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Jonathan Singleton could be odd man out in Houston
The Astros outfield has been in a fluid state during the past week, with the club acquiring Evan Gattis from Atlanta, bidding farewell to Dexter Fowler and, on Tuesday, formally introducing Colby Rasmus as the latest addition to the club. Assuming the Astros are done swapping outfielders, Rasmus and George Springer are virtual locks to be penciled into the lineup come Opening Day, with the final outfield spot to be sorted out come spring training. However, general manager Jeff Luhnow tipped his hand at Tuesday’s press conference, indicating that Jake Marisnick stands to be the front-runner to receive the bulk of playing time at that spot.

“I got to say, based on how Jake did at the end of last year, he’s going to be strong consideration for a starting spot,” Luhnow said. “But you know, I think part of the theme of how we’re constructing the roster is there’s options at every position. … Based on what Jake did second half of last year with us, yeah, he deserves every opportunity to be a starting outfielder, and he’ll probably get (that opportunity).”

Marisnick slashed .272/.299/.370 after being acquired from the Marlins at last year’s trade deadline and is still just 23 years old. However, the toolsy outfielder has struggled against quality breaking pitches since arriving at the big leagues, resulting in a worrisome 26.5 percent strikeout in just over 350 career plate appearances. Marisnick’s defensive chops will buy him time to adjust and figure things out at the plate and it appears that the Astros are willing to grant him that opportunity.

But even if Marisnick fails to run away with the job, it seems more likely that the Astros turn to some rotation of Marisnick, Gattis, Robbie Grossman and Alex Presley in left field rather than stick Gattis out there for good. Luhnow said during the press conference that he doesn’t imagine Gattis ending up being the club’s starting left fielder and indicated that the team would reassess how much playing time they would be comfortable giving him in the outfield after getting another look at his defense during spring training.

However, Luhnow & Co. gave up quality minor-league talent for Gattis and manager A.J. Hinch is going to want his bat in the lineup every night. According to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle, the team looks at Gattis to fit in more as a first baseman or designated hitter, leaving two spots in the lineup to share between Gattis, Chris Carter and Jonathan Singleton.

Prior to being called up from Triple-A last June, Singleton secured himself $10 million by signing a five-year deal with Houston that includes three club options. But after posting an ugly .168/.285/.335 slash line and striking out at a 37 percent clip during his four-month debut, Singleton appears likely to be the odd man out of the 1B/DH rotation come April. To make matters more difficult for the 23-year-old, Luhnow indicated that Singleton will be fighting for more than just playing time during spring training.

“Guys that have options are going to have to prove to us that they belong in the big leagues. I don’t think it’s just Singleton,” Luhnow said. “We’ve got multiple options at every position on the diamond now. So, you know, players may not be playing their preferred position — that puzzle will come together in spring training. We’re only guessing to try to figure it out right now.”

The Astros are expected to find themselves atop the strikeout leaderboard this season but even with that lineup they will find it difficult to stomach Singleton’s strikeout rate if he is unable to up the rest of his production. Singleton, like Marisnick, will get a chance to prove he belongs in Houston’s starting lineup during spring training, but the first base prospect could ultimately require some additional seasoning in the minors before getting another shot with the big league club.

Astros miss on Vogelsong; Giants now in serious pursuit
After Max Scherzer signed with the Nationals, the market for James Shields figured to pick up. That hasn’t been the case so far, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, who after talking to numerous sources wrote on Tuesday that for various reasons the industry doesn’t expect Shields to sign with the Marlins, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Royals, Tigers, Rangers, Brewers, Astros or Cardinals. Stark added the Padres to the “possible, but not likely” category.

Aside from Shields, the remainder of the free agent market mostly consists of backup outfielders and relievers, which is why the topic of Ryan Vogelsong is appearing in a Rumor Roundup post for the second time this week.

Last time we checked in on Vogelsong, the 37-year-old starter was in Houston and it was believed that the Astros were on the verge of signing him to a one-year deal. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last night that negotiations are headed in a new, but familiar direction.

The Giants already have six potential starting pitchers, but Vogelsong would add depth to a rotation that isn’t without its question marks heading into the spring. Tim Lincecum has been erratic out of the rotation in recent seasons and Yusmeiro Petit, while extremely effective down the stretch, had previously been a journeyman who relied on deception with an extremely small margin for error with his upper-80s fastball. Given Petit’s success as a relief ace during the playoffs and regular season, it’s not that hard to imagine why the Giants would want the flexibility to utilize him in a similar role going forward.

There’s also the health of Tim Hudson and Matt Cain, who are recovering from offseason surgeries. Both are expected to be ready in time for the start of the regular season, but it’s understandable that the Giants would want to bring back Vogelsong to provide even more rotation coverage. That is, if negotiations with the veteran hurler don’t shift course again.

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tsweber
1/22
Vogelsong could eat some innings I guess, but it scares me to think the Giants are seriously considering bringing him back.

Are they going after Zito too?
cmosch
1/22
Haven't seen anything linking Zito specifically to the Giants but Henry Schulman did report that he's supposed to hold a showcase soon. If he were to sign, it would almost certainly be to a minor league deal. Not much risk, I guess, but he was pretty bad the last time we saw him.