Houston Astros Dynasty: Started From The Bottom

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 03:09 AM

So basically this will be a log or journal sort of my dynasty with the Astros. Year 1 was already completed and here is a rundown of how it went:

The Houston Astros have had a number of good players in their past but have never been able to capture that elusive World Series title. The closest they ever came was in 2005 when they were swept by the Chicago White Sox. Until now.

In the 2016 MLB Season the Houston Astros started slow and at one point were 9 games below .500 and 4th in the division above only the Angels. They acquired Trevor Cahill and Drew Pomeranz from waivers. These 2 pieces helped out a struggling Astros pitching staff that really struggled for the first 2 months. Doug Fister was a complete failure and Mike Fiers struggled mightily.

2016 Draft Picks:
1: C Cooper Johnson
2: SP Tyler Baum
3: C Tres Barrea
4: Zach Attianese
5: RF Joseph Corrigan
6: RP Nick Hanson
7: SP Mike Compton
8: LF Cody Brown
9: SS Tyler Fitzgerald
10: 3B Austin Shenton

All draft picks were successfully signed.

International Free Agents:
SP Orlando Randi
SP Victor Arellanes - 1,250,000
SP Jose Cervantes - 200,000
C Mike Lozano - 250,000
SP Mario Valdes - 1,400,000

We spent just over our budget but should not have any major repercussions next year in International FA.

At the trade deadline we made these trades:

Cleveland IN: Tyler White
Houston IN: Abraham Almonte

Tampa Bay IN: Mat Duffy
Houston IN: Matt Moore

A.J. Reed was called up after Duffy and White were traded. It was basically Reed or bust.

Trevor Cahill was released early in August and Mike Fiers was sent down to AAA after acquiring Moore. Doug Fister stayed on the Major League roster simply because he had a higher WAR than Fiers, so he took the 5 spot in the pitching rotation.

I wanted to wait to call up Bregman until he had 150 AB's in AAA as he had dealt with injuries early in the season that slowed down his progression in the minors but he forced my hand he was batting near .400 in just over 100 AB's. I called him up to the Major League roster on August 1st and it was a good decision.

We ended up being 99-63 after a dominate August and September in which we pulled away and captured the division title. Jose Altuve won the AL Batting Title for the second time in his career.

End of Season Stats:

Starting Pitchers:
Dallas Keuchel (16-9) - 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP 6.3 WAR
Collin McHugh (19-6) - 3.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP 3.9 WAR
Matt Moore (4-2) - 2.96 ERA, 1.11 WHIP 0.8 WAR (Only his stats in HOU)
Lance McCullers (7-6) - 3.46 ERA, 1.23 WHIP 1.4 WAR
Mike Fiers (5-6) - 5.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP -0.4 WAR

Bullpen:
Drew Pomeranz - 4.64 ERA, 1.55 WHIP -0.4 WAR
Tony Sipp - 2.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP 0.0 WAR
Luke Gregerson - 4.46 ERA, 1.32 WHIP -0.5 WAR
Pat Neshek - 2.02 ERA, 0.94 WHIP 1.5 WAR
Josh Fields - 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP 0.6 WAR
Ken Giles - 3.26 ERA, 1.11 WHIP 1.0 WAR
Will Harris - 1.14 ERA, 0.77 WHIP 3.2 WAR

Batters:
Jose Altuve - .346/.444/.574 24 HR, 83 RBI, 42 SB 10.6 WAR
Carlos Correa - .323/.394/.561 28 HR, 109 RBI, 12 SB 7.7 WAR
George Springer - .265/.377/.526 41 HR, 124 RBI, 13 SB 6.9 WAR
Luis Valbuena - .244/.329/.417 24 HR, 76 RBI 2.5 WAR
Jake Marisnick - .288/.352/.404, 2 HR, 19 RBI 1.6 WAR
Carlos Gomez - .219/.282/.351 9 HR, 52 RBI 1.2 WAR
Evan Gattis - .223/.260/.377 17 HR, 72 RBI 1.0 WAR
Jason Castro - .242/.305/.376 5 HR, 19 RBI 0.8 WAR
A.J. Reed (45 GP) - .250/.335/.434 5 HR, 22 RBI 0.4 WAR
Alex Bregman (54 GP) - .260/.324/.350 2 HR, 18 RBI 0.2 WAR
Colby Rasmus - .205/.284/.378 22 HR, 64 RBI 0.2 WAR
Preston Tucker - .231/.297/.388 9 HR, 28 RBI 0.0 WAR
Marwin Gonzalez - .256/.288/.384 6 HR, 28 RBI -0.2 WAR
Jon Singleton - .215/.313/.404 14 HR, 45 RBI 0.4 WAR

