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Starting pitching, bat among Astros’ goals
- Updated: December 1, 2016
HOUSTON — If everything goes the way Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has scripted it, Houston will have the luxury of having its major offseason moves done by the start of the Winter Meetings, freeing the club to focus on complementary pieces.
The Astros already have addressed two of their biggest needs by acquiring a pair of impact left-handed bats in trading for catcher Brian McCann from the Yankees — and paying him $23 million of the $34 million left on his contract — and signing outfielder Josh Reddick to a four-year, $52 million deal. Houston also inked veteran starting pitcher Charlie Morton to a two-year, $14 million deal, plus incentives.
The Astros still are in the market for another impact bat in their effort to beef up their offense and would like to land 39-year-old switch-hitting outfielder Carlos Beltran. The addition of one more bat would give the Astros one of the deepest lineups in the Majors following a 2016 season in which the lineup was top-heavy.
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MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can catch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 8 a.m. CT.
Club needs
Starting pitching: The signing of Morton gives the Astros experienced depth, but you can never have enough pitching. The club is banking on healthy seasons from Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers and another step forward from Joe Musgrove. Collin McHugh and Mike Fiers both made 30-plus starts last season, so there are definitely options. Still, there’s room for another arm to compete, even if they don’t land one of the big names on the trade market. They’ve been linked to free-agent lefty Rich Hill.
Outfield: The Astros are targeting Beltran, which would add some versatility to an outfield that already has plenty. Reddick can play the corner, with George Springer playing center or right field. Norichika Aoki and Jake Marisnick can also play multiple positions, but a chance to add a bat like Beltran to the mix would be something the Astros couldn’t pass up.
Bullpen: After upgrading their bullpen in each of the last two …
