February 12, 2025 • 10 mins
With pitchers and catchers set to meet tomorrow down in West Palm, the Astros among a lot of others teams across the league get ready to start their spring trainings with the start of the season inching closely upon us. With the Astros roster looking a bit renovated in comparison to last years, chatter has risen on rather or not the team looks ready to contend. With departures like Justin Verlander, Kyle Tucker and not too optimistic on Bregman's return, there looks to be a new day in age regarding leadership in the clubhouse with reference to the presence of high praised veterans like the names mentioned now diminishing from the organization. With early odds releasing in regards to the start of the season creeping upon us, Sean and Brian pose the question to listeners do the Astros look ready to contend for the AL West Division this season or are they still missing a few key pieces?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Kb ES Houston, a CD the HD two Houston and
my heart radio station.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
The Astross, the Rockets, Rockets, East Fall, your home for
your home teams. This is Sports Talk seven ninety Salisbury
OY Houston.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Sewan Salisbury to usc Trows, longtime friend, Shawn Salisbury.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Ryan Lima, go Lobos.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
This is the Sean Salisbury Show.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Where do you think fan Grafts has Okay, let me
let me rephrase that. Who do you think fangrafs has
winning the AL West?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Fan Graphs has winning the AL West?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Who is the AO West winner according to Fangrafts.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'll tell you right now who it is. Google.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah, no, I'm not the Seattle close but no Astros. No, Well,
then it's got to be the Rangers. The Rangers.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
They got the Rangers of thirty three percent odds to
win Mariner's thirty one Astros thirty. They got the Astros
percentage wise finish finishing in third place in the AO West.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, do you think the Astros have gotten better this offseason?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Got a little bit better?
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Really? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Okay, big upgrade at first? Okay, I'm talking about when
everybody's healthy. Big upgrade at first, you actually think in
your mind on paper. I'm not saying you're right or
you're wrong. You actually think the Astros got better a
little bit. Okay, you're assuming. Okay, Bregman's gone on.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
They lost.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You didn't get better at third base, and you didn't
get better. You got better at first base. You didn't
get better in right field, No, you did not. Your
outfield's weaker. How are we better pitching same pitching staff
he had last year, but you got two guys coming back,
three guys coming back win.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's the if. That's why I said just a little bit.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
That's why I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Saying if, if, do you trust that they're going to
be fully healthy when you wanted to be in truth
history last history?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Hell no, okay, No, as we sit today today, a
little bit better. And I'm just talking pitching, Okay, just
because of the guy. I'm talking about, full roster roster.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, what team's better the team they started with in
spring training last year or this team they're starting with.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Freight train last year? Okay?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Oh yeah, so my I agree with you and feed
off the confidence of pitching, deep pitching staff. If full
roster they did not get better, you know how I
feel about ifs. Yeah, they had no address to the outfield. No,
Ben Gamble's your biggest outfield guy. Yeah, you got this office.
I'm not saying you can't play, but that's your upgrade
so far? Okay, so far? Yeah, all right? Now better
(02:36):
at third base? No, you're hoping Paradus is better and
you hope that his bat gives you more than Bregman
did with some pop and stuff. You know you twenty
six ons. You get my point at first base, you
are better, yes, unequivocally third base potential, but you're talking
about a guy who was the second the MVP in
twenty nineteen. The problem is recent history says that Bregman's
bat has started to go south as opposed to north,
(02:58):
as well as his ability to be at the plate
was not the way it was last year. So as
an overall team, I don't think they're better now. They
could play better, they get healthy, the pitching goes and
what have All of a sudden. Christian Walker's an MVP
canad in the National League because he's got great line
up around it. So that's my point, and I still
think we're in a state of flex. We're hoping Jeremy
(03:18):
Pinia takes to another level. You're hoping Paradis is a
great git. You're hoping that that Cam Smith turns into
a player in the minor leagues, and that Descenzo steps
that some of the young players. There's a lot of
if and hopes here with them. They lined up last year,
Was there anything who was the unequivocal favorite to win
the division?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Last year?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It was Yeah, So with that now it's like there's
three teams you can win. So and even in national
media and the prognosticator's eyes, which doesn't mean a hill
of beans that the Astros have taken a step back.