Playoff Overview

AL Wildcard: Yankees (1) - Mariners (0)
NL Wildcard: Marlins (0) - Nationals (1)

AL Division: Astros (3) - Yankees (1)
AL Division: Blue Jays (3) - Tigers (0)

NL Division: Nationals (2) - Mets (3)
NL Division: Dodgers (3) - Cubs (1)

AL Championship: Astros (4) - Blue Jays (1)
NL Championship: Mets (4) - Dodgers (3)

World Series: Astros (4) - Mets (0)

The Houston Astros won their first ever championship in franchise history in a dominate sweep against the New York Mets. Dallas Keuchel won the series MVP

Dallas Keuchel World Series Stats:
Game 1 - 8.2 IP, 1 ER 10 K
Game 4 - 8.0 IP, 2 ER 8 K

That is it for this post few points though: I play GM mode only meaning I dont manage games I dont set lineups I will however force my Manager to play a top prospect if he has them warming the bench.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 03:19 AM

2017 Budget: 178,000,000

Pitching Coach Brent Strom has retired.

Astros Team Options:
Pat Neshek - Accepted - 6,500,000
Evan Gattis - Accepted - 5,200,000
Matt Moore - Accepted - 7,000,000

I was hesitant to take Gattis' option but I decided to he was a + WAR Catcher and he hit decent enough to bring him back for that price. Also we may not be able to retain Castro so we would need him then for sure.

Arbitration:
Mike Fiers - No Offer
Dallas Keuchel - 9,625,000
Collin McHugh - 5,775,000
Josh Fields - 1,600,000
Brad Peacock - No Offer
Drew Pomeranz - 1,400,000
Will Harris - 3,250,000
Marwin Gonzalez - 2,000,000
Jake Marisnick - 2,750,000
George Springer, 5,500,000

Free Agents:
Jason Castro - 3yr/16.05M (11M Guaranteed)
Scott Feldman - No Offer
Doug Fister - No Offer
Carlos Gomez - No Offer
Colby Rasmus - No Offer
Luis Valbuena - No Offer

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 03:34 AM

Houston Astros News & Rumors

The Astros have reportedly started preliminary talks with Ace, Dallas Keuchel for a contract extension.

The Astros have contacted Jose Altuve for a contract extension. Altuve is signed through the 2018 season which is a team option worth 6M. He is expected to make up to 30 million in 2019. Talks fell apart as it is expected Altuve may test free agent waters.

The Astros have been shopping around multiple prospects and major league players in search for a back of the rotation starter.

--------------------

This was something I thought may be cool with ideas I am exploring in my franchise. I also am going to focus on win now from here on out. I will start selling off some of my lower tier prospects really only holding onto the prospects that should be sure things. The Houston Astros will be starting their peak next year.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 03:38 AM

Trade Alert!

The Houston Astros have completed a deal with the Braves.

Houston In: Ender Inciatre, Cash

Atlanta In: Abraham Almonte

In other news Jason Castro has agreed on a contract to return to Houston, the contract is 2yr/11M with a 3rd year as a team option. The Astros have multiple Catcher prospects, including top prospect Cooper Johnson. It is likely that both Castro and Gattis are simply fillers until the prospects are ready for the show.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 03:45 AM

Astros Awards:

Reliever of the Year - Will Harris
Silver Slugger - Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa
Manager of the Year - A.J. Hinch
Cy Young - Will Harris
MVP - Jose Altuve

Great to see us getting some recognition, well a lot of recognition. I was honestly shocked when I saw Will Harris win Cy Young, I cant even believe that but hey he was one of if not THE best closer in the game last year.

Jose Altuve surprises me less than Harris he just had a dominant year, he has developed into a 5 tool player and I hope he sticks around for a long time.

George Springer was 3rd runner up for the MVP award which is just insane.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 03:50 AM

Arbitration Results:

Dallas Keuchel - 10,625,000 (Team Offered 9,625,000)
Jake Marisnick - 4,750,000 (2,750,000)
Josh Fields - 2,185,000 (1,600,000)
George Springer - 9,375,000 (5,500,000)
Collin McHugh - 6,875,000 (5,775,000)
Will Harris - 4,750,000 (3,250,000)
Drew Pomeranz - 1,400,000 (Player requested 1,875,000)
Marwin Gonzalez - 2,000,000 (Player requested 3,000,000)

TLDR: Rip Mr. Crane's bank account

Pitching Coach Greg Booker has agreed on a 3 year contract worth 660k

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 04:18 AM

Free Agency News

This has been an interesting free agency to say the least. David Ortiz, Big Papi.... will be wearing a Yankee's uniform for the 2017 season. He signed a 1 year deal worth 9.7M

Anyways! Onto Astros news. Carlos Gomez signed with the Yankees on a 4yr/35.2M deal. The owner wanted me to resign Gomez but I couldnt he had a terrible year last year and he had to go. I acquired his replacement in that trade I posted a few posts ago.

