***** Official Houston Astros 2026 Season Thread *****

539,198 Views | 8969 Replies | Last: 16 min ago by SpaceCityAg05
Ag_07
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AG
I don't think you want to fire your GM midseason and leave the ship rudderless for the deadline and draft. He has no contract for next year so you can let him finish out the year and not have to fire him.

Crane likes to let contracts run out and let them walk.

I don't think you want to fire Joe midseason and replace him with an interim only to replace the interim when the new GM gets in place.

So my thinking is this season is toast and a new GM and /or manager is likely not gonna turn this around so nothing happens until the season is over.
Farmer1906
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AG
I am not sure you let Dana handle the deadline and draft. I think that's the point of letting him go midseason.
AustinCountyAg
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Ag_07 said:

I don't think you want to fire your GM midseason and leave the ship rudderless for the deadline and draft. He has no contract for next year so you can let him finish out the year and not have to fire him.

Crane likes to let contracts run out and let them walk.

I don't think you want to fire Joe midseason and replace him with an interim only to replace the interim when the new GM gets in place.

So my thinking is this season is toast and a new GM and /or manager is likely not gonna turn this around so nothing happens until the season is over.

no. You fire Dana now and let one if the assistant GM's handle the ship, or if you are already eyeing his replacement you get that going. You fire Joe and let Lopez manage the rest of the year, and then after the season is done the new GM hires who he wants.
Wabs
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The one good thing about the Dodgers doing well is you don't have to hear them cry like little *****es about the 2017 World Series. They still do but not as much.
CharleyKerfeld
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ASTROS BINGO UPDATE 5-5-26

Well I was going to say that Yainer Diaz's injury is really going to damage the jackpot on the Doom & Gloom contest, but is it really? He has 2 homers in 35 games, is he going to miss out on a lot being hurt for 2 weeks?

Instead of a much of stat updates, here are some Bingo-adjacent questions rolling through my head today.

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.

What do we do if Imai gets pounded again in the minors tonight? We once returned a Toyota that was a lemon after a couple of weeks and got our money back. I hope the Astros are going to use the same policy if necessary on their Japanese import.

Shouldn't Zach Cole immediately start playing every day? He has now played 16 MLB games and has 5 HR and 3 SB. That's an extremely small sample size, but it's still the equivalent of 51 HR and 31 SB over a season. I know Dana Brown is Brice Matthews not-so-secret admirer, but until proven otherwise or until Jake and Joey Baseball return from the morgue, get that guy out there.

How Bad is the Cubs' buyers remorse right now? Bregman has played every game and is on pace for 14 HR and 56 RBI and his OPS has dropped under .700.

Have you had your daily GOAT celebration today? Sure, Altuve is on pace to make like 700 fielding errors, but literally every time he plays he is scaling the unassailable heights of baseball's all-time greats.

  • Offensive WAR for position players: Currently 83rd all time at 63.4 after passing Bernie Williams (62.3). Next up is Willie Stargell at 64.2, Biggio is 48th at 76.2 and Bagwell is 51st at 74.7. Only 18 players are above 100 for their careers.
  • Games Played: 248th all-time with 2,009.
  • Runs scored: Moved up to 149th on Sunday with 1,258. Now tied with Bobby Bonds. One behind Duke
  • Snider.
  • Hits: Up to 2,420 with one yesterday. Next three on his list are Kenny Lofton, Mark Grace, and Dwight Evans. When he gets to 2,500, he'll be up to 102nd all time.
  • Total Bases: Up to 135th with 3,722. Five behind Omar Vizquel, just passed Edgar Martinez.
MaxPower
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AustinCountyAg said:

Ag_07 said:

I don't think you want to fire your GM midseason and leave the ship rudderless for the deadline and draft. He has no contract for next year so you can let him finish out the year and not have to fire him.

Crane likes to let contracts run out and let them walk.

I don't think you want to fire Joe midseason and replace him with an interim only to replace the interim when the new GM gets in place.