Now if you say, Sean, what's it going to look
like a year from now, we may be saying awesome.
Smith became a stud, Parades was a great get, and
(04:00):
Christian Walker was our best get in the You know,
if Christian Walker impacts this franchise like Joe Mixon did
the Tech Texans, you know what I'm saying, Where you
go get a guy that there was a weakness at
the position that comes in and as a and takes
care of his business and as a leader and does
this thing, then then we're in good shape.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
But there's no way you can say.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
The hope is that the roster's better, but there's no
way on paper you're going to the season saying the
roster better. There's more ifs on the roster this year
than there was last year.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, and I think with what you look at pitching wise,
and I'm just going to go through some names here.
Arraghetty full season last year, pitched really well down the stretch,
at his lumps early in the season. Another year of
Renelle Blanco and hoping he repeats what he did. Excuse me,
Hunter Brown, stud from Bervaldez stud well for the most part,
(04:51):
unless he goes I talk, well.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
No, there'll be about four games this year where you're like, dude, again,
welles is emotion. But yeah, when you really look at it, dude,
he's one of the better lefties in baseball.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Oh yeah, there is no. So there's your skill set, performance,
there's your solid four. Then you have what's the Wesnsky
kid going to provide? There's an if there, right, Okay,
if he's what they think he is, When is Louis
Garcia going to come back? When is Lance mccullors Junior
going to come back? I think this is crazy. I
think this is a crazy This might be a crazy
thing to hear or to say. I think Lance mccullor's
(05:20):
junior comes back before Louis Garcia and you would have
never thought that six months ago. No, So what's he
going to provide? And then when does Louis Garcia come back?
Come back? What does JP France provide? He was just
a bulldog for you on the mound. Think how many
ifs you just put out there? Yeah, but if they're
all healthy, dude, that's.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
A and then you got to hold up the guys
at the front stay healthy, right, Oh, there's no doubt.
It's a lot of depth if everybody's doing their thing
in one healthy. And then the question is who is
Lance mccullors. Is he a starter or are we at
the stage of his career with what's gone on where
you're just you're going to move him around as like
a hybrid middle relief guy. I can throw him in
(06:02):
the seventh, I can throw him in the fifth. He
can give me three innings, he can he you know
what to be who Christian Javier used to be? Remember
long relief starts you sometimes I mean or as Lance,
but colors. Just they're looking at him as one thing,
get fully healthy. You're our fourth star back in the rotation, right, yeah,
and you know, I mean, you know, Christian Javier things
also a wild card, wondering we're going to get out
(06:23):
of him, because if he's ready to go at a
certain point in the season, you get a monster talent.
But we've seen the inconsistency there as well. When he's
on and that elevated fastball and the movement up there
and he think, I know I can hit this, and
you never can different and he can locate that different,
different ballgame. He doesn't need three pitches, just two solid
(06:45):
ones and he's good to go.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So to go back to me saying they got a
little bit better, just think about think about the first
base position last year, No do just think about last year.
How many times at Jose Bray you come up in
a situation where you needed just to sack fly and
it was a rollover double play. But think about how
balls at first base. John Singleton, he had his ups
and his downs. He's John hit forty hitter, a couple
(07:07):
of bombs here and there, but for the most part
that was a black hole.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
He's a great. He's a great spot starter, yes, and
a good guy to have. First, you think about how
you talk about it, Bray, you how many guys on
this roster do we say runners left in scoring position?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah, that happened. It was rampant through.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
His first base was more accentuated and more pronounced because
it was a weak position going in. But just as
just as as good as you got at first base upgrade,
you lost more in the outs outfield field because you
don't have you didn't like listen when you think about it,
and Smith could be a superstar, but when you think
(07:47):
about it, you give up one to rep you know,
said well maybe we'll you know, let's get a guy
who's automatically going did put it this way?
Speaker 3 (07:54):
No trade?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Through that trade, they didn't find a starting right fielder
in game one. They may have found in game ten
or game two hundred next the year after or later
in the season. We didn't find him. So you weakened
an outfield even more than it was and you strengthen
the first base.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So so yeah, you got a little bit better in
certain positions, but you got worse without Kyle Tuck, far worse.