We have made our big splash of free agency though. Brandon Moss has been signed to a 3 year deal worth 43.9M, Moss could earn up to 44.5M with bonuses.

The 3rd year however is a team option worth 14.75M the buyout for it is 2.18M. It is expected that the team option will be declined as this will be the Winter when Altuve hits free agency. Not to mention Moss will be 35.

Moss is likely just a temporary fix as we have no prospects ready to play Left Field from Day 1.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 04:35 AM

Trade Alert!

Houston In: Daniel Rincon, Robbie Ross

Boston In: Jon Singleton, Ronny Rafael, Mike Hauschild

We were looking for our back of the rotation guy and we got him. Make even more to be honest. Also Rincon looks to be a very solid Left Field prospect he is only 17 so it will be a long time but I am happy with acquiring him.

I looked to sign a pitcher in free agency but I just couldn't find anyone I was happy with for the right price so I ended up going this route. Ross is on contract through the 2020 season on a very team friendly deal.

The Houston Astros have picked RHP Jacob Rhame with their pick in the Rule 5 draft.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 05:04 AM

Hall of Fame Voting Results

Manny Ramirez 98.1% of Votes (1st Year) Inducted into HOF
Jeff Bagwell 86.1% of Votes (7th Year) Inducted into HOF

Tim Raines Dropped
Javier Vazquez Dropped
Jorge Posada Dropped
Edgar Renteria Dropped
Jeff Fassero Dropped
Derrek Lee Dropped
Tim Wakefield Dropped
Ramon Martinez Dropped
Delino DeShields Dropped

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 05:22 AM

REPORT: Jose Altuve has opened negotiations with the Astros for a contract extension. Dont expect news anytime soon but both sides are in talks.

The real question is, will Jim Crane spend what it takes to retain the star power in Houston. The Big 3 of Altuve, Correa, and Springer. They could all potentially earn 30M+ when their current contracts are up.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 07:30 AM

Trade Alert!

Houston In: Tanner Scott
Baltimore In: Preston Tucker

Spring cleaning is done as I have finished dumping old/bad prospects. Spring training starts in a few days and we will be calling up a number of potential top prospects to try to prove their worth.

Prospects:
Tony Kemp
Max Stassi
Jandel Gustave
Colin Moran
Andrew Aplin
Derek Fisher
Tyler Heineman
Teoscar Hernandez
James Hoyt
Jordan Jankowski

Now Kemp could force his way into our future plans and I will explain why.

Let me preface this with saying I am a huge Astros fan and Jose Altuve is my favorite player since Craig Biggio. But for the purpose of this game and dynasty I am trying to look at this from the perspective of a GM and my feeling I will try to suppress and I will make decisions best for the organization.

I have started "talking" with Altuve about a potential contract extension and he is willing to take a pay cut to allow us future flexibility and he isnt demanding a 10 year contract, I have talked about a 6 year contract going from 2019-2025 worth around 165M which is a bargain for a player of his caliber. BUT as I have mentioned earlier I have a lot of guys that are going to want big contracts that may not be as loyal. I also dont want to turn Altuve into Dwyane Wade.

So if Kemp turns out to be a viable option for the future he could very well be the 2nd basemen of the future. I am simply keeping my options open and this spring training and season as a whole will be huge for Kemp's future with the Astros. I want to hammer out an extension with Altuve this year if I am to keep him.

His value likely can only go up at this point he is 26 years old (Going on 27 this year) so he wont be declining any time soon. He is coming off of an MVP season and I like his odds to repeat. But we will see.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 07:30 AM

Trade Alert!

Houston In: Tanner Scott
Baltimore In: Preston Tucker

Spring cleaning is done as I have finished dumping old/bad prospects. Spring training starts in a few days and we will be calling up a number of potential top prospects to try to prove their worth.

Prospects:
Tony Kemp
Max Stassi
Jandel Gustave
Colin Moran
Andrew Aplin
Derek Fisher
Tyler Heineman
Teoscar Hernandez
James Hoyt
Jordan Jankowski

Now Kemp could force his way into our future plans and I will explain why.

