The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - MLB.com's Brian McTaggart Joins For Astros Opening Day

Episode Date: March 26, 2026

MLB.com's Brian McTaggart Joins For Astros Opening Day

is the Matt Thomas show with Ross. Straight up here on Sports Talk 790. Hello and welcome into our number four of the Astros Street Fest. Spectacular. It is the Matt Thomas show with Ross, without Matt Thomas, with Adam Wexler, with Adam Planted. And now with Brian McTaggart. I'm not trying to age you, McTaggart,

but do you know what number opening day this is for you? 20-something? 3, 24. That's pretty good. You kind of know your stuff. I hope so. We'll see. All right, so a number of different directions to go. We'll go ahead and start with the somewhat news of the day. Jeremy Pena, not in the lineup.

You tweeted out with that that the Astros are expected to sort of bring him along slowly. How do you expect that to play out? We know that he got some live action in Sugar Land today. Yeah, I think within like a week he's probably going to be in the lineup every day. It was either have him start three or four. games here the first week or not have him at all available, you know, through the first, you know, seven, eight games, however long the IL stint would end. So they just decided he was close enough that we'll carry him. And hey, they have an extra infielder, so why not?

They have an extra infielder. Another long-running off-season storyline. Carl's Correa playing shortstop today, obviously. Did you feel like he was able to do all the things as a leader when he arrived here last year versus the things we kind of expected to now do being here through the off season all through spring training, etc? Yeah, I think so. I mean, they had a massive void in leadership

I think after some guys left like Maldonado and Bregman. I mean, Altuvae is really not interested in being that type of leader. I mean, obviously his leading is on the field, but they needed that voice to come back. And he stepped in right away, and he got them to change some things in the spring about how they go about their workouts to try to keep the guys fresher.

He talked with some of the players about nutrition, watching what they eat. He eats really clean, really healthy. He wants the other guys to do the same. So back at shortstop, but he looked really good at third base two in the spring. So it's a good thing for the Astros to be able to put him in short. I feel like this is overly simplistic, but I don't care because I went through last season like you did. If the Astros are healthy, isn't that good enough for like X amount of wins? Yeah.

Yeah, I think people, I see the Astros as a middle of the best. pack, people rank in the middle of the pack or lower. I mean, last year they had a devastating amount of injuries and missed the playoffs by one game. I mean, if Yorda and Alvarez is healthy the entire season, I think they win the division. They still led the division for more than 90

days last year, despite their injuries. So that's the number one thing. I think this roster is a playoff roster if they can stay healthy. They need Yordaan to play 130, 140 games. They need Pena to be on the field every day. And they need

they need guys like Cam Smith and Zach Cole to the young guys to take a step forward a little bit and Joey Loperfito as well. And if that health is there, I mean, two of the big offseason storylines were Jake Myers possibly getting traded and then of course the infield logjamming trades there. I mean, where do we stand on that? Is that just everything is completely cooled or off the table or just on hold? What's the situation do you think? Yeah, I think everything's on hold for now.

I mean, I think teams have their roster set and maybe as we get closer to trade deadline. I think the issue with Paredes, I mean, they tried to trade. him, but the Astros had such a specific need that they wanted back. They wanted a left-hand hitting outfielder, and now you needed to match with another team that needed a third baseman, a right-hand hitting third baseman. There just was never a match there. And Myers, too. I mean, I think the Astros asking price on Myers is pretty high as it should be. And they're content to go with what they have. It'll be interesting once they're back, healthy, and Pena's back how they work Corretta's in. Joe Espada says he's going to play pretty much every day.

They can play them at all the infield spots except shortstop and D8. So there's going to be a bat's for him. What do you think about the outlook for some of their younger guys? Two of them are in the corners today. Joey Lopafito getting to start in the field, returns to the Astros, left-handed bat. And obviously, Cam Smith, he was the opening day right fielder a year ago. He is again. A, do you feel like he won the job in spring training?

And what do you think the outlook is for those two young players this season? Yeah, I think Cam won the job. I mean, we all know what Dana Brown said in November that he's going to have to come to camp and prove himself. And he did that. He made some changes with his swing, trying to keep things simpler, look like he was pulling the ball more. It looked a lot more comfortable. He just seems a lot more comfortable in his own skin, which is natural to his second year. So I think he definitely came in and won that job. Loper Fido looks like a different hitter than he was the first time here. I mean, he's not striking out as much. He's

hitting the ball hard. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep this left field job or if he struggles if they'll start doing a platoon with Bryce Matthews or if Zach Cole comes back up, but they had to get younger, more athletic in the outfield, and they certainly did that with Cam Smith and Loper Fido, and the question comes now, are they going to hit enough to stay in this lineup? Camp Smith hitting six tonight, so they're showing a lot of confidence in him. Talking to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. I think it's probably the surest sign of confidence in a guy that nobody's even talking about Hunter Brown. He's going today. He's going to be awesome. he's going to be a Syung Award candidate right there near the top because of course he is right

yeah I think it was his second third start of the spring in Florida it was probably March 10th or 11th he pitched like four innings no one could touch him and I was like man you look like you're ready to go and he's like I am it was just a matter now of just getting the reps the rest of the spring he looked really really good they're starting pitching look really good in spring and you can get full by that I mean a lot of the guys are facing or double a guys or guys who aren't going to play in the big leagues, but Mike Burroughs looks like a dude. I mean, he's a guy that will compete and works fast. Emi has some crazy stuff.

