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Justin Verlander Triggers Opt Out

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The MLBPA issued a press release today, announcing four new entrants to free agency. Three of them were already reported upon, as Jordan Lyles, Tommy Pham and Mychal Givens all had options turned down by their respective clubs recently. The fourth was Justin Verlander, indicating he has opted out of his deal with the Astros.

Verlander, who turns 40 in April, will now be one of the most interesting free agents in recent memory. He has a track record of success that goes back almost two decades now, with his MLB debut coming back in 2005. Tommy John surgery ended his 2020 after just a single outing and then prevented him from pitching at all in 2021. Despite two effectively lost seasons, the Astros still issued him a qualifying offer a year ago, but then they quickly agreed to a new contract. It was a two-year, $50MM deal, split into $25MM per season, that allowed Verlander to opt out after 2022 as long as he pitched 130 innings on the year.

Despite Verlander’s age and long layoff, he showed little sign of slowing down. He largely stayed healthy, making one trip to the injured list due to a calf injury which only cost him about two weeks. He was able to make 28 starts, logging 175 innings and posting an incredible 1.75 ERA, easily his career best. He probably wasn’t quite as dominant as it might seem from that ERA, since his 27.8% strikeout rate was a few ticks below where it had been prior to the TJS.  But he still kept his walks down to 4.4% and only allowed 12 home runs on the year, a personal low over a full season. He’s the favorite for the AL Cy Young as awards season approaches and will now be among the most sought after free agent pitchers, alongside Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodón.

Based on his excellent season, opting out seemed to be a fairly straightforward choice for Verlander. If he got a $50MM guarantee after two straight lost years, why settle for $25MM on the heels of an excellent year? Given that he’s now 40, he won’t be able to secure a long-term deal, but he’s said in the past that he hopes to pitch until he’s 45. Just about any team in the league would love to have Verlander on their team for one year, with many surely willing to go to two years.

Perhaps the closest thing to a recent comparison is the deal between Max Scherzer and the Mets. It’s not a perfect comp, since Scherzer was 37 at the time, a few years younger than the soon-to-be-40 Verlander. But like Verlander, he was managing to pitch at an ace-like level into an age when pitchers usually find themselves fighting the passing of time and all of its sickening crimes. He and the Mets agreed to a short-term deal with a high average annual value, coming in at three years and $130MM. That works out to an AAV of $43.333, with Scherzer also securing an opt out after 2023. Verlander’s situation isn’t perfectly analogous but he will likely be fielding offers that are somewhat similar.

Of course, not all teams will be willing to pay that kind of money, but short-term, high-AAV deals can sometimes bring unlikely suitors to the table. One year ago, Carlos Correa was looking to top $300MM on a contract around ten years in length. When it didn’t materialize, he pivoted towards a shorter deal with a higher annual salary. The Twins, who likely were never going to consider the lengthy pact Correa sought, suddenly jumped into the fray and got Correa to put pen to paper, though they also had to give him multiple opt-out opportunities. Last year, the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays reportedly offered Verlander strong deals before he agreed to return to Houston. They and many other teams will surely consider the same this winter.

The Astros will undoubtedly look to re-sign Verlander yet again, on the heels of their second World Series title. However, they are one of the few teams that arguably don’t strictly need him, though any team would of course be improved by his presence. Even without Verlander, the rotation is still in healthy shape, as Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, José Urquidy and Hunter Brown are all still present. Still, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Verlander and the team re-up on a new deal and the club then using their strong rotation to upgrade elsewhere. It was recently reported that they had a deal lined up at the deadline to send Urquidy to the Cubs for Willson Contreras. Although owner Jim Crane reportedly nixed that deal, it shows that the club is at least aware that it has lots of starting pitching and is willing to consider trading from it.

Dusty Baker Will Return As Astros Manager In 2023

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November 9: The Astros and owner Jim Crane have made it official, announcing that Baker will return on a one-year contract for 2023.

November 8, 5:35 pm: Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle relays word from Click, who says he is still “in discussions” about his future.

4:45 pm: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Baker and Click each received one-year contracts for 2023.