Let me preface this with saying I am a huge Astros fan and Jose Altuve is my favorite player since Craig Biggio. But for the purpose of this game and dynasty I am trying to look at this from the perspective of a GM and my feeling I will try to suppress and I will make decisions best for the organization.

I have started "talking" with Altuve about a potential contract extension and he is willing to take a pay cut to allow us future flexibility and he isnt demanding a 10 year contract, I have talked about a 6 year contract going from 2019-2025 worth around 165M which is a bargain for a player of his caliber. BUT as I have mentioned earlier I have a lot of guys that are going to want big contracts that may not be as loyal. I also dont want to turn Altuve into Dwyane Wade.

So if Kemp turns out to be a viable option for the future he could very well be the 2nd basemen of the future. I am simply keeping my options open and this spring training and season as a whole will be huge for Kemp's future with the Astros. I want to hammer out an extension with Altuve this year if I am to keep him.

His value likely can only go up at this point he is 26 years old (Going on 27 this year) so he wont be declining any time soon. He is coming off of an MVP season and I like his odds to repeat. But we will see.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 07:59 AM

Opening Day Roster:

Starting Rotation:
Dallas Keuchel
Collin McHugh
Lance McCullers
Matt Moore
Jandel Gustave

Bullpen:
Jordan Jankowski
Tony Sipp
Jacob Rhame
Pat Neshek
Josh Fields
Ken Giles
Will Harris

Starting Lineup:
Jose Altuve
Evan Gattis
Carlos Correa
George Springer
Brandon Moss
Alex Bregman
A.J. Reed
Jon Kemmer
Ender Inciarte

Bench:
Jason Castro
Tony Kemp
Marwin Gonzalez
Derek Fisher

Astros Top Prospects (Via Top 100)
Francis Martes (8)
Daz Cameron (14)
Jandel Gustave (54)

Our Minor League system is ranked 5th in the league, so we clearly still have a LOT of talent to play with.

Astros Top Prospects (In Organization):
Francis Martes
Daz Cameron
Jandel Gustave
Tony Kemp
David Paulino
Tres Barrera
Cy Sneed
Derek Fisher
Kyle Tucker

Also it is relevant to say that we we're second in the league in WAR gained last off season behind only the Giants.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 08:03 AM

Mike Dunn signed. The left handed reliever had been in talks with the Astros organization for the past month as they were seeking a new lefty in the bullpen.

He has agreed to a 1 year contract worth 7.5M. Jordan Jankowski has been demoted to AAA for the time being.

Also our first matchup of the season was against the Texas Rangers in Texas we won 2 out of 3.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 09:27 AM

It is now June 1st and the Astros are 32-14, a very solid record but we only have a 3.5 game lead over the Angels and a 8 game lead on the Rangers. We started red hot with a 15-3 record in April.

Luke Gregerson was released, he was bad last year and he was bad this year so I released him, I tried to find a trade but the only trades I could find was other struggling veterans and overpayed players, so he was released. Pat Neshek is on the brink of being released as well. I almost considered giving Neshek an extension but decided it was best to wait until after the season, glad I waited.

Brandon Moss was batting near .300 for the first month and a half or so of the season but since is now batting .192.

Tony Kemp has bounced around between AAA and MLB and is playing average in his limited playing time. I am thinking I will give him the rest of the year and then make a decision. If I extend Altuve I will look to trade Kemp.

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 09:59 AM

Trade Alert!

Houston In: Steve Geltz

Tampa Bay: Pat Neshek

Draft Picks:
1: LF Clay Casey
2: 2B Mikey Diekroeger
3: SP Daniel Gooden
4: RF Dylan Busby
5: 3B Sean Bouchard
6: SP Hansen Butler
7: RP Cole Whitman
8: SS Brandon Chinea
9: RF Kort Peterson
10: RF JeVon Ward

This was a very weak draft class with only 1 real pitching prospect, I tried to be greedy and missed out on that pitching prospect so I just decided to go with best player available the rest of the way while trying to target relievers.

Unsigned:
3rd Round - SP Daniel Gooden
11th Round - RP John Larocca

International Free Agents:
SP Rodolfo de la Cruz - 2,500,000
SP Carlos Carranza - 1,500,000

I exceded the International FA cap by 1 mil I dont know 100% what the penalties are but after acquiring these guys I have solid prospects at every position so I will probably only sign 1 or 2 minor guys next year.

