at this time.
Jake Rogers is a excellent defender and a roughly league average bat. If the Tigers are going to make an upgrade this year (they will), there are about five positions they should target over catcher. Jake is the starting catcher for 2024. Use money or prospect capital to get a 2B or 3B instead. Catcher is not a pressing area of need.
I don’t see any issues with Rogers. He had a 2.2 fWAR, 28 years old, sustainable numbers, and cost $2M. This is almost identical to my RS. You should never look to replace reasonable production at reasonable wages/
Caratini would make a solid backup catcher. Switch hitter with solid defense. Dingler should be AAA depth.
Oh wait… Harris still is looking to see what he has… it could be a few more years.
“Meanwhile” can’t be in the middle of a sentence—it HAS to be at the start. When will you writers learn this?
What happened or didn’t happen last year isn’t really worth discussing. It didn’t happen.
End of story.