9:33 am: Fresh off his the first World Series title of his illustrious managerial career, Dusty Baker confirmed to Mark Berman of Houston’s FOX 26 that he’ll return to the team in 2023 (Twitter link). A deal has not yet been finalized, but Baker tells Berman: “I’ll be back, but we’re working on it. It’s as simple as that.”

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported shortly before Baker’s quote that Astros owner Jim Crane has already spoken to both Baker and general manager James Click about their futures and is planning to formally extend them contract offers for the 2023 season.

Named Houston’s manager in the immediate aftermath of punishments being meted out from the team’s 2017 sign-stealing scandal, Baker took the reins in a tumultuous situation and has seamlessly overseen not only a stabilizing period for the franchise but a continuous run of success. He’s now been at the helm of the Astros for the past three seasons, compiling a 230-154 record in that time, winning a pair of American League pennants and, just this weekend, adding another World Series title to the record books.

Baker has helped to oversee the breakout of one of baseball’s best young pitching staffs, serving as skipper while Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy have all established themselves as quality MLB hurlers — with Valdez, in particular, blossoming to the point that he ought to finish in the top five of this year’s American League Cy Young voting (though teammate Justin Verlander will be the favorite to win the award).

The 2022 season not only brought Baker his first World Series win as a manager but also saw him eclipse the 2000-win mark, making him just the 12th person to ever reach that milestone. Baker’s 2093 managerial wins currently place him ninth all-time, but another go-around in Houston will afford him the opportunity to take aim at Joe McCarthy (2125 wins), Bucky Harris (2158 wins) and Sparky Anderson (2194 wins) next season.

Baker would need a 102-win campaign to surpass Anderson and move into sole possession of sixth-place on the all-time list, but given the quality of the Houston core, that’s hardly an unattainable goal. His Astros just won 106 games in 2022, after all, and the team’s only free agent of true note is Verlander, who’ll surely be a target if and when he declines his player option and returns to the open market.

As for Click, there’s been a good bit of speculation about his future with the team amid multiple reports of friction between him and Crane. It’d be a surprise to see any team move on from its top baseball operations executive on the heels of a World Series victory, however, so it seems that even if the two parties don’t always see eye to eye, Crane will offer Click the opportunity to return on a new contract for at least the 2023 campaign. That forthcoming offer, of course, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Click will return, but it’s nevertheless of clear note that Crane will at least ostensibly place the ball in his GM’s court.

The Opener: Click, Option Decisions, White Sox

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As the offseason continues to chug through it’s earliest stages, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:

1. Will James Click Continue As Houston’s GM?

While Dusty Baker has accepted a one-year contract extension as Astros manager, GM James Click did not do the same when owner Jim Crane offered him a one-year extension of his own, telling reporters he is “in discussions” regarding a new contract. While it’s something of a shock that the World Series-winning general manager wouldn’t receive a multi-year extension offer, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post notes, there has long been speculation of Crane looking for a change in the front office, which is only further fueled by reports that he shot down a deal for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras at the trade deadline. Heyman suggests that the Astros may have interest in David Stearns, a former Houston executive who recently stepped down from his president of baseball operations position with Milwaukee. Stearns is still under contract with the Brewers for 2023, however, so the Astros would likely need to make a minor trade along the lines of the deal between the Cubs and Red Sox to send Theo Epstein to Chicago after the 2011 season if they are to acquire his services for the 2023 season. It’s also worth noting that Stearns definitively stated upon stepping back as president he plans to remain in Milwaukee and spend more time with family.

2. Option Decisions Continue To Linger

On the eve of the deadline for options decisions, a few notable ones still linger. Perhaps the most notable player in the bunch is longtime Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, on whom the club faces a $14MM decision on. A strong second half made what once seemed like an easy decision to decline the option much less clear cut. That being said, with players like Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch waiting in the wings, the Dodgers may prefer their younger internal options going forward. A few clubs also having intriguing option decisions to make in the rotation, most notably the Mets on Carlos Carrasco and the Orioles on Jordan Lyles. Both teams are relatively thin on proven rotation arms (the Mets thanks to other potential free-agent departures), so locking up a starter for 2023 could make sense for either club. That said, the $10MM the Orioles would spend on Lyles may be better served allocated to another starter with, perhaps, a higher ceiling, while the Mets may prefer to search for a younger option for their rotation than Carrasco, who will play 2023 at age 36. Aside from Carrasco, the Mets have Max Scherzer, 38, under contract for next season and are reportedly expressing interest in reunions with Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt, who are both in their mid-thirties.