So my thinking is this season is toast and a new GM and /or manager is likely not gonna turn this around so nothing happens until the season is over.

no. You fire Dana now and let one if the assistant GM's handle the ship, or if you are already eyeing his replacement you get that going. You fire Joe and let Lopez manage the rest of the year, and then after the season is done the new GM hires who he wants.
Maybe, if you trust one of the assistant GMs. Do you want a rookie GM who apparently isn't coveted by other orgs to run the draft and potentially the biggest overhaul in recent history? There are no good options but I lean towards letting Dana run things and trusting his professionalism. An assistant GM could just as easily check out without upside of actually having experience.

I fear all of this is irrelevant. Dana or whoever can work out all the trades they want to move Pena or whoever but Crane probably just vetoes them anyway and we are stuck with the same team next year, just a year older.
Mathguy64
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AG
I'm curious. Do all the traveling homesick Dodgers fans boo Altuve at MMP like they do in Chavez Ravine?

And surely they boo Tucker and Betts. I mean they are the smartest, wisest most baseball IQiest fans ever.
linkdude
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AG
One thing Chandler noted on a recent pod is that by this point almost all the 2026 draft prep has already been done. I don't know how many fingerprints Dana will have on the draft. The trade deadline is a much different story if he's fighting to keep his job. Although Crane has typically been the final say-so on big trades, so I don't know what will really change if a move is made at the top.
AustinCountyAg
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MaxPower said:

AustinCountyAg said:

Ag_07 said:

I don't think you want to fire your GM midseason and leave the ship rudderless for the deadline and draft. He has no contract for next year so you can let him finish out the year and not have to fire him.

Crane likes to let contracts run out and let them walk.

I don't think you want to fire Joe midseason and replace him with an interim only to replace the interim when the new GM gets in place.

So my thinking is this season is toast and a new GM and /or manager is likely not gonna turn this around so nothing happens until the season is over.

no. You fire Dana now and let one if the assistant GM's handle the ship, or if you are already eyeing his replacement you get that going. You fire Joe and let Lopez manage the rest of the year, and then after the season is done the new GM hires who he wants.

Maybe, if you trust one of the assistant GMs. Do you want a rookie GM who apparently isn't coveted by other orgs to run the draft and potentially the biggest overhaul in recent history? There are no good options but I lean towards letting Dana run things and trusting his professionalism. An assistant GM could just as easily check out without upside of actually having experience.

I fear all of this is irrelevant. Dana or whoever can work out all the trades they want to move Pena or whoever but Crane probably just vetoes them anyway and we are stuck with the same team next year, just a year older.

none of us are in the meetings, but if there is someone in the front office who doesn't just ride Dana's coat tail and Crane has confidence in him to hand the duties I dont care and say let him go. At this point it wouldn't hurt a damn thing.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"
MaxPower
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linkdude said:

One thing Chandler noted on a recent pod is that by this point almost all the 2026 draft prep has already been done. I don't know how many fingerprints Dana will have on the draft. The trade deadline is a much different story if he's fighting to keep his job. Although Crane has typically been the final say-so on big trades, so I don't know what will really change if a move is made at the top.
I hope Chandler is wrong because a lot can happen in the next 2 months, especially in college ball. To have your draft prep done while guys are still playing for 2 months is idiotic and speaks the broader organizational issues.
CharleyKerfeld
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Have you sent out the pool party invites yet?
linkdude
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AG
I mean in the general sense your prep should be over the last two to three years plus the current spring. You probably shouldn't swing your projections a ton over a half-season of college data.
Farmer1906
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linkdude said:

I mean in the general sense your prep should be over the last two to three years plus the current spring. You probably shouldn't swing your projections a ton over a half-season of college data.

Yes and no. Look at Jace. Most people had him going top 5 overall, several at #1. In his JR year, his SLG dropped 130 points and ended up barely making the first round.

It's not like someone is going to go from barely on the board to top 10 pick. More like guys moving from round 4 to round 2 type moves.