Trade:

Houston In: Yimi Garcia

Los Angeles In: Jacob Rhame

scooterperpetual · 07-11-2016, 10:28 AM

It is the All-Star break and the Astros sit at 58-31 with a 5 game lead on the Angels.

Astros All-Stars

Dallas Keuchel
Will Harris
Jose Altuve
Carlos Correa
George Springer

Team Rankings:
Runs Scored - 1st
Batting Avg - 2nd
OBS - 1st
Home Runs - 1st
Stolen Bases - 1st
Runs Against - 7th
Starter ERA - 1st
Bullpen ERA - 13th
Defensive Eff - 2nd

Coming into this season our bullpen looked stacked, not so much. I am going to look to bolster it at the deadline.

07-11-2016, 03:09 AM	#1
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Houston Astros Dynasty: Started From The Bottom So basically this will be a log or journal sort of my dynasty with the Astros. Year 1 was already completed and here is a rundown of how it went: The Houston Astros have had a number of good players in their past but have never been able to capture that elusive World Series title. The closest they ever came was in 2005 when they were swept by the Chicago White Sox. Until now. In the 2016 MLB Season the Houston Astros started slow and at one point were 9 games below .500 and 4th in the division above only the Angels. They acquired Trevor Cahill and Drew Pomeranz from waivers. These 2 pieces helped out a struggling Astros pitching staff that really struggled for the first 2 months. Doug Fister was a complete failure and Mike Fiers struggled mightily. 2016 Draft Picks: 1: C Cooper Johnson 2: SP Tyler Baum 3: C Tres Barrea 4: Zach Attianese 5: RF Joseph Corrigan 6: RP Nick Hanson 7: SP Mike Compton 8: LF Cody Brown 9: SS Tyler Fitzgerald 10: 3B Austin Shenton All draft picks were successfully signed. International Free Agents: SP Orlando Randi SP Victor Arellanes - 1,250,000 SP Jose Cervantes - 200,000 C Mike Lozano - 250,000 SP Mario Valdes - 1,400,000 We spent just over our budget but should not have any major repercussions next year in International FA. At the trade deadline we made these trades: Cleveland IN: Tyler White Houston IN: Abraham Almonte Tampa Bay IN: Mat Duffy Houston IN: Matt Moore A.J. Reed was called up after Duffy and White were traded. It was basically Reed or bust. Trevor Cahill was released early in August and Mike Fiers was sent down to AAA after acquiring Moore. Doug Fister stayed on the Major League roster simply because he had a higher WAR than Fiers, so he took the 5 spot in the pitching rotation. I wanted to wait to call up Bregman until he had 150 AB's in AAA as he had dealt with injuries early in the season that slowed down his progression in the minors but he forced my hand he was batting near .400 in just over 100 AB's. I called him up to the Major League roster on August 1st and it was a good decision. We ended up being 99-63 after a dominate August and September in which we pulled away and captured the division title. Jose Altuve won the AL Batting Title for the second time in his career. End of Season Stats: Starting Pitchers: Dallas Keuchel (16-9) - 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP 6.3 WAR Collin McHugh (19-6) - 3.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP 3.9 WAR Matt Moore (4-2) - 2.96 ERA, 1.11 WHIP 0.8 WAR (Only his stats in HOU) Lance McCullers (7-6) - 3.46 ERA, 1.23 WHIP 1.4 WAR Mike Fiers (5-6) - 5.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP -0.4 WAR Bullpen: Drew Pomeranz - 4.64 ERA, 1.55 WHIP -0.4 WAR Tony Sipp - 2.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP 0.0 WAR Luke Gregerson - 4.46 ERA, 1.32 WHIP -0.5 WAR Pat Neshek - 2.02 ERA, 0.94 WHIP 1.5 WAR Josh Fields - 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP 0.6 WAR Ken Giles - 3.26 ERA, 1.11 WHIP 1.0 WAR Will Harris - 1.14 ERA, 0.77 WHIP 3.2 WAR Batters: Jose Altuve - .346/.444/.574 24 HR, 83 RBI, 42 SB 10.6 WAR Carlos Correa - .323/.394/.561 28 HR, 109 RBI, 12 SB 7.7 WAR George Springer - .265/.377/.526 41 HR, 124 RBI, 13 SB 6.9 WAR Luis Valbuena - .244/.329/.417 24 HR, 76 RBI 2.5 WAR Jake Marisnick - .288/.352/.404, 2 HR, 19 RBI 1.6 WAR Carlos Gomez - .219/.282/.351 9 HR, 52 RBI 1.2 WAR Evan Gattis - .223/.260/.377 17 HR, 72 RBI 1.0 WAR Jason Castro - .242/.305/.376 5 HR, 19 RBI 0.8 WAR A.J. Reed (45 GP) - .250/.335/.434 5 HR, 22 RBI 0.4 WAR Alex Bregman (54 GP) - .260/.324/.350 2 HR, 18 RBI 0.2 WAR Colby Rasmus - .205/.284/.378 22 HR, 64 RBI 0.2 WAR Preston Tucker - .231/.297/.388 9 HR, 28 RBI 0.0 WAR Marwin Gonzalez - .256/.288/.384 6 HR, 28 RBI -0.2 WAR Jon Singleton - .215/.313/.404 14 HR, 45 RBI 0.4 WAR Playoff Overview AL Wildcard: Yankees (1) - Mariners (0) NL Wildcard: Marlins (0) - Nationals (1) AL Division: Astros (3) - Yankees (1) AL Division: Blue Jays (3) - Tigers (0) NL Division: Nationals (2) - Mets (3) NL Division: Dodgers (3) - Cubs (1) AL Championship: Astros (4) - Blue Jays (1) NL Championship: Mets (4) - Dodgers (3) World Series: Astros (4) - Mets (0) The Houston Astros won their first ever championship in franchise history in a dominate sweep against the New York Mets. Dallas Keuchel won the series MVP Dallas Keuchel World Series Stats: Game 1 - 8.2 IP, 1 ER 10 K Game 4 - 8.0 IP, 2 ER 8 K That is it for this post few points though: I play GM mode only meaning I dont manage games I dont set lineups I will however force my Manager to play a top prospect if he has them warming the bench.