3. White Sox Have Plenty Of Needs This Offseason

After a disappointing 81-81 season and with many holes to fill on the roster, the White Sox will need to be active this offseason. In addition to longtime first baseman Jose Abreu hitting free agency, outfielder AJ Pollock declined his player option in a surprising move, and Chicago declined to exercise their option on second baseman Josh Harrison. While these option decisions have saved the club some money (Pollock’s decision in particular saves Chicago $8MM), they still might not have a lot to spend this offseason. RosterResource estimates their 2023 payroll to be just over $174MM, not far below their all-time record payroll of $194MM in 2022. The Athletic’s James Fegan notes that while Hahn has expressed confidence in top prospect Oscar Colas as an outfield regular in 2023, he similarly noted the possibility that Eloy Jimenez will spend more time at DH going forward, leaving the club in position to pursue outfield options regardless of Colas’s readiness for an everyday major league role, particularly with Pollock’s departure meaning their best internal fourth outfielder is Adam Engel. Given most of the Chicago lineup is right-handed, an outfielder who can hit from the left side, such as Joc Pederson, or the switch-hitting Jurickson Profar, would make sense as a target. As for second base, Chicago’s dearth of production at the position in recent years makes them an obvious fit for Jean Segura, but a lower-cost option such as Adam Frazier could also make sense.

Astros’ Will Smith, Trey Mancini Become Free Agents

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Left-hander Will Smith and first baseman Trey Mancini were both included on the MLBPA’s latest update of players reaching free agency, indicating that the options on their contracts with the Astros weren’t picked up. In Smith’s case, that means the team declined a $13MM club option in favor of a $1MM buyout. Mancini, meanwhile, had a $10MM mutual option with a $250K buyout. It’s not clear yet whether Mancini or the team declined their end of that arrangement, but the result is the same: Mancini will become a free agent for the first time in his career.

Smith, acquired in a deadline swap that sent veteran righty Jake Odorizzi to the Braves, was a buy-low pickup for the ’Stros that paid dividends down the stretch. Smith, 33, carried a 4.38 ERA, career-worst 12.3% walk rate and a grisly 1.70 HR/9 at the time of the trade but immediately righted the ship in Houston. In 22 innings as an Astro, Smith logged a 3.27 ERA with a 26.7% strikeout rate and a vastly improved 4.4% walk rate.

While Smith didn’t pitch for Houston in the postseason, the benefit to the trade isn’t limited to the regular season. By flipping Odorizzi to the Braves, the Astros dodged a potentially pricey player option. Odorizzi’s workload boosted the value of his 2023 player option to $12.5MM, although a $6.25MM buyout might be hefty enough that he’ll still opt to return to free agency. Regardless, Houston isn’t on the hook for that potential outcome, which is a plus for them given that they already possess at least five big league starters for the 2023 season — Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy — and likely hope to retain Justin Verlander.

As for Mancini, his stint with the ’Stros will be short-lived and go down as something of a disappointment. The longtime Orioles slugger has been one of the game’s feel-good stories over the past two seasons, in the wake of his inspirational return from a Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis in 2020. He was a productive hitter in his season and a half with Baltimore following that comeback, slashing .260/.334/.421 with 31 home runs, 49 doubles and a pair of triples in 1017 plate appearances.

Mancini was in something of a slump at the time of the trade to Houston, however, and he never managed to hit his way out of that lull. Inconsistent playing time may have played a role, but Mancini’s .176/.258/.364 batting line as an Astro is clearly sub-par. He also fanned at a 26.3% clip in Houston — considerably higher than the roughly 22% clip he’d logged in the two-plus prior seasons. That said, Mancini did mash eight home runs in 186 plate appearances, so he at least provided the ’Stros with some occasional thump, even if the overall results were miles from his career .265/.330/.457 output.

