Houston Astros: Final decisions revolve around two roster spots
By Kyle Cardoza
There won’t be too many position battles during Spring Training for the Houston Astros. However, barring injuries or additional signings, some players will fight for a few roster openings.
The majority of their MLB squad seems set. But the Houston Astros still have to decide who makes the final cut for essentially two roster spots.
Saturday’s trade for Gerrit Cole solidified the starting rotation. Combined, Houston’s starting top three have made nine career All-Star appearances. Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander are both Cy Young Award winners, and Cole is a respected top-rotation guy.
Starting Rotation
Dallas Keuchel
Justin Verlander
Gerrit Cole
Lance McCullers Jr.
Cole’s addition eliminates any chance of Brad Peacock and Colin McHugh in the rotation if everyone remains healthy. But that’s probably a good thing, as Peacock is one of the team’s more efficient pitchers. McHugh was solid as a starter but can prosper in a long-relief role – or get dealt.
One of the roster spots available is in the bullpen. Even though the front office brought in Hector Rondon and Joe Smith, it has lagged on signing – or acquiring – a left-handed reliever. Tony Sipp might earn the spot if he pitches well enough in Spring Training.
However, general manager Jeff Luhnow could sign someone by then, as there are plenty of arms on the market still.
Bullpen
Brad Peacock
Hector Rondon
Joe Smith
Colin McHugh
With the new additions to the bullpen, it seems that Francis Martes will be stretched out as a starter for the future. Keuchel and Morton will be free agents next season so that it could be a precautionary measure. Martes started and came out of the pen last season, but struggled overall.
There are also a number of guys that posted mediocre numbers during their time in the bigs. James Hoyt, despite a high strikeout rate, allows too many hits to be a reliable option in the pen. Jandel Gustave earned a look, but has been nothing more than a solid Triple-A starter.
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Also, the Astros boast a handful of left-handed relief pitchers. But only Sipp pitched regularly in the MLB over the past few seasons. The rest are inconsistent or inexperienced.
Thus, Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch will need to decide whether Sipp is dependable or not. If Houston can sign a well-known southpaw for the pen, it would make the team even more dangerous and limit matchup problems.
If there is one section of the field that is set in stone, it’s the infield. While the Astros possess a few guys capable of occupying a spot on big-league rosters, they aren’t valuable enough for Houston’s stacked lineup.
Colin Moran was one player on the verge of contributing for the major league club, but now he’s in Pittsburgh. Other infielders with experience in an Astros uniform – A.J. Reed, Tyler White, and J.D. Davis – will need to wait for another trade or injury to occur.
Infield
Marwin Gonzalez typically slides into the infield to give the starters some rest, something expected to continue this year. However, Gonzalez will likely be the primary left fielder, unless Derek Fisher – or someone else – impresses in Spring Training.
Sources linked Houston to Carlos Gonzalez, who could provide the outfield with an additional veteran. Several other seasoned players remained unsigned. Thus the team could take that route to fill the final roster spot.
Outfield
Marwin Gonzalez
As of now, Fisher presumably is the guy to earn it unless the Astros make another deal or sign someone. If Fisher scuffles in the bigs, Tony Kemp – maybe even Kyle Tucker – can log some innings in the outfield.
Fortunately for Houston, it is already the favorites to win the World Series, thanks to the exchange for Cole. But Luhnow seems poised to pull off at least another move or two in order to piece together potentially the best team in MLB history.
Even if the Astros don’t add anyone to the big-league roster from free agency, they still have several options in-house. Most importantly, the team doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and already possesses a set starting lineup.
Next: Does Houston need an extra outfielder?
Now the club looks to add depth as it determines who deserves the final two roster positions.