Or scouting the last 3 years, we've targeted this player in round 5. However, everyone else has caught on, he's likely to go round 3 with 100K more signing bonus needed.
texasaggie2015
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linkdude said:

One thing Chandler noted on a recent pod is that by this point almost all the 2026 draft prep has already been done. I don't know how many fingerprints Dana will have on the draft. The trade deadline is a much different story if he's fighting to keep his job. Although Crane has typically been the final say-so on big trades, so I don't know what will really change if a move is made at the top.

Just FYI - this is the norm for just about every organization.

That doesn't mean they aren't watching and taking notes and making adjustments as needed, but their big board is just about complete and the vast majority of their homework is done.
agproducer
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AG
Another one.

texasaggie2015
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I feel bad for Chris. So much talent but injuries got the best of him. I know he's worked his tail off to get to where he is. Really good dude too.
Wabs
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AG
Fire Dana and let AI pick the players in the draft
agproducer
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AG
texasaggie2015 said:

I feel bad for Chris. So much talent but injuries got the best of him. I know he's worked his tail off to get to where he is. Really good dude too.

That is unfortunate. Someone has to pick him up. Bring him to the Astros.

A simple search shows a few veterans are available, and they could eat innings better than some of the guys the Astros have on staff right now.

Paddack -- though he is off to a terrible start -- has a decent track record.

Tyler Anderson is still available. Jorge Lopez is also available.

There are also some average RPs available -- including Kopech, Graveman and Chad Green. One of those signings would be like Kimbrel -- to eat BP innings with a veteran.

I'm not sure why Dana is not trying any band-aids he can find to see if any stick.
MaxPower
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texasaggie2015 said:

linkdude said:

One thing Chandler noted on a recent pod is that by this point almost all the 2026 draft prep has already been done. I don't know how many fingerprints Dana will have on the draft. The trade deadline is a much different story if he's fighting to keep his job. Although Crane has typically been the final say-so on big trades, so I don't know what will really change if a move is made at the top.

Just FYI - this is the norm for just about every organization.

That doesn't mean they aren't watching and taking notes and making adjustments as needed, but their big board is just about complete and the vast majority of their homework is done.

I'm guessing there is nuance to Chandler's statement. There are guys who will get hurt or guys coming back from injury where you have to guess how significant the injury is long-term. There are high school guys who bloom their senior season. There's also the MLB combine. To show just how significant that is, Joseph Sullivan was a big combine performer in 2024 and we took him in the 7th round. You can't tell me his performance in the combine wasn't part of the calculus in drafting him.

Now, if you told me 80 of their top 100 will stay in their top 100 between now and the draft I could believe that. If that's your definition of almost done then ok I'm with you but to me those other 20 guys (and the order your prioritize them) is still significant.
W
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it is still remarkable how the Ohtani gambling story just disappeared

like it never happened
txags92
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CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.
Mathguy64
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AG
txags92 said:

CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.


Jake has an oblique strain. I seriously doubt we see him before July.
EastCoastAgNc
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AG
Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.


Jake has an oblique strain. I seriously doubt we see him before July.

Sounds like pena might go on a rehab starting this weekend
txags92
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AG
Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.


Jake has an oblique strain. I seriously doubt we see him before July.

So you are saying Yainer is done for the year then? I guess you take the good with the bad...
Mathguy64
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AG
txags92 said:

Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.


Jake has an oblique strain. I seriously doubt we see him before July.

So you are saying Yainer is done for the year then? I guess you take the good with the bad...


Walker last year was easily half a season getting healthy from his oblique strain. It's a hard baseball injury to overcome. I bet as a catcher it's even harder.
txags92
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AG
Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.


Jake has an oblique strain. I seriously doubt we see him before July.

So you are saying Yainer is done for the year then? I guess you take the good with the bad...


Walker last year was easily half a season getting healthy from his oblique strain. It's a hard baseball injury to overcome. I bet as a catcher it's even harder.

