Latest news and updates about the Astros
Opinion: Stop Trying to Trade Isaac Paredes. The Astros Need Him. There, I said it. I don’t want the Houston Astros to trade Isaac Paredes. And every time I hear another expert, another national analyst, or even another Astros fan casually toss his name into trade proposals like he’s some expendable spare part, it makes […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 16 days ago | 4 reads
Analysis is a tricky game and any good analyst should acknowledge as many factors as possible. We saw earlier that Dana Brown said the Astros were not done. So, any full analysis of the Jesus Sanchez for Joey Loperfido trade would have to include what the Astros do beyond that. Good analysis would also involve […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 17 days ago | 1 read
There’s only one real way to make the current situation work, and that involves the Astros giving in to Yordan Alvarez’ desires. We have reached a point that seemed impossible to navigate all offseason. The Houston Astros have fully opened Spring Training and both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker are still on the team. It […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 18 days ago | 2 reads
Was today’s trade a precursor to another one coming soon? Today the Astros traded OF Jesus Sanchez to the Toronto Blue Jays for a former Astros fan favorite – OF Joey Loperfido. Clearly the Astros were sour on Sanchez after he performed poorly both at the plate (.199 AVG with Houston) and in the field, […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 20 days ago | 1 read
A familiar face is returning to the Astros as the Astros dealt outfielder Jesus Sanchez to the Toronto Blue Jays for Joey Loperfido. Loperfido will be a familiar face as he was an Astros farmhand and had a cup of coffee with the 2024 team before he was dealt at the deadline as a part […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 20 days ago | 3 reads
So this I didn’t expect. The Jays traded 26-year-old left-handed hitting, outfielder Joey Loperfido to the Astros for 28-year-old, left-handed hitting Jesús Sánchez. Sánchez has played six seasons in the MLB, 580 games, for the Marlins and, last year, the Astros, hitting .239/.307/.420 with 73 home runs. Last year, he hit .199/.269/.342 with 4 home […]
From Bluebird Banter | 20 days ago | 3 reads
Baseball is back with pitchers and catchers reporting yesterday. With that, the Astros extended invites to some prospects that weren’t on the 40 man roster. Here are a few prospects to look out for during Spring Training. Joseph Sullivan Sullivan was the Astros 7th round pick in 2024 after a solid college career at South […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 21 days ago | 3 reads
In the last week, we talked about platoon splits for the various Astros position players, but platoon splits are only part of the equation. One of the more fascinating parts of sabermetrics is looking at how our conception of the game has changed over the years. If you watched the movie “Moneyball” you probably heard […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 21 days ago | 3 reads
Injury concerns for Josh Hader and Yainer Diaz highlight roster inadequacies. I want to preface this with the following statements: With that out of the way, I think we need to have a conversation about whether or not Dana Brown failed this offseason. Day 1 of pitchers and catchers did not cause this conversation, but […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 22 days ago | 5 reads
Spring Training Hope Comes With a Familiar Astros Fear This is the week baseball fans have been waiting for. Pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training, and with that, the long offseason finally gives way to possibility. For Astros fans, it’s the chance to put last season firmly in the rearview mirror and focus […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 23 days ago | 3 reads
Holy freaking cow, folks. JV is coming home. Eight and a half years since the Detroit Tigers traded franchise legend Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros on August 31, 2017, the three-time Cy Young award winner returns to the Tigers on a one-year deal. We absolutely did not see this coming. First reaction is that […]
From Bless You Boys | 23 days ago | 4 reads
The Red Sox acquisition of 3B Caleb Durbin will leave their fans wanting, but it essentially takes a trade partner off the board for the Astros. Did it also add a new one? With the big news coming down today that the Boston Red Sox have acquired 3B Caleb Durbin in a deal with the […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 24 days ago | 2 reads
As we close in on the opening of spring camp with pitchers and catchers due to report on Wednesday, pitching has rightly been the focus in recent weeks. Framber Valdez and Tarik Skubal have kept that group firmly in the spotlight. The position players won’t have to report for a few extra days on February […]
From Bless You Boys | 24 days ago | 2 reads
I also write a regular feature over at Battle Red Blog. It is called “Value of Things” and that title fits fairly comfortably with this piece and what is ultimately behind the lab. There are two separate questions when it comes to major sports teams. The first question is whether they are reasonably investing everything […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 24 days ago | 2 reads
Last time, we took a look at the outfield and the platoon splits for our various outfield candidates. Today, we will do the same with the infield. I should note a couple of things before we move forward. The first and main thing is that we are looking at career splits for all of these […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 27 days ago | 4 reads
The Pittsburgh Pirates are adding some depth to their starting pitching rotation. According to MLB insider Will Salmon, the Pirates are signing former World Series champion Jose Urquidy. Urquidy, 30, began his career in 2019 with the Houston Astros. For the first five years of his career, Urquidy was a valuable depth piece for an […]
From Bucs Dugout | 28 days ago | 6 reads
It’s starting to look like none of the parties will have a choice. The Astros have a logjam in the infield, that isn’t news. They have been open to discussions on both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker, that also isn’t news. However, we are now 6 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 28 days ago | 5 reads
MLB News Roundup On the eve of the Detroit Tigers’ arbitration verdict with star pitcher Tarik Skubal, the team decided to go out and make a splash, further bolstering their rotation by picking up the best free agent pitcher on the market. For three years and $115 million, Framber Valdez is no longer a Houston […]
From Athletics Nation | 28 days ago | 2 reads
Just when it looked like the offseason might be over, Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg came through with a huge move that vastly upgrades the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff, and gives them a strong second starter who can help lead the rotation beyond 2026. The Tigers inked long-time Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez to a […]
From Bless You Boys | 29 days ago | 4 reads
With pitchers and catchers set to report to Spring Training in just a couple of weeks, the Astros’ farm system continues to take shape. While the system has undergone significant changes in recent years due to promotions and trades, there remains intriguing talent throughout the organization. Here are three prospects who could be poised for […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 29 days ago | 3 reads
I believe Houston needs to move on from their CF. Astros fans, here I am again, the voice of reason. A few weeks ago, I floated the idea that it might be time to trade Jeremy Peña. Now I’m back with another uncomfortable but necessary conversation: the Houston Astros should seriously consider trading Jake Meyers […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 30 days ago | 5 reads
The deal now gives the Astros, or any new team, two years of cost certainty. Earlier today, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that the Houston Astros have come to a contract agreement with 3B Isaac Paredes on a 2-year, $22.7M deal. This deal having a second season with a club option (unless he finished Top […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 30 days ago | 4 reads
It’s only a motion away. Could there be an Astros and Framber Valdez reunion? Maybe the odds are better than we previously thought? Monday night on AREA 45 on Sportsradio 610, I posed the idea of the Astros getting back in on Framber Valdez with a short term, high AAV type deal with opt outs […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | 30 days ago | 2 reads
Every good analyst has to start with an acknowledgement of limitations. As much as we might want to rely on the numbers on the back of the baseball card, each season exists in its own universe. One of the axioms I always go by is that I don’t really start worrying or getting excited until […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | about 1 month ago | 6 reads
Joe Espada has been upfront about wanting to start the season with a six-man rotation. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows and Tatsuya Imai appear to have four of those spots locked up, but what about the other two? Here’s a list of contenders to watch with the start of spring training just a week […]
From The Crawfish Boxes | about 1 month ago | 5 reads