The Free Agents: Michael Brantley [Maybe]
Part 2 - A look at the Astros free agents to be
Uncle Mike
This one shouldn’t take long as Brantley is expected to retire in the coming days/weeks.
Add that to the physical issues that allowed Brantley only 15 regular season games and it makes this a fait accompli.
Right?
Right, except the Astros bench sucked this season and if we assume the new manager installs Chas in center for more than 51 starts, who plays left when Yordan DHs as he did 73 times in 2022?
All that could be beside the point though because even if Brantley were physically able and would be willing to accept such a role it appears (I am not a lawyer) the minimum he could play for (page 11, paragraph B(1)(a)) would be $9,600,000 (20% less than his $12,000,000 in 2023).
I’m not completely sure about this because it appears Brantley played for 75% of his 2022 salary in 2023.
I digress.
The Verdict
Even for Uncle Mike, whether it’s $9.6 million or $9 million it’s simply not worth it.
But that leaves the Astros looking for someone to play left competently when Yordan DHs, assuming Chas is your centerfielder.
There’s the obvious answer, which I’ll call the Dusty Special - move Chas to left and put Dubon in center.
Not terrible, but not optimal in my mind, for Dubon to start 70ish games in center.
Will the new manager love Dubon as much as Dusty did, or will they prefer Chas in center for the vast majority of games (say 120) and use part of Mike’s salary to find a utility outfielder who can play left?
These are the questions that make 2024 intriguing as an Astros fan.
Read about the other Astros free agents to be:
![The Free Agents: Hector Neris [Probably]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1db29f79-04d2-491b-ba2d-f888ad89c6bb_1400x1400.png)
Thanks for reading!
Wishing Brantley happiness in retirement. Be nice to have him teaching minor leaguers how to hit. Dubon should be first man off bench for SS, 2b, 3B but emergency only OF. Chas, based strictly on OPS, is one of best CF in MLB.
We do need a corner OF. Budget is an issue. Only minor league guys that I can see that should be considered are Julks, Leon, Loperfido but don’t think they are the answer.
My first two free agent candidates are A Duvall and Max Kepler...affordable, capable and gettable in my opinion. I would prefer Bellinger or Soler but money and contract length are issues. Plus, Bellinger has some Astros baggage and Soler not strong on D.
Other free agent maybes: Conforto E Rosario.
Trade target maybes (actually a lot of these): Brandon Drury (really like this guy), RvGrichuk, Nolan Jones, Lars Nootbar, Joc Petersen ( better than I expected due to K and BB rates), Seiya Suzuki... At least kick the tires on these.
Backup C: Work in progress on this list but Mitch Garver, if available) would be THE guy...can DH too. Go back and forth on Gary Sanchez..great power better K rate than expected but how much has his bad D really improved... Really like D Janssen of Toronto but not sure they would trade but think he is FA after 24. Gonna work this position today