For the first time in what seems like a decade, the Houston Astros will not make a World Series appearance. That, of course, is a stretch of my imagination. A Houston-Philadelphia World Series rematch felt like a guarantee as both teams went home with 3-2 advantages in their respective championship series. Yet, Texas was able to even and eventually defeat Houston. Arizona, meanwhile, has a decisive Game 7 to upset the Phillies.
You can't predict baseball, and the Astros found this out the hard way. Houston was dominant on the road, but could not win in front of their home fans at Minute Maid Park. To turn things around next season and make another World Series run, the offseason must bring change. That all starts up top.
Houston Astros who won't be back: Dusty Baker
It's been a very, very long career for Dusty Baker. At 74 years old, he still feels as though he has something left to give, but the Astros may not agree. Baker has been linked to the San Francisco Giants of late, though it's tough to see him heading elsewhere. So, what gives?
Baker is on a one-year contract with Houston. His age, as well as the failure to reach another World Series this season, could signal the end for a man who has spent the majority of his professional life dedicated to the sport. Surely, there is always a place for Dusty in baseball. It just might not be with the Astros, who could use a different clubhouse voice come next season.
The 74-year-old Baker is still capable of managing if he'd like. But his mistakes in Houston this season were well-documented, and included sitting Chas McCormick out of the lineup all too often, and sticking up for Martin Maldonado when he had a better hitting catcher on the bench in Yainer Diaz. Questions loom around Dusty, and rightly so.
Houston Astros who won't be back: Martin Maldonado
Dusty Baker and the Astros view Martin Maldonado as another member of their pitching staff, so it makes sense that he hits under the mendoza line on a regular basis. Maldonado is not capable with a bat in his hands. He'd be better served as a bench coach at this point in his career unless he takes this offseason as an opportunity to improve.
"He's my field general," Baker told Yahoo Sports earlier this season. "Yainer right now is at West Point learning war strategy, whereas Maldy's already been at war."
It's fair to suggest Diaz wasn't ready to take the reigns as Houston's full-time catcher, but by this time next year, it's tough to see Maldonado as the full timer at the position rather than his younger counterpart.
"I think there are a lot of intangibles that go into the catching position — and every position on a baseball roster — but in the catching discipline in particular that don't get measured," Astros pitching coach Josh Miller said. "It's not easy to put a metric on: How does he instill confidence? How does he let a pitcher relax so they can focus on executing a pitch, rather than thinking about what pitch they should be throwing? You know, those things don't get measured."
The more the Houston coaching staff backs Maldonado, the worse it looks. He cannot be relied upon with runners on base, and is a free agent when the year is up. Something has to give.
Houston Astros who won't be back: Michael Brantley
Michael Brantley has struggled to stay healthy for much of the past two seasons. Now in his final years as a playable outfielder, Brantley is not the defensive player he once was. Heck, when called upon to make an accurate throw home early in Monday night's loss against the Rangers, he opted instead to toss the ball into the infield, letting two Texas baserunners to score on the player. Hard pass.
FanSided's Drew Koch thinks Brantley could sign on with a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, who could use a clubhouse presence and bat off the bench. Just look what they did with Jason Heyward this past season:
"This was not the season that the Astros, nor Brantley expected when the two sides agreed to a one-year/$12-million deal during the offseason. Houston will likely to look to upgrade the position during the offseason, so it's likely that Brantley, at 36, will have to sign elsewhere," Kock wrote.
There is a place for Brantley somewhere in MLB, but he's not a full-time player on a World Series team. That much was obvious on Monday night, and the Astros won't pay Brantley his asking price.
