Jeff Luhnow Good Choice, but He will Still have to Face Pujols!

Astros New GM Ready to Keep with the Plan…Pujols Will Continue to be Astro Nemesis



While the Astros did not make much news of national interest at the recently concluded winter meetings that was expected. However, they did come out of the week with a new general manager and news that even the forced move to the AL won’t keep Albert Pujols from torturing local fans for years to come.


The good news is that the GM job has been filled by Jeff Luhnow who is exactly the type of GM Astros ownership wants to conduct the restructuring of the team. Luhnow will be in his first GM job, but his background over his eight years in baseball working exclusively in scouting and player development is exactly the club’s primary focus. It didn’t hurt that he was with the Cardinals who won a couple of World Series and were competitive for the division title every year. The bottom line is still winning. The Cardinals did and many of the young players from their system were key cogs.


It should also be encouraging that the new Astro regime is convinced they can build a winner from within and recapture the hearts of Astro fans. Changing plans in mid stream is not in the forecast. To a man, the new Astro ownership acknowledges things may still take a year or more before extensive improvement is seen. They will not panic if revenue does not take a big jump immediately.


What the Astros did in the Rule V draft is instructive. They acquired another hard throwing pitcher in reliever Rhiner Cruz. Starting last season the team has started to focus on pitchers of high potential thanks to their live arms. Cruz has not pitched higher than in double A so far, but has been strong in winter ball against mostly higher level competition. He has to earn a spot on the club in the spring or be offered back, but he is coming to a camp that will be wide open.


The other draftee was a Cub farm system shortstop who was blocked by young Starlin Castro on the big club and acquired by the Red Sox in the Rule V, then traded to the Astros. Marwin Gonzalez also has to make the club or be offered back to Boston, but like Cruz he has a chance. The Astro shortstop position is currently—on paper at least—in the hands of Angel Sanchez. Sanchez did a great job starting last season while Clint Barmes was waiting for an injury to heal, but faded after he started to see less action. His shortcomings in defense range, arm strength, foot speed and power were evident. If Gonzalez can show enough in the spring he would have a change to stick and win the job. He has experience as high as triple A and his .284 combined in AA and AAA in 2011.


Naturally neither of the Astro Rule V acquisitions were of any focus nationally but there is no reason to worry. Some guy named Pujols signed a 10 year $254-million contract. That took center stage. While Cardinal fans were dismayed it may turn out to be the best thing for both the Cards and Pujols. For the Cards the price and length was too great. Actually, the offer they made for Albert was hefty and that should be noted by Cardinal fans. But it was about $50-million less than the Angels laid out. So the Cards don’t have to pay—or play Albert for ten years that are unlikely to be a happy full ten years. Since the crackdown on PEDs doing big things after the age of 35 is becoming less common.


Meanwhile, Pujols moves to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League. Oh, and here is a future trivia question. When Pujols career ends what opponent will he have faced the most in his career? You got it. The Astros—ding ding ding! Certainly one of his most famous home runs was hit off the Astros and Brad Lidge in 2005 and starting in 2013 he will be facing them again in the same division, but different league.


Moving to the AL makes the most sense for Pujols with a contract that will take him past his 40th birthday. Already slowing down in the field, in large part due to injuries in recent years, he can serve as a DH in the latter stages of that ten year pact. The Cardinals, had they re-signed him, would have been face with putting a below par defender on the field.


As for the Cardinals the franchise is strong. They have a veteran to play first base for a year or two in Lance Berkman. They have some of those youngsters who were scouted and or developed during Jeff Luhnow’s years with St. Louis ready to gain more playing time. The pitching staff will again be strong enough. And they won’t be spending more than $20-million in 2012 on one player. The Cards will miss Pujols and all he has done for them, but they will be far from destitute.

Meanwhile, the Astro plan is being followed. They won’t be making any big free agent deals like the Cards or Angels offered. Impatient fans and those still upset about the move to the American League in 2013 will take some convincing that this is the way to go. But if the “plan” starts to bear fruit, those same fans will be ready to take a taste for sure. No matter which direction a team takes it is a risk. The direction the Astros are going is less of one. Baseball is a game of percentages. The Astros are playing them.