Bregman's not going to be bad, far worse would go
with veteran play. Yeah, you got certain areas that have
gotten back there. Their bullpens should be pretty good, right,
they're back in Brian and Bray, You and Josh Hader,
I would assume, and I know you said the same
thing a couple of days ago, Josh Hater is probably
going to return to being lights out Josh Haden.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I would expect better from him this year than we
saw times last year. Even though he had a bunch
of saves. It's just that when he when he was
a blown savor, he lost the game. It was in
a big time, right that it was in a spot
where're like, so three of those and you're like, oh,
he had a bad year. He'd have a bad year,
but it tarnished some of the good things he did.
(08:53):
I would expect that that Josh Hater would give you
a little more, yeah, this year than he gave you
last year. That you would that he would validate the
trade even more this year than last year. But we
gotta find out where he is. Health is going to
be a big, big issue for that. You know that staff. Yeah,
and you had Caleb b. Woard pitched for this Strows
last year. Brian King got good innings last year. Who
else am I leaving out here? Brian King?
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Taylor Scott was really good for you last year. You know,
Sean Dubin got some good innings too. So those guys then,
who knows what Force Willey is going to look like.
I would assume, uh, he's going to get a lot
of run in in spring training to try to break camp.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I can't wait to see it. So, yeah, it's time we.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Would say that for a decade. It feels like, I
hope it pays off. Really yeah, I hope he. I
wonder if he's gonna I'll tell you what come in
h This ought to tell you how much confidence they are.
What they think about is talent. This is the most
patient anybody's ever been with a top flight pick. Other
teams want to cut bait on him a long three
(09:57):
years ago.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, and it's like it's like okay, It's like, you know,
they say go the extra mile because the extra miles
where not a whole lot of people are. They've done
that in this organization, there is not. Hopefully his performance
and resilience matches that the astros patience. If it does,
you're actually going to get a good may see the
potential finally come to fruition. It's just a lot later
(10:19):
than you expected.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
There's two other names that you could see some good
innings from on the mound. Bennett Susa. He was a
guy that got a couple of years ago right at
the deadline, UH claiming him off waiver so that he
couldn't pitch in the postseason. He was really good in
his innings. And then aj Bluebaugh one of the top
prospects for the Astros. So what'd you call him? Blue balls?
Blue ball, blue blue buy you, blue buy you. What,
(10:45):
let's get to the steak out. That's four stock, seven
eighty
Kb ES Houston, a CD the HD two Houston and
my heart radio station.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
The Astross, the Rockets, Rockets, East Fall, your home for
your home teams. This is Sports Talk seven ninety Salisbury
OY Houston.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Sewan Salisbury to usc Trows, longtime friend, Shawn Salisbury.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Ryan Lima, go Lobos.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
This is the Sean Salisbury Show.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Where do you think fan Grafts has Okay, let me
let me rephrase that. Who do you think fangrafs has
winning the AL West?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Fan Graphs has winning the AL West?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Who is the AO West winner according to Fangrafts.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'll tell you right now who it is. Google.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah, no, I'm not the Seattle close but no Astros. No, Well,
then it's got to be the Rangers. The Rangers.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
They got the Rangers of thirty three percent odds to
win Mariner's thirty one Astros thirty. They got the Astros
percentage wise finish finishing in third place in the AO West.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, do you think the Astros have gotten better this offseason?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Got a little bit better?
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Really? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Okay, big upgrade at first? Okay, I'm talking about when
everybody's healthy. Big upgrade at first, you actually think in
your mind on paper. I'm not saying you're right or
you're wrong. You actually think the Astros got better a
little bit. Okay, you're assuming. Okay, Bregman's gone on.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
They lost.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You didn't get better at third base, and you didn't
get better. You got better at first base. You didn't
get better in right field, No, you did not. Your
outfield's weaker. How are we better pitching same pitching staff
he had last year, but you got two guys coming back,
three guys coming back win.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's the if. That's why I said just a little bit.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
That's why I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Saying if, if, do you trust that they're going to
be fully healthy when you wanted to be in truth
history last history?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Hell no, okay, No, as we sit today today, a
little bit better. And I'm just talking pitching, Okay, just
because of the guy. I'm talking about, full roster roster.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, what team's better the team they started with in
spring training last year or this team they're starting with.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Freight train last year? Okay?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Oh yeah, so my I agree with you and feed
off the confidence of pitching, deep pitching staff. If full
roster they did not get better, you know how I
feel about ifs. Yeah, they had no address to the outfield. No,
Ben Gamble's your biggest outfield guy. Yeah, you got this office.
