I agree. The Astros keep running out their relievers in the 2nd and 3rd innings. They are just delaying the inevitable implosion and need to win tonight. Sox are still playing with house money. Astros had higher expectations. They have already lost Springer, their core group may continue to shrink each subsequent offseason.
I guess? He'll be 28 with about 300 innings in his career at 4 fWAR. Houk had a higher fWAR this year than Valdez and he's younger with MORE years of control and a smaller BTV value.
None of them, that's why it's a best case scenario. Casas probably has the best chance to reach the projected ceiling. Of the 10, Jimenez has the worst chance.
Yes, I didn't just want to go through and do a what if. Abreu was a need. There were no 1b's ready in the pipeline and Napoli was going to be out sooner than later. Max was the clear cut best FA SP in those years and didn't come with some of the Price questions. Zobrist would have been a great, cheap plug and play guy.
Deals like Panda and Hanley just rarely work out. Panda wasn't a consistent producer and his weight forced him out of SF. Hanley was just not consistently healthy and he turned into a pumpkin at age 30. He was set to be a mega star at age 25, but it didn't turn out that way.
I don't think Baez is going to cost nearly as much as Semien. Theoretically, I think they could sign Baez and Schwarber and still have enough for Xander and Devers going forward. You would just be unable to get FA acquisitions at any other offensive position.
There were more, but it's debatable if any of them were better than Max.
Price
Greinke
Cueto
Zimmermann
Samarzija
Leake
Kazmir
Happ
Lackey
The real bargain was Rich Hill at 1/6. Sox should have just said "we'll give you a rotation spot."