07-11-2016, 03:38 AM	#4
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Trade Alert! The Houston Astros have completed a deal with the Braves. Houston In: Ender Inciatre, Cash Atlanta In: Abraham Almonte In other news Jason Castro has agreed on a contract to return to Houston, the contract is 2yr/11M with a 3rd year as a team option. The Astros have multiple Catcher prospects, including top prospect Cooper Johnson. It is likely that both Castro and Gattis are simply fillers until the prospects are ready for the show. Last edited by scooterperpetual; 07-11-2016 at 03:41 AM.

07-11-2016, 03:45 AM	#5
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Astros Awards: Reliever of the Year - Will Harris Silver Slugger - Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa Manager of the Year - A.J. Hinch Cy Young - Will Harris MVP - Jose Altuve Great to see us getting some recognition, well a lot of recognition. I was honestly shocked when I saw Will Harris win Cy Young, I cant even believe that but hey he was one of if not THE best closer in the game last year. Jose Altuve surprises me less than Harris he just had a dominant year, he has developed into a 5 tool player and I hope he sticks around for a long time. George Springer was 3rd runner up for the MVP award which is just insane. Last edited by scooterperpetual; 07-11-2016 at 03:46 AM.

07-11-2016, 03:50 AM	#6
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Arbitration Results: Dallas Keuchel - 10,625,000 (Team Offered 9,625,000) Jake Marisnick - 4,750,000 (2,750,000) Josh Fields - 2,185,000 (1,600,000) George Springer - 9,375,000 (5,500,000) Collin McHugh - 6,875,000 (5,775,000) Will Harris - 4,750,000 (3,250,000) Drew Pomeranz - 1,400,000 (Player requested 1,875,000) Marwin Gonzalez - 2,000,000 (Player requested 3,000,000) TLDR: Rip Mr. Crane's bank account Pitching Coach Greg Booker has agreed on a 3 year contract worth 660k Last edited by scooterperpetual; 07-11-2016 at 04:09 AM.

07-11-2016, 04:35 AM	#8
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Trade Alert! Houston In: Daniel Rincon, Robbie Ross Boston In: Jon Singleton, Ronny Rafael, Mike Hauschild We were looking for our back of the rotation guy and we got him. Make even more to be honest. Also Rincon looks to be a very solid Left Field prospect he is only 17 so it will be a long time but I am happy with acquiring him. I looked to sign a pitcher in free agency but I just couldn't find anyone I was happy with for the right price so I ended up going this route. Ross is on contract through the 2020 season on a very team friendly deal. The Houston Astros have picked RHP Jacob Rhame with their pick in the Rule 5 draft. Last edited by scooterperpetual; 07-11-2016 at 04:55 AM.