The Astros are still waiting on what will be far and away their most important option decision —  that of Verlander. The 2023 Cy Young favorite has a $25MM player option for the 2023 season that he’s widely expected to decline, though it certainly remains possible that  the two parties explore a reunion at what would figure to be much heavier terms.

Latest On Market For Willson Contreras

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Free agency commences in a few days, and Willson Contreras will be the unquestioned top backstop available. The career-long Cub is certain to receive and reject a qualifying offer from Chicago while his representatives at Octagon set out in search of a strong multi-year pact.

While clubs can’t formally begin to discuss contract terms with other teams’ free agents until Thursday, they’ve no doubt identified players of interest with the offseason underway. A few teams outside of Chicago have already loosely emerged in the Contreras market. Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted this morning the Tigers have interest in the three-time All-Star, while Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears the Astros are contemplating a free agent pursuit.

It’s easy to see the link in both cases. Detroit is led by first-year president of baseball operations Scott Harris, who worked in the Cubs front office through the end of the 2019 season. Harris’ familiarity with Contreras doesn’t on its own give Detroit much of a leg up in free agency, but there’s a clear opportunity for them to pursue catching help. Detroit sees Tucker Barnhart hit free agency, and he looks unlikely to return after a rough year. Eric Haase has decent power and could be an immediate catching option after hitting .254/.305/.443 in 110 games, but he’s never rated highly defensively and may be a better fit for increased work in left field and/or at designated hitter.

Harris declined comment on Contreras specifically when speaking with reporters at the GM Meetings this evening (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press). However, he broadly sounded open to the idea of adding catching help from outside the organization. Harris noted the presence of some internal prospect talent — presumably primarily in reference to former second-round pick Dillon Dingler and to 2021 11th-rounder Josh Crouch — but downplayed the likelihood of anyone from the system seizing that job for 2023. Neither Dingler nor Crouch needs to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, and neither has yet reached Triple-A. Whether Detroit should be willing to surrender a draft choice for a qualified free agent on the heels of a 66-win season is fair to ask, but it seems likely the Tigers will address catcher in some form over the coming months.

The Astros’ interest in Contreras dates back at least to this past summer. The front office arranged a deal that would’ve sent José Urquidy to the Cubs for Contreras at the deadline, but Houston owner Jim Crane vetoed it. Houston pivoted to land Christian Vázquez from the Red Sox instead, but he’s now the #2 backstop behind Contreras in free agency. A Vázquez reunion seems unlikely after he saw sporadic playing time behind Martín Maldonado down the stretch. Maldonado’s presence could be a roadblock to a Contreras pursuit as well, given the World Series champion’s longstanding affinity for the defensive specialist, but Contreras could be such a marked offensive upgrade the team is willing to consider scaling back Maldonado’s playing time to add an impact bat.

Certainly, interest in Contreras will extend far beyond two teams. High-ranking executives with the Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Red Sox have already gone on record about an openness to adding behind the plate. Katie Woo of the Athletic tweets the Cardinals consider catcher to be their #1 priority, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak open to both free agent and trade possibilities. The Cardinals have long prioritized elite defense behind the dish with Yadier Molina, perhaps making them an odd fit for a bat-first player like Contreras, but Woo relays that St. Louis isn’t solely looking for defensive stalwarts but is prioritizing all-around impact from the position.

The Red Sox, on the other hand, may have more trepidation about Contreras’ mixed reputation as a game-caller. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes that Boston is unlikely to make a serious run at the 30-year-old backstop as they place an emphasis on managing a pitching staff. Concerns about Contreras’ game-calling acumen were mentioned at the deadline as well, perhaps playing a role in the Cubs not finding an offer that inspired them to part ways with him despite being well out of playoff contention. Speier notes the Red Sox have had longstanding interest in A’s backstop Sean Murphy — who’ll be a frequent trade target again this winter — and reports they’ve previously checked in on the Padres’ Austin Nola.

