The Houston Astros have already made their decisions about the players due to hit free agency. Needless to say, it’s a very emotional one.
The qualifying offer deadline for teams to extend to players who are pending free agents has passed. For theHouston Astros, they have already made their intentions clear. OnlyDallas Keuchelwas given the qualifying offer of $17.8 million for the 2019 season.
Keuchel, for his part, has until November 12th to either accept or decline the qualifying offer. If he accepts, he stays with the team for the amount listed above. If he declines, he will enter free agency and whichever team he signs with will give the Astros a compensation draft pick.
Unfortunately, the other players eligible were not given one. They includeCharlie Morton,Marwin Gonzalez,Evan Gattis, andTony Sipp.Martin Maldonadowas not on the roster a full year, so he was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer.
Additionally,Will Harrishadhis club option declined, though he remains under team control for another year. The process involving him is a bit more complex, as he is still eligible for arbitration and likely to stay with the team for a smaller amount of money.
Earlier this week,Brian McCannhad his$15 million club option declined.Jandal Gustavewas outrighted by the team, meaning there were no strings attached to that decision. No money owed, nothing disciplinary, just a typical team cut.
The Way We Were
Should Keuchel surprise most of us, namely the league analysts and experts, and accept the qualifying offer, the starting rotation will be pretty firmly set. BothJustin VerlanderandGerrit Colestill have one year left in their current deals, andCollin McHughandLance McCullerswill likely round out the rest of the starters.
It will, however, come at the cost of depleting the bullpen. You could search from within and getJosh JamesandFramber Valdezto fill in those two spots. It will be a vast risk, but one that is certainly worth taking on these two.
Then, there are the key position players that did not get the qualifying offer. Marwin, Gattis, and McCann were not exactly dead weight. All three were key in getting theHouston Astrostheir very first championship. And whileTyler WhiteandJ.D. Davisare the ideal men to replace them, they are both still incredibly young to this league and possess some weaknesses of their own.
More fromHouse of Houston
- Are you the 2021 FanSided Sports Fan of the Year?
- Houston Texans: 4 reasons Romeo Crennel is right coach right now
- Astros-Twins Wild Card Series: 5 things to know as MLB postseason begins
- Houston Texans: The Most Underrated Sports Drought Ever
- Houston Texans: J.J. Watt’s early case for NFL Hall of Fame
In another move, theHouston Astrosalso added a catcher on Friday from the Seattle Mariners. They waivedChris Herrmann, a Tomball native, in an effort to clear space off of their 40 man roster. The Astros claimed the catcher who is entering his final year of arbitration.
The front office is going to have to play some strategic chess the rest of this offseason to fill out the nearly third of the team that is now gone to the market. It should also be noted that not extending a qualifying offer does not exclude a player from being signed by the Astros. They actually are still eligible to, just for less money.
Sure, there will be some upgrades out there in the market for those we’ve lost. But the question is, can they maintain the same kind of key team chemistry the championship-winning squad had? Or will egos present future problems?
Only time will tell. Winter is coming, and it figures to be an active one for theHouston Astros. We’ll have to see just how different the team will look going forward. I’m confident, but also a little nervous.
Add us as a preferred source onGoogleLoading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations