Bad asses, bargains and busts (position players)
Which Astros position players offer the best value?
Don’t take what I’m about to write too seriously.
It’s not meant to be a rigorous examination of team construction and salary implications, but rather a semi-lighthearted look at what the Astros are getting for what they paying.
First some caveats.
If there was no salary for a player in spotrac.com I applied the MLB minimum.
I used the Payroll Salary.
It’s not a perfect system, especially for players with a WAR below 1 or negative.
The WAR is from 2022, but the salaries are for 2023.
Despite the attempt at alliteration in the title, I’m going to break these down a little differently.
The Negatives
One of these things is not like the others. A bunch of rookies, part-timers and “maybe one day” type players and…Mauricio Dubon.
A Dusty Baker favorite, Dubon should be paying the Astros to play at the rate he’s contributing
$1,400,000 is nothing in the MLB these days, but if you’re a believer in WAR then the Astros are getting less than nothing in return.
The Bargains
Much like with a quarterback on a rookie contract in the NFL the Astros have several guys that are in a sweet spot for the club. In short: On rookie contract, signed extension or arbitration eligible.
I sometimes wonder if Jeremy Pena’s WAR is overstated, but even if it is, he was certainly a value for the Astros last season and will be this one, too.
The oft-hated on Chas McCormick is a value for a 2.0 WAR as a part-timer. I’m bullish on Chas, but I used to play centerfield and was underappreciated in my mind, so take my Chas takes with a grain of salt.
There’s 0 surprise about the value that Tucker and Alvarez offer in this “analysis” or just using the eye ball test, but perhaps the WAR differential between the two is a window into the arbitration situation with Tucker this past offseason.
Meyers and Hensley are here not necessarily as bargains, but they did produce small positive WAR on rookie salaries.
The Enigma
In a category all his own. At first I thought the Astros were overpaying. Then I looked at what the top catchers make.
The topper was the Angels paying Astros castoff Max Stassi $7,000,000 for a 0.0 WAR.
How about “Bargain, but it could be better”?
The Injured
Not his fault, but $12,000,000 for an unknown contribution.
There’s no doubt Brantley will contribute if he can play, but his power is gone and he hasn’t seen the field since June 24.
As we’ll see when we get to the pitchers, injuries are costly.
Now there’s this unfortunate news.
WAR can’t measure all value
WAR can’t measure everything that a player contributes to the team.
Altuve looks expensive, but what are the Astros without Altuve?
Abreu also looks expensive, but if he performs at a 3.9 WAR in 2023, one could argue the Astros will have a chance to be more potent at the plate than they were in 2022.
In a lot of ways Bregman is being paid for the intangibles he brings to the team, but his is an interesting case long-term as he’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at 31 years old after the 2024 season.