The Opener: Diaz, Injuries, Rule 5

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With the World Series in the rear-view and the offseason officially underway, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:

1. Edwin Diaz Sets Records With New Mets Pact

The first major signing of the offseason occurred yesterday evening, with the Mets re-signing star closer Edwin Diaz to a massive five-year, $102MM contract. Diaz now becomes the first relief pitcher to ever secure a nine-figure deal, and the first with a deal of an average annual value north of $20MM. Diaz secured that contract by having a platform season for the ages, throwing 62 innings to a 1.31 ERA and a mind-boggling 0.90 FIP. While the Mets have plenty more to do in rebuilding the bullpen as Trevor May, Seth Lugo, and Mychal Givens depart for free agency, the Diaz re-signing serves as an important first step in that process. The record-setting contract also serves as a reminder of owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to flex financial muscle, which will be important as the Mets look to re-sign or replace players such as Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, and Brandon Nimmo this offseason.

2. World Series Teams Examine Injuries

Though the 2022 World Series is now a thing of the past, the participants must now turn their focus to the injuries they suffered throughout the season that had been ignored in favor of playing through the postseason run. Most notable among these, of course, is Bryce Harper, who suffered UCL damage in May, with surgery this offseason a possibility. For the World Series champion Astros, three players have injuries to worry about entering the offseason: Alex Bregman suffered a broken finger late in Game 6 on Saturday, Yuli Gurriel missed Game 6 after a sprain to his MCL, and Martin Maldonado played through both a broken hand and a sports hernia this postseason, the latter of which will require surgery according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Bregman’s injury has the least question marks surrounding it, as he will reportedly be ready for Spring Training in 2023. More details could be announced regarding the rest of these injuries in the coming days.

3. Rule 5 Draft Protection Deadline Looms

As Mark Polishuk noted in his offseason preview, the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft is November 15th this year. Seeing as there was no R5 draft last offseason, teams will likely have more players to protect than usual, which could lead to roster crunches across baseball. This could also lead to some players getting cut from 40-man rosters a few days ahead of November 18th’s non-tender deadline, and some minor trades such as yesterday’s Sam Hilliard deal between the Rockies and Braves. Overall, with these dates being earlier on the offseason calendar, fans should expect a larger quantity of winter moves to happen in this first week of the offseason than in recent years, though said moves won’t necessarily be at the top of the free agent market.

Astros Owner Nixed Willson Contreras Deal At Trade Deadline

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Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was one of the biggest trade candidates not to be moved at the summer trade deadline, but according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Astros came close to completing a deal for the All-Star. Astros starter Jose Urquidy would’ve gone to Chicago in a straight one-for-one swap, which was agreed upon pending ownership approval. The Astros never got the green light from ownership, the deal collapsed, and the players remained with their respective teams.

The Astros were clearly in the market for a catcher at the deadline, and while they missed out on acquiring Contreras, they did turn around and acquire Christian Vazquez from the Red Sox. Vazquez and Contreras profile as very different catchers though, with Vazquez a defense-first player and Contreras posing more of a threat with the bat. There’s little consequence of course, as the Astros won their second World Series title last night but the proposed trade and the reasons it fell through sheds some interesting light on the front office workings of the Astros, particularly given the future of GM James Click is far from certain.

Contreras seemed almost certain to be traded at the deadline. He was, after all, a pending free agent who was hitting .252/.365/.453 with 14 home runs on July 31 for a Cubs team that was 41-60 at the time. While there were some concerns around his defense, his bat made up for that, and he seemed an ideal guy to split time between catcher and designated hitter for a team looking for an offensive boost. Given the Astros already had Martin Maldonado entrenched as their regular catcher, that sort of role may have been exactly what the Astros were looking for from Contreras.

The cost for Houston would have been Urquidy, a mid-rotation starter who still had three years of club control remaining (after the 2022 season). Urquidy, signed out of Mexico as an international free agent in 2015, wound up tossing 164 1/3 innings of 3.94 ERA ball this year for Houston. Urquidy strikes out around 20% of batters, while walking them just 5% of the time. He is a bit prone to the home run ball, and gave up just over one per start in 2022. On the whole though, Urquidy was a dependable starter who had a big fan in manager Dusty Baker.

“Much as I like Willson Contreras, Urquidy was one of our best pitchers then,” Baker told Passan. “I needed a guy that wasn’t going to complain about not playing every day. And this is his [free agent] year. See, that’s tough. When you trade for a player in his [free agent] year. Everybody’s about numbers and stuff, and I can’t blame them, no doubt. But that’s not what we needed.”