I'm not saying you can't play, but that's your upgrade
so far? Okay, so far? Yeah, all right? Now better
(02:36):
at third base? No, you're hoping Paradus is better and
you hope that his bat gives you more than Bregman
did with some pop and stuff. You know you twenty
six ons. You get my point at first base, you
are better, yes, unequivocally third base potential, but you're talking
about a guy who was the second the MVP in
twenty nineteen. The problem is recent history says that Bregman's
bat has started to go south as opposed to north,
(02:58):
as well as his ability to be at the plate
was not the way it was last year. So as
an overall team, I don't think they're better now. They
could play better, they get healthy, the pitching goes and
what have All of a sudden. Christian Walker's an MVP
canad in the National League because he's got great line
up around it. So that's my point, and I still
think we're in a state of flex. We're hoping Jeremy
(03:18):
Pinia takes to another level. You're hoping Paradis is a
great git. You're hoping that that Cam Smith turns into
a player in the minor leagues, and that Descenzo steps
that some of the young players. There's a lot of
if and hopes here with them. They lined up last year,
Was there anything who was the unequivocal favorite to win
the division?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Last year?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It was Yeah, So with that now it's like there's
three teams you can win. So and even in national
media and the prognosticator's eyes, which doesn't mean a hill
of beans that the Astros have taken a step back.
Now if you say, Sean, what's it going to look
like a year from now, we may be saying awesome.
Smith became a stud, Parades was a great get, and
(04:00):
Christian Walker was our best get in the You know,
if Christian Walker impacts this franchise like Joe Mixon did
the Tech Texans, you know what I'm saying, Where you
go get a guy that there was a weakness at
the position that comes in and as a and takes
care of his business and as a leader and does
this thing, then then we're in good shape.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
But there's no way you can say.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
The hope is that the roster's better, but there's no
way on paper you're going to the season saying the
roster better. There's more ifs on the roster this year
than there was last year.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, and I think with what you look at pitching wise,
and I'm just going to go through some names here.
Arraghetty full season last year, pitched really well down the stretch,
at his lumps early in the season. Another year of
Renelle Blanco and hoping he repeats what he did. Excuse me,
Hunter Brown, stud from Bervaldez stud well for the most part,
(04:51):
unless he goes I talk, well.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
No, there'll be about four games this year where you're like, dude, again,
welles is emotion. But yeah, when you really look at it, dude,
he's one of the better lefties in baseball.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Oh yeah, there is no. So there's your skill set, performance,
there's your solid four. Then you have what's the Wesnsky
kid going to provide? There's an if there, right, Okay,
if he's what they think he is, When is Louis
Garcia going to come back? When is Lance mccullors Junior
going to come back? I think this is crazy. I
think this is a crazy This might be a crazy
thing to hear or to say. I think Lance mccullor's
(05:20):
junior comes back before Louis Garcia and you would have
never thought that six months ago. No, So what's he
going to provide? And then when does Louis Garcia come back?
Come back? What does JP France provide? He was just
a bulldog for you on the mound. Think how many
ifs you just put out there? Yeah, but if they're
all healthy, dude, that's.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
A and then you got to hold up the guys
at the front stay healthy, right, Oh, there's no doubt.
It's a lot of depth if everybody's doing their thing
in one healthy. And then the question is who is
Lance mccullors. Is he a starter or are we at
the stage of his career with what's gone on where
you're just you're going to move him around as like
a hybrid middle relief guy. I can throw him in
(06:02):
the seventh, I can throw him in the fifth. He
can give me three innings, he can he you know
what to be who Christian Javier used to be? Remember
long relief starts you sometimes I mean or as Lance,
but colors. Just they're looking at him as one thing,
get fully healthy. You're our fourth star back in the rotation, right, yeah,
and you know, I mean, you know, Christian Javier things
also a wild card, wondering we're going to get out
(06:23):
of him, because if he's ready to go at a
certain point in the season, you get a monster talent.
