Comments on: The Astros have made Brett Myers their new closer

By: stex52

stex52 — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:19:33 +0000

Two, unless I have completely lost track of the years. He is not that expensive, at least in his (alternate) good years.

By: stex52

stex52 — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:06:05 +0000

I understand about half of the rationale. For one, I wouldn’t trust Brandon Lyon to put out a candle with a fire hose. Second, Myers is not part of the future plans and they want to try out young pitchers. Third, he had a poor year starting last year after a great 2010. But he is a proven innings eater; even when he is not great he can often stay in the game. And what is going to happen when those young arms get tired? They need the innings.

It only makes sense to me if the Astros are, in fact, trying to flip him as a relatively fresh pitcher at mid-season.

By: azpackerbacker

azpackerbacker — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:50:23 +0000

Boom. Outta here

By: humanexcrement

humanexcrement — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:41:55 +0000

Do the astros know that you have to be winning a game to use your closer? when you have one too many good starters, THEN you think about moving one to the bullpen. If you have a team like the ’12 Astros, for which it would take an absolute miracle to finish at .500, closer is the last thing you need to worry about.

By: scatterbrian

scatterbrian — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:25:21 +0000

Unconscionable! Reprehensible! Clear evidence that we live in a twisted world!

By: The Baseball Idiot

The Baseball Idiot — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:43:34 +0000

What does any of that have to do with baseball?

It’s a sport, not a civics lesson.

By: deathmonkey41

deathmonkey41 — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:37:14 +0000

No, but I imagine if he does well and some competing needs a closer towards the deadline, they might take a flier on him. How many years does he have left on that contract?

By: bkarbour

bkarbour — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:20:48 +0000

I’m skeptical this will increase Myers’s trade value. He makes $10M a year. That’s a lot for a guy who’s going to pitch 20-30 innings for you. His monetary value as a starter is pretty much in line with his performance, and he has value there.

If he shortens his workload in the first half of the year, can you trade for him and convert him back to a starter? Unlikely.

By: saints97

saints97 — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:48:42 +0000

Yes. Brett Myers is a woman beater. Never forget.

By: kopy

kopy — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:48:35 +0000

I was on the same line of thinking. As opposed to a good team that might blow teams out frequently, virtually all of Houston’s wins will be save opportunities.

By: deathmonkey41

deathmonkey41 — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:47:47 +0000

If I were Brett Myers wife and he blows a save, I would probably go stay somewhere else that night.

By: blabidibla

blabidibla — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:39:44 +0000

Of course he will. Houston stands to win 50 or so games, and 45 of them will likely be close because they can’t score runs.

By: Chip Caray's Eyebrows

Chip Caray's Eyebrows — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:35:25 +0000

Alternate headline: The Astros are going to have another tough year

By: rollinghighwayblues

rollinghighwayblues — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:33:22 +0000

“A secondary rationale, likely considered but not stated, is that if Myers can save a handful of games in the first half, Houston could flip him to a contender with a closer crisis.”

The question is, will Myers even have the opportunity to save a handful of games before the the break?