One can hope. At least it will keep Joe from benching Vasquez for Yainer every time he has a hot night with his bat or pinch running Yainer for him in close games.
W
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AG
regular folks get oblique strains from having to pull-start their lawnmower too many times

goes away in a couple of days
CharleyKerfeld
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W said:

it is still remarkable how the Ohtani gambling story just disappeared

like it never happened

SpaceCityAg05
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AG
It really is inexplicable that we have not brought in any veteran SP off the street. Even if they are mediocre/bad, we are at a point where we are shooting ourselves in the foot twice. Not only do we lose games because of poor pitching, but our few good bullpen options are not effective because they are overused to cover bulk in bullpen games.

At this point, we have to cut out the bullpen games. You have two choices: promote real SP from the minors, or sign a real SP to plug a hole. Even if that FA pitcher carries a 5.00 ERA, that would be (1) an improvement over what we are currently getting and (2) help steady the bullpen.

Someone like Giolito or Anderson should be signed two weeks ago.
MaxPower
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Agreed, though we have to manage only being able to send guys up and down to the minors so often based on rule restrictions.
jja79
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W said:

regular folks get oblique strains from having to pull-start their lawnmower too many times

goes away in a couple of days


How do they know? It doesn't hurt to sit at a desk in 2 days?
Faustus
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Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

Mathguy64 said:

txags92 said:

CharleyKerfeld said:

Is Jeremy Pena dead? It's May 5th and he's got 0 homers and 1 steal.

Serious question...where is he? Our guys seem to take forever to come back from what we are told are relatively minor injuries. Are they just wusses who don't know how to play through a little discomfort? Or are we being lied to constantly about the severity of their injuries? I know we joke about it, but we seriously seem to have an issue with how we communicate regarding injuries.

Quote:

Is Jake Meyers dead? He hasn't played since April 9. I'm not sure when the last time I heard him mentioned by anyone related to the team.


Same question. I don't even remember what his injury was at this point, but it seems like we should have heard something about him getting back into things by now.


Jake has an oblique strain. I seriously doubt we see him before July.

So you are saying Yainer is done for the year then? I guess you take the good with the bad...


Walker last year was easily half a season getting healthy from his oblique strain. It's a hard baseball injury to overcome. I bet as a catcher it's even harder.


It could cut into his caught stealing %.
JYDog90
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AG
SpaceCityAg05 said:

It really is inexplicable that we have not brought in any veteran SP off the street. Even if they are mediocre/bad, we are at a point where we are shooting ourselves in the foot twice. Not only do we lose games because of poor pitching, but our few good bullpen options are not effective because they are overused to cover bulk in bullpen games.

At this point, we have to cut out the bullpen games. You have two choices: promote real SP from the minors, or sign a real SP to plug a hole. Even if that FA pitcher carries a 5.00 ERA, that would be (1) an improvement over what we are currently getting and (2) help steady the bullpen.

Someone like Giolito or Anderson should be signed two weeks ago.

It's maddening to basically forfeit a game by making a sacrificial lamb go out there and wear 100 pitches of it.
Formerly Willy Wonka
Ag_07
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AG
And it's happening like what twice every time through the rotation.

Throw the BP games when the starer doesn't make it past 3-4 IP and it's 3 times per rotation.

Buddy of mine was bltching the other day about 'He just pitched yesterday and they're running him out there today'.

But my retort was...Well when the BP has to cover so many innings on the reg yeah they pretty much all pitched yesterday.

It's an absolute and utter mess and until it gets right you can't expect to win with any consistency.
Mathguy64
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I said 3 weeks ago that Dana needed 3 starters. He got one in Spencer. He needed 2 more. I was convinced at the time that all the OF injuries handcuffed him. He had to use 40 man spots on low ability OFers just to put someone in CF and LF.

It doesn't help that the pen is a disaster of iffy arms.

Weiss is looking like either a bust or just a guy with horrible luck. He was pitching when Peña **** himself in Colorado. He was pitching last night when Cole and Smith did the same.

Okert getting two fast outs and then not getting out of T1.

Abreu having the worst month of his career.
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