All right! Something that's never been discussed here before!
Just last week, there was an article in WSJ about the Astros. After they lost over 100 games, supposedly they became the most analytically-driven team. (Don't know if it's exaggerated and don't care.) Along the way, it was realized and determined that they needed
team chemistry.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the...ula-1509648139
(This requires a subscription.)
If anybody else here actually saw/read the article, it's not too surprising that it didn't receive much attention here. It doesn't contribute to the prevailing groupthink. OK, that's not directly related to Inciarte,
but the point is that few here realize just how good he is to this franchise. He, besides Freeman, is one of the players that you want to build a team around. Further despite message board hearsay about being close to 30, "declining," blah blah blah, he fits the profile of the team chemistry objective. He's somebody who provides leadership, professionalism, along with on-field excellence. It's an unknown factor how much
better he could perform during playoff situations, making the players around him better in the process. He, alone, was worth the Miller trade. Anything that Swawson eventually accomplishes is gravy.
If you really want to pinpoint "value," forget for a moment what Talking Chop or Law say. Hypothetically, throw the name out and see what teams would be interesting. Bet that the top contending teams in baseball would line up to try and get him. In reality, it would be foolish to let him go. Not simply because of the nice contract, but because he is the exact catalyst that they will need when they finally get good.