07-11-2016, 03:19 AM	#2
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	2017 Budget: 178,000,000 Pitching Coach Brent Strom has retired. Astros Team Options: Pat Neshek - Accepted - 6,500,000 Evan Gattis - Accepted - 5,200,000 Matt Moore - Accepted - 7,000,000 I was hesitant to take Gattis' option but I decided to he was a + WAR Catcher and he hit decent enough to bring him back for that price. Also we may not be able to retain Castro so we would need him then for sure. Arbitration: Mike Fiers - No Offer Dallas Keuchel - 9,625,000 Collin McHugh - 5,775,000 Josh Fields - 1,600,000 Brad Peacock - No Offer Drew Pomeranz - 1,400,000 Will Harris - 3,250,000 Marwin Gonzalez - 2,000,000 Jake Marisnick - 2,750,000 George Springer, 5,500,000 Free Agents: Jason Castro - 3yr/16.05M (11M Guaranteed) Scott Feldman - No Offer Doug Fister - No Offer Carlos Gomez - No Offer Colby Rasmus - No Offer Luis Valbuena - No Offer

07-11-2016, 03:34 AM	#3
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Houston Astros News & Rumors The Astros have reportedly started preliminary talks with Ace, Dallas Keuchel for a contract extension. The Astros have contacted Jose Altuve for a contract extension. Altuve is signed through the 2018 season which is a team option worth 6M. He is expected to make up to 30 million in 2019. Talks fell apart as it is expected Altuve may test free agent waters. The Astros have been shopping around multiple prospects and major league players in search for a back of the rotation starter. -------------------- This was something I thought may be cool with ideas I am exploring in my franchise. I also am going to focus on win now from here on out. I will start selling off some of my lower tier prospects really only holding onto the prospects that should be sure things. The Houston Astros will be starting their peak next year.

07-11-2016, 04:18 AM	#7
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Free Agency News This has been an interesting free agency to say the least. David Ortiz, Big Papi.... will be wearing a Yankee's uniform for the 2017 season. He signed a 1 year deal worth 9.7M Anyways! Onto Astros news. Carlos Gomez signed with the Yankees on a 4yr/35.2M deal. The owner wanted me to resign Gomez but I couldnt he had a terrible year last year and he had to go. I acquired his replacement in that trade I posted a few posts ago. We have made our big splash of free agency though. Brandon Moss has been signed to a 3 year deal worth 43.9M, Moss could earn up to 44.5M with bonuses. The 3rd year however is a team option worth 14.75M the buyout for it is 2.18M. It is expected that the team option will be declined as this will be the Winter when Altuve hits free agency. Not to mention Moss will be 35. Moss is likely just a temporary fix as we have no prospects ready to play Left Field from Day 1.

07-11-2016, 05:04 AM	#9
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Hall of Fame Voting Results Manny Ramirez 98.1% of Votes (1st Year) Inducted into HOF Jeff Bagwell 86.1% of Votes (7th Year) Inducted into HOF Tim Raines Dropped Javier Vazquez Dropped Jorge Posada Dropped Edgar Renteria Dropped Jeff Fassero Dropped Derrek Lee Dropped Tim Wakefield Dropped Ramon Martinez Dropped Delino DeShields Dropped

07-11-2016, 05:22 AM	#10
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	REPORT: Jose Altuve has opened negotiations with the Astros for a contract extension. Dont expect news anytime soon but both sides are in talks. The real question is, will Jim Crane spend what it takes to retain the star power in Houston. The Big 3 of Altuve, Correa, and Springer. They could all potentially earn 30M+ when their current contracts are up.

07-11-2016, 07:30 AM	#11
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Trade Alert! Houston In: Tanner Scott Baltimore In: Preston Tucker Spring cleaning is done as I have finished dumping old/bad prospects. Spring training starts in a few days and we will be calling up a number of potential top prospects to try to prove their worth. Prospects: Tony Kemp Max Stassi Jandel Gustave Colin Moran Andrew Aplin Derek Fisher Tyler Heineman Teoscar Hernandez James Hoyt Jordan Jankowski Now Kemp could force his way into our future plans and I will explain why. Let me preface this with saying I am a huge Astros fan and Jose Altuve is my favorite player since Craig Biggio. But for the purpose of this game and dynasty I am trying to look at this from the perspective of a GM and my feeling I will try to suppress and I will make decisions best for the organization. I have started "talking" with Altuve about a potential contract extension and he is willing to take a pay cut to allow us future flexibility and he isnt demanding a 10 year contract, I have talked about a 6 year contract going from 2019-2025 worth around 165M which is a bargain for a player of his caliber. BUT as I have mentioned earlier I have a lot of guys that are going to want big contracts that may not be as loyal. I also dont want to turn Altuve into Dwyane Wade. So if Kemp turns out to be a viable option for the future he could very well be the 2nd basemen of the future. I am simply keeping my options open and this spring training and season as a whole will be huge for Kemp's future with the Astros. I want to hammer out an extension with Altuve this year if I am to keep him. His value likely can only go up at this point he is 26 years old (Going on 27 this year) so he wont be declining any time soon. He is coming off of an MVP season and I like his odds to repeat. But we will see.

