Astros might suck in 2020

[Second Base]

Which would only help the Angels. New GM and manager. They'll be harassed at every away game, called cheaters by the fans and their peers and it's going to wear on them. 

And new reports are coming out that Altuve and Bregman were wearing electronic devices under their uniform that vibrated when signaled from the dugout of an incoming off-speed pitch. 

If it's true, we might see the Astros offense crater this season, which would only result in further proof throughout the game that the success was only there result of cheating and not the result of actual talent. 

And if you don't buy that as reasoning behind the Astros not getting very good in 2020, then we can simply point to the loss of Gerrit Cole and Greinke and Verlander being a year older. Not only that, they're becoming more expensive and expected to exceed the luxury tax limit. 

That's a very expensive sinking ship. Let's hope it catches fire on its way down too. Good riddance.

Edited January 16, 2020 by Second Base

[mmc]

I’m not buying it.

[Stradling]

Suck, no.  Win 90-93 games, probably. 

[yk9001]

If I was in vegas right now OR IF CALIFORNIA GOT THEIR SHIT TOGETHER AND WE HAD BETTING APPS

I'd bet the under 100 wins for their season total right now

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, yk9001 said:

If I was in vegas right now OR IF CALIFORNIA GOT THEIR SHIT TOGETHER AND WE HAD BETTING APPS

I'd bet the under 100 wins for their season total right now

Absolutely.  With no distractions they win less than 100 games by simply losing who they’ve lost to free agency.  

[failos]

I hope they go 0-162

[Bronson]

2 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Absolutely.  With no distractions they win less than 100 games by simply losing who they’ve lost to free agency.  

Yeah they would have won less then 100 games regardless. I think they’ll be lucky to win 90 games this year. I really do.

[Pancake Bear]

As far as I’m concerned, they’ve always sucked. 

[ScottT]

Zero chance they "suck".  To me, that means you are well under .500.   

Highly unlikely they'll be mediocre (79-85 wins)

I can see them winning less than 90, but I'd take the over.

[T.G.]

I prefer to say their season will be trash.

[Angel Oracle]

Their season deserves to be trash.     But, I'll still predict in the 85-90 wins range for them.   Could be quite a division battle between the Halos, A's, and Asstros.

[floplag]

Suck?, no, but certainly not be as good.
Between losing who they have lost and being completely scrutinized moving forward they will come back to earth, but there is still too much talent there to suck.
Definitely wont go over 100 though i would bet.
would shock me to see them struggle out of the gate as they get harassed mercilessly, but in the end the talent is still there to be in the mix for the division race and be the logical fav.   

[Pancake Bear]

5 minutes ago, floplag said:

Suck?, no, but certainly not be as good.
Between losing who they have lost and being completely scrutinized moving forward they will come back to earth, but there is still too much talent there to suck.
Definitely wont go over 100 though i would bet.
would shock me to see them struggle out of the gate as they get harassed mercilessly, but in the end the talent is still there to be in the mix for the division race and be the logical fav.   

Is it, though? Some of these guys, all they’ve really is cheating. 

[Angelsfan1984]

When you lose a pitcher like Cole it will certainly sting. They lost a lot of supplementary players as well. I'm guessing they still win about 90 games. Verlander and Greinke are better than anything the Angels are throwing out there.

[kevinb]

Angels will win the division Astros will finish in 3rd. Suck probably not, but worse than the Angels and A's yes. 

[Dick B Back]

The Stros may suck but I expect my Angels to suck worse.

[floplag]

9 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

Is it, though? Some of these guys, all they’ve really is cheating. 

Knowing whats coming is huge, yes, not questioning that, but they still have to have the ability to hit it.
None of them are going to be in the MVP hunt, dont get me wrong, but im guessing they are still pretty good ballplayers. 
then again they could be so dependant on it at this point that they fall off the planet... who knows. 

[angelsnationtalk]

The internet has exploded today about Altuve and Bregman using these devices. 

If they can prove it then they should AT LEAST be suspended a minimum of 80 games. I'm tired of this shit. Manfred needs to be harsh.

[mulwin444]

I think they were already a sub-100 win team just based on losing the pieces they have to this point but some other things they may contribute:

 - AL West is going to be competitive.  A's have put up back-to-back 97 win seasons and a lot of the same people are returning, the Rangers's offense and bullpen are not great but they have a solid rotation, and Angels have obviously added some pieces to announce their intention to contend.  Depending on who stays healthy, the AL West, 1st and 2nd Wild Card will be tight.

 - The Astros rotation is Verlander and Greinke (both over 36), McCullers coming off Tommy John Surgery, and some mix and match options and the bullpen lost Rondon and Harris.

 - With sign stealing exposed, does Altuve continue to bat near .300 .900 OPS?  Will Bregman continue to be a 8+ WAR player? Does Yordan Alvarez continue to post a 1.000+ OPS as a 23 year old?  Lots of questions as to if they will maintain their more recent offensive output.

 - They have a target on their back...not just in the AL West but around the league.  They should expect no quarter from the the opposing team or fans in general

[Angel Oracle]

Alvarez already was exposed for a lot of the post-season.    Seemed like pitchers were already figuring him out.

[Newkem]

39 minutes ago, angelsnationtalk said:

The internet has exploded today about Altuve and Bregman using these devices. 

If they can prove it then they should AT LEAST be suspended a minimum of 80 games. I'm tired of this shit. Manfred needs to be harsh.

Le em play. It will be more satisfying to watch them flounder, especially that douche, Bregman. 

[floplag]

47 minutes ago, angelsnationtalk said:

The internet has exploded today about Altuve and Bregman using these devices. 

If they can prove it then they should AT LEAST be suspended a minimum of 80 games. I'm tired of this shit. Manfred needs to be harsh.

I agree, but they wont.  If they were going to do a damn thing to the players they would have done it already.

[Pancake Bear]

Just in case anyone still doesn’t think this sign stealing is a bigger deal than steroids. 

[Drink More Yakult]

1 hour ago, floplag said:

Knowing whats coming is huge, yes, not questioning that, but they still have to have the ability to hit it.
None of them are going to be in the MVP hunt, dont get me wrong, but im guessing they are still pretty good ballplayers. 
then again they could be so dependant on it at this point that they fall off the planet... who knows. 

Brandon Wood would have won MVP if he knew what was coming.

[Angelsfan1984]

Just now, Drink More Yakult said:

Brandon Wood would have won MVP if he knew what was coming.