But we've seen the inconsistency there as well. When he's
on and that elevated fastball and the movement up there
and he think, I know I can hit this, and
you never can different and he can locate that different,
different ballgame. He doesn't need three pitches, just two solid
(06:45):
ones and he's good to go.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So to go back to me saying they got a
little bit better, just think about think about the first
base position last year, No do just think about last year.
How many times at Jose Bray you come up in
a situation where you needed just to sack fly and
it was a rollover double play. But think about how
balls at first base. John Singleton, he had his ups
and his downs. He's John hit forty hitter, a couple
(07:07):
of bombs here and there, but for the most part
that was a black hole.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
He's a great. He's a great spot starter, yes, and
a good guy to have. First, you think about how
you talk about it, Bray, you how many guys on
this roster do we say runners left in scoring position?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah, that happened. It was rampant through.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
His first base was more accentuated and more pronounced because
it was a weak position going in. But just as
just as as good as you got at first base upgrade,
you lost more in the outs outfield field because you
don't have you didn't like listen when you think about it,
and Smith could be a superstar, but when you think
(07:47):
about it, you give up one to rep you know,
said well maybe we'll you know, let's get a guy
who's automatically going did put it this way?
Speaker 3 (07:54):
No trade?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Through that trade, they didn't find a starting right fielder
in game one. They may have found in game ten
or game two hundred next the year after or later
in the season. We didn't find him. So you weakened
an outfield even more than it was and you strengthen
the first base.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So so yeah, you got a little bit better in
certain positions, but you got worse without Kyle Tuck, far worse.
Bregman's not going to be bad, far worse would go
with veteran play. Yeah, you got certain areas that have
gotten back there. Their bullpens should be pretty good, right,
they're back in Brian and Bray, You and Josh Hader,
I would assume, and I know you said the same
thing a couple of days ago, Josh Hater is probably
going to return to being lights out Josh Haden.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I would expect better from him this year than we
saw times last year. Even though he had a bunch
of saves. It's just that when he when he was
a blown savor, he lost the game. It was in
a big time, right that it was in a spot
where're like, so three of those and you're like, oh,
he had a bad year. He'd have a bad year,
but it tarnished some of the good things he did.
(08:53):
I would expect that that Josh Hater would give you
a little more, yeah, this year than he gave you
last year. That you would that he would validate the
trade even more this year than last year. But we
gotta find out where he is. Health is going to
be a big, big issue for that. You know that staff. Yeah,
and you had Caleb b. Woard pitched for this Strows
last year. Brian King got good innings last year. Who
else am I leaving out here? Brian King?
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Taylor Scott was really good for you last year. You know,
Sean Dubin got some good innings too. So those guys then,
who knows what Force Willey is going to look like.
I would assume, uh, he's going to get a lot
of run in in spring training to try to break camp.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I can't wait to see it. So, yeah, it's time we.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Would say that for a decade. It feels like, I
hope it pays off. Really yeah, I hope he. I
wonder if he's gonna I'll tell you what come in
h This ought to tell you how much confidence they are.
What they think about is talent. This is the most
patient anybody's ever been with a top flight pick. Other
teams want to cut bait on him a long three
(09:57):
years ago.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, and it's like it's like okay, It's like, you know,
they say go the extra mile because the extra miles
where not a whole lot of people are. They've done
that in this organization, there is not. Hopefully his performance
and resilience matches that the astros patience. If it does,
you're actually going to get a good may see the
potential finally come to fruition. It's just a lot later
(10:19):
than you expected.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
There's two other names that you could see some good
innings from on the mound. Bennett Susa. He was a
guy that got a couple of years ago right at
the deadline, UH claiming him off waiver so that he
couldn't pitch in the postseason. He was really good in
his innings. And then aj Bluebaugh one of the top
prospects for the Astros. So what'd you call him? Blue balls?
Blue ball, blue blue buy you, blue buy you. What,
(10:45):
let's get to the steak out. That's four stock, seven
eighty
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!