It appears that owner Jim Crane thought the same, and did not give Click approval to go through with the trade. Given both Click and Baker are now off-contract, it’s an interesting insight into the inner workings of the Astros as they prepare to make some key decisions on the future of the franchise following their championship.

As it turned out, the trade didn’t go through, Contreras played out a strong platform year with the Cubs and the Astros picked up Vazquez for minor leaguers Wilyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez. The Cubs will surely tender Contreras a qualifying offer which he’ll likely reject, and instead hit the open market as the top free agent catcher available. Vazquez, too, will be a free agent, though may be not as sought after as Contreras. Urquidy will go through arbitration for the first time, and look to build off a solid season in the Astros’ rotation.

Alex Bregman Suffered Broken Finger In Game 6

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Astros third baseman Alex Bregman suffered a broken left index finger sliding into second base in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the World Series, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The injury won’t require surgery, but Bregman faces an eight week recovery timeline, meaning he won’t have any concerns being ready by spring training. Bregman stayed in the game after the injury, and got to enjoy the celebrations as he picked up his second World Series ring with the Astros.

Bregman had another strong season in Houston, hitting 23 home runs and posting a .259/.366/.454 line in 155 games. He was a consistent contributor through the post-season as well, going 15-for-51 and hitting a home run in each of the three series Houston played in. While his 2022 campaign wasn’t a return to the MVP-level production he put up between 2018-19, it was a solid bounce back nonetheless from an injury-plagued campaign which saw him appear in just 91 games a year ago.

While no injury is a good thing, it has come at an ideal time for Bregman, as he can now rehab it over the off-season and look forward to returning fully fit in 2023 to aid Houston’s World Series defense. The 28-year-old is also due a significant raise in salary next season, going from $13MM this year to $30.5MM for 2023-24, the final two years of a five-year, $100MM extension signed in 2019.

The Astros Win The World Series

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For the second time in franchise history, the Houston Astros have won the World Series.  Houston clinched the championship with a 4-1 victory over the Phillies tonight in Game 6, fueled by a massive home run from Yordan Alvarez in the sixth inning.  With the Phillies leading 1-0 after the top of the sixth, starter Zack Wheeler (who had been cruising in the game) was pulled after allowing two baserunners, a decision that will lead to decades of second-guessing in Philadelphia.  Reliever Jose Alvarado promptly allowed a 450-foot home run to Alvarez that put the Astros ahead for good.

The Astros won 106 games during the regular season, and had a perfect 7-0 record throughout the American League playoffs to capture the pennant.  However, the Phillies took a 2-1 lead through the first three games of World Series, leading to speculation that Philadelphia’s power bats had the edge over Houston’s vaunted pitching staff.  That speculation was quieted in a big way when the Phillies scored only three total runs over the remaining three games of the Series, starting when four Astros pitchers (led by Cristian Javier’s six innings) combined for a no-hitter in Game 4.

That historic win restored the sense of invincibility that followed Houston for much of the season, as the team showed few weaknesses while fielding an excellent lineup, rotation, and bullpen.  The franchise’s extensive rebuild period under former GM Jeff Luhnow built a farm system and player development pipeline that continues to excel, given how the bulk of the World Series roster was comprised of homegrown players.  This included Javier, Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy, and Luis Garcia — four lightly-regarded international prospects who joined future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander and (former first round pick) Lance McCullers Jr. to create an outstanding pitching staff.

The Astros have won two championships and made two other World Series appearances (in 2019 and 2021) over the last six seasons, an extended run of dominance over the big leagues.  Of course, no discussion is complete without mention of the sign-stealing scandal that tainted the memory of the 2017 championship, and resulted in the firings of both Luhnow and former manager A.J. Hinch following the 2019 season.  For many fans, no amount of time will soften the hard feelings directed towards the organization, though only five players — Verlander, McCullers, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Yuli Gurriel — remain from the 2017 roster.

