Houston Astros Rumors: 3 offseason moves that could destroy the future
By T.A. Mock
Filling out the pitching staff with in-house options isn’t a wise move
As I mentioned previously, there is a massive void in the Houston Astros pitching staff, a 500 inning void to be exact. So, they’re definitely going to have to make moves and/or move people around this offseason in order to fill that void.
With the lack of prestigious options on the free agent market and the probable cost of the trade market, there could very easily be a temptation to fill out the rotation entirely with internal options.
The Astros had two guys leading their bullpen this year that have made significant starts, in terms of quality and quantity. Collin McHugh was the better of the two, having an outstanding season in the pen. There is also Brad Peacock who pitched very well last year in the rotation.
McHugh boasted a sub 2.00 ERA this year with 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings. In his 3+ years full-time time starter, McHugh had a 3.70 ERA in 600+ innings plus 560+ strikeouts and 1.24 WHIP. But, if he could keep up what he did this year as a starter, he’d be a huge boon to the rotation. Peacock made 21 starts in 2017 and had a 3.00 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts per nine innings.
This year, the Astros trotted out two rookies to get spot starts when the team saw starters go down with short-term injuries. Josh James tossed 23 innings across six games, three starts, to the tune of a 2.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts. He also got key outings in the playoffs. Framber Valdez saw more time at the MLB level, pitching in eight games, starting five. He managed a 2.14 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in 37 innings of baseball.
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Beyond that, there are still guys in the minors that have yet to make a major league appearance like Rogelio Armenteros and Forrest Whitley, maybe even guys like JB Bukauskas and Corbin Martin could surprise and make an impact.
However, filling the entire rotation with some combination of these guys could be catastrophic for this team. One, the pitching staff likely wouldn’t be nearly as good as it was in 2018 and not as good as they would need it to be. Two, coming up too early and being handed too large of a role could decimate the potential of these younger guys.
The Astros should look to fill one, maybe two, of their rotation spots internally, but not adding any outside help could seriously hinder the present and future of this organization.