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Well, well, well. Before 2013 left for good, the Astros went and made another (relatively) big splash in signing Jesse Crain to bolster the bullpen. Here's what GM Jeff Luhnow, Brian McTaggart and Evan Drellich had to say about the move:
"We targeted him early in the offseason" — Jeff Luhnow statement on Jesse Crain, who has 1-year deal with Astros
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 31, 2013
Crain was one of the few free agents Houston has been publicly linked to, which makes sense now considering they've had him targeted for a while.
Yeah, but who's gonna close?
Still not clear who's going to close for #Astros, but there's plenty of options and -- more importantly -- some experience.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 31, 2013
Jeff Luhnow says closer will be up to manager Bo Porter, but Crain should be in competition with rest. Bullpen fixing probably done.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 31, 2013
Of the options on hand, Crain has the best combination of stuff and track record. He makes a lot of sense to close this season. But, with his injury history, the Astros probably don't want to name him just yet.
Wait, injuries? Yep, injuries.
Crain had surgery this offseason. Hasnt started throwing just yet, Luhnow said. No guarantee he's ready at start of camp but not ruled out
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 31, 2013
Crain had surgery to fix biceps inflammation in October, but he passed physical and should start throwing program next few weeks.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 31, 2013
Luhnow on Crain: "We're not going to rush him but we feel like he's going to be ready to go certainly early in the season if not before"
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 31, 2013
Brooks can weigh in on this, but it seems like Crain's been dealing with some nagging injuries for much of the season. Maybe this will help fix that. Still, the Astros can't be assured of a big season from him, which is why they didn't just sign Crain. They added Crain, Qualls, Albers, Bass, Valdes and more.
But, with this signing, are the Astros done? Maybe, maybe not.
#Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says team still talking about free agents and some trades, but "we feel good about what we've accomplished."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 31, 2013
Jeff Luhnow wouldn’t address the Astros and Masahiro Tanaka.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 31, 2013
So, does Jeff Luhnow have any new resolutions after this move? He sure does.
Jeff Luhnow’s new year’s resolution: To hear more music in the clubhouse after games.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 31, 2013
I have a feeling Luhnow and the rest of the Astros will be partying like it's 1999 thanks to this new bullpen. Oh, and we fans should too. The biggest hole on the 2013 Astros got fixed in a big way this offseason.
Here's to 2014.