Houston’s ability to reload and restock its roster has been impressive, as the team has brought some new talent into the organization and also continued to rely on its farm system.  For instance, after Carlos Correa left in free agency last winter, the Astros had confidence that top prospect Jeremy Pena would be able to step into Correa’s big shoes.  Fast forward to November, and Pena has followed up an impressive rookie season with World Series MVP honors — only the third rookie to ever capture the award.

After winning a World Series as a player with the Dodgers in 1981, Dusty Baker had to wait 41 more years and through 25 seasons as a manager before capturing his second ring.  Baker’s excellent track record (2093 regular season wins) already made a Cooperstown induction a likelihood, but after years of close calls and disappointments in the postseason, Baker finally captured his first title as a manager at age 73.  Baker was only signed through the 2022 season, yet the Astros are expected to offer him a new deal, and Baker himself told David Ortiz in an interview that “I said if I win one, I want to win two.”

Verlander is expected to opt out of his contract to re-enter the free agent market, but the bulk of the Astros’ core will be under contract and control for 2023, making Houston an early favorite to repeat.  Perhaps the biggest question is in the front office, as there has been quite a bit of speculation that GM James Click (whose contract is also now up) won’t be invited back for next season, due to some clashes with owner Jim Crane.  Click’s fate will be a major talking point in the days now following the World Series, and given the talent already on hand in the organization, the Astros’ GM job might be the most coveted in all of baseball.

Astros Remove Yuli Gurriel From World Series Roster

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4:12PM: Gurriel has a right MCL sprain, Astros general manager James Click told reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle).

3:33PM: The Astros are one win away from clinching the World Series, but heading into tonight’s critical Game 6, the team has made a roster move.  Catcher Korey Lee has been added to the roster in place of first baseman Yuli Gurriel, who suffered a knee injury in Game 5.  As per league rules, Gurriel is now also ineligible for the rest of the series, should the Phillies win tonight and force a seven game.

Gurriel’s injury occurred in the seventh inning of Game 5, when Gurriel awkwardly bent his leg while being tagged out in a rundown play.  Gurriel remained at first base for the bottom half of the seventh, but Trey Mancini then pinch-hit for Gurriel during his next scheduled plate appearance in the top of the eighth.

There isn’t any indication that Gurriel’s knee is anything more than sore, but since he still isn’t well enough to play after an off-day, the Astros aren’t taking any chances on leaving themselves with an undermanned roster.  Despite the logic involved in the decision, there was naturally still some emotion involved in removing the longtime Astro from the roster.  Manager Dusty Baker told the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes and other reporters that Gurriel “tried everything” to be ready for Game 6, and had “tears in his eyes” over not being healthy enough to play.

It now creates quite the opportunity for Lee, who made his Major League debut in 2022 and has played in only 12 games as a big leaguer.  Lee hasn’t faced MLB competition since July 31, and hasn’t had game action of any kind since a Triple-A contest on September 26.  This is the first time Lee has been included on Houston’s postseason rosters, as Martin Maldonado and Christian Vazquez have locked down the two catching positions.

Both Vazquez and Maldonado are in tonight’s lineup, with Vazquez at DH and Maldonado behind the plate.  (Mancini takes over at first base for Gurriel.)  Lee’s inclusion on the roster gives the Astros some extra flexibility at catcher, thus allowing Vazquez to move to designated hitter.  Naturally, the Astros are hoping to use Lee purely for depth purposes, since it isn’t likely he would see any game action outside of an injury situation.

With Gurriel now gone for the rest of the World Series, it is possible he has already played his last game in an Astros uniform.  The 38-year-old Gurriel is slated for free agency, and after he hit only .242/.288/.360 over 584 plate appearances during the regular season, there has been an expectation that Houston might move onto another first base option for 2023.  Indeed, the acquisition of Mancini (another free agent) at the trade deadline was an early indicator that Houston felt more production was needed from the first base spot, though Mancini also struggled after coming over from the Orioles.

If this is Gurriel’s last hurrah with the Astros, he at least went out on the strength of a very solid postseason run.  Gurriel hit .347/.360/.490 with two home runs over 50 plate appearances during these playoffs, and is the Astros’ postseason leader in batting average.  Mancini’s struggles have only worsened during the postseason, as he has yet to record even a single hit in 21 playoff PA.

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