07-11-2016, 07:59 AM	#13
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Opening Day Roster: Starting Rotation: Dallas Keuchel Collin McHugh Lance McCullers Matt Moore Jandel Gustave Bullpen: Jordan Jankowski Tony Sipp Jacob Rhame Pat Neshek Josh Fields Ken Giles Will Harris Starting Lineup: Jose Altuve Evan Gattis Carlos Correa George Springer Brandon Moss Alex Bregman A.J. Reed Jon Kemmer Ender Inciarte Bench: Jason Castro Tony Kemp Marwin Gonzalez Derek Fisher Astros Top Prospects (Via Top 100) Francis Martes (8) Daz Cameron (14) Jandel Gustave (54) Our Minor League system is ranked 5th in the league, so we clearly still have a LOT of talent to play with. Astros Top Prospects (In Organization): Francis Martes Daz Cameron Jandel Gustave Tony Kemp David Paulino Tres Barrera Cy Sneed Derek Fisher Kyle Tucker Also it is relevant to say that we we're second in the league in WAR gained last off season behind only the Giants. Last edited by scooterperpetual; 07-11-2016 at 08:00 AM.

07-11-2016, 08:03 AM	#14
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Mike Dunn signed. The left handed reliever had been in talks with the Astros organization for the past month as they were seeking a new lefty in the bullpen. He has agreed to a 1 year contract worth 7.5M. Jordan Jankowski has been demoted to AAA for the time being. Also our first matchup of the season was against the Texas Rangers in Texas we won 2 out of 3.

07-11-2016, 09:27 AM	#15
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	It is now June 1st and the Astros are 32-14, a very solid record but we only have a 3.5 game lead over the Angels and a 8 game lead on the Rangers. We started red hot with a 15-3 record in April. Luke Gregerson was released, he was bad last year and he was bad this year so I released him, I tried to find a trade but the only trades I could find was other struggling veterans and overpayed players, so he was released. Pat Neshek is on the brink of being released as well. I almost considered giving Neshek an extension but decided it was best to wait until after the season, glad I waited. Brandon Moss was batting near .300 for the first month and a half or so of the season but since is now batting .192. Tony Kemp has bounced around between AAA and MLB and is playing average in his limited playing time. I am thinking I will give him the rest of the year and then make a decision. If I extend Altuve I will look to trade Kemp.

07-11-2016, 09:59 AM	#16
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	Trade Alert! Houston In: Steve Geltz Tampa Bay: Pat Neshek Draft Picks: 1: LF Clay Casey 2: 2B Mikey Diekroeger 3: SP Daniel Gooden 4: RF Dylan Busby 5: 3B Sean Bouchard 6: SP Hansen Butler 7: RP Cole Whitman 8: SS Brandon Chinea 9: RF Kort Peterson 10: RF JeVon Ward This was a very weak draft class with only 1 real pitching prospect, I tried to be greedy and missed out on that pitching prospect so I just decided to go with best player available the rest of the way while trying to target relievers. Unsigned: 3rd Round - SP Daniel Gooden 11th Round - RP John Larocca International Free Agents: SP Rodolfo de la Cruz - 2,500,000 SP Carlos Carranza - 1,500,000 I exceded the International FA cap by 1 mil I dont know 100% what the penalties are but after acquiring these guys I have solid prospects at every position so I will probably only sign 1 or 2 minor guys next year. Trade: Houston In: Yimi Garcia Los Angeles In: Jacob Rhame Last edited by scooterperpetual; 07-11-2016 at 10:11 AM.

07-11-2016, 10:28 AM	#17
scooterperpetual Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 20	It is the All-Star break and the Astros sit at 58-31 with a 5 game lead on the Angels. Astros All-Stars Dallas Keuchel Will Harris Jose Altuve Carlos Correa George Springer Team Rankings: Runs Scored - 1st Batting Avg - 2nd OBS - 1st Home Runs - 1st Stolen Bases - 1st Runs Against - 7th Starter ERA - 1st Bullpen ERA - 13th Defensive Eff - 2nd Coming into this season our bullpen looked stacked, not so much. I am going to look to bolster it at the deadline.