I'm anxious to see what he can do later in this series. But they went out to try to beef up the depth of their starting pitching. And they did. Look at who's in AAA now. You got Erigetti, Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander, who won like nine starts in a roll for him. Even a guy like JP France. So if there's injuries, they're positioned now with some guys who have some little bit of a track record.

to move into the rotation. You've been basically a West Palm Beach resident for better than a month for the past several years. This year was a season at spring training off of no playoffs. Last year was the spring training off of not winning in the playoffs. And then all the ones before that were off of having great post seasons. Is there any vibe difference that you felt maybe this year with this group? Not so much the players. I mean, I think Espada has talked about how he didn't sit well with them for the playoffs last year,

not to be in the playoffs. And I think bringing back a guy like Correa who was in an organization that didn't win and started tearing down, he's like, I want no part of this. I want to win. And so now he's back, and I think he's bringing that mentality as well.

And you have guys that have been here, and all they've known is Winnie, McCullors, Altuve, and they want to get back there. And I think that's going to be something with Carlos at the head of it. I think that's going to help drive this team a little bit. They're not used to not playing in October. Since you brought his name up, you're the guy that kind of shine a little bit more light on that story with Carlos Correa.

Just talk about how that story got told to you, how that came to light, because as you wrote the article, he had already told that story, but you're the one that kind of put it out there, and a lot of people are like, whoa, I didn't know if that happened. Yeah, I had heard over the winter that he did a sermon, if you will, at a retirement home, which I was like, wow. And also, that he talked in this sermon that he almost drowned. And so I kept it, it's like, I need to ask Carlos about this. And the next thing we know we're at spring training, next thing we know we're halfway through spring training. And so finally I asked Carlos, I mean, did you give this sermon? And he's like, yeah, I'd love to talk you about it.

He's like, sure, you know, it took a little while. And then one day I'm in the clubhouse. He's like, let's talk. So he brings me over, sit down in the clubhouse, which you're not supposed to do. But if Carlos Correa tells you to sit down, you sit down. And so, you know, I started asking him about the sermon and the way he sort of found religion. and then I asked him if there was a point to where something happened and he went into detail about this incredible story in the water

that he told at the retirement home a few months earlier. Just an incredible story and it ended up being sort of a life-changing event from him where he thought he might be done and he said a little prayer and now he wants to give more sermons. He's gotten really involved in his church and, you know, good for him. It was a pretty scary deal. and a thing that changed his life off the field. Did he bless the elbows of the Astros pitching?

I don't know if there's that kind of power. Okay, well, I guess maybe it may take time. But speaking of Carlos Gray in his season outlook, and I also want to talk about Jose Al-Tuvae. We're kind of just setting and forgetting those guys in the lineup every day, but these are also guys that are into the 30s. Carlos has had some injury history. Al-Tuve has been declining for a couple of years,

but two guys are the heart and soul, obviously, of this Astros' Renaissance. What do you think the realistic season outlook is for those two? Yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be interesting because they've, you know, revamped their hitting, two new hitting coaches, actually three new hitting coaches. And we hear good things in the spring. Again, you don't know how it's going to translate it at 3 o'clock today. But we'll see. But I think Altuve being back at second base and second base only is probably going to give him a little bit of peace of mind.

You know, I don't think he was too wild about playing left field, but he did it because he was a team guy. But you're right. He's a guy who's declined now for several years. He's going to be 36. Can he find a little bit of an extra gear? I know that he's super motivated, not only to win, he wants to get to 3,000 hits, of course. He's going to have to start stacking up 150 hit seasons here. So if he can do that, I think they'll be in good shape.

Correa says he took more swings this offseason than he ever has in his life. And again, really enjoyed working with the new hitting coaches. So I think he's going to be rejuvenated being back here for a full season. But, man, you never know until they get out there and start playing. What are your thoughts without definite knowledge of both of their lefties that start the year on the IAL, Ben it's Sousa's situation and where Josh Hader is at. Sousa sounds like it's going to be like a six-week thing. I don't think he's going to be close at all.

But Hater is throwing a bullpen tomorrow. And Dana Brown said today he's going to face hitters in mid-April. So we're like two or three weeks away from him, maybe pitching a live BP. Then you start that whole progression, simulated game, go to Sugar Land. So I think we're looking at probably early May. And if that is, that's fine. I mean, you want Josh Hater for later in the season. They didn't have them last year.

And that was a big blow not having him. So if he comes back in early May and can pitch the final five months, I think you'll take that at this point. All right. We'll wrap up with obligatory crystal ball time, Brian. ALS and Astro specifically, it feels like a wide range of outcomes. But how do you see this playing on it? Yeah, everyone's picking the Mariners.

I mean, for good reason. Their rotation is great. They have some really good players. But I go back to last year. Astro stay healthy last year. They win the division. And I think if they stay healthy that they can win this division. I like their offense.

A healthy Astros offense better than Mariners. But I think it's going to be between those two teams. Don't plan out the A's. They're not going to win the division. That team can hit. And that team is going to be a team you're going to have to worry about a little bit. They beat up on the Astros a little bit last year. So it's going to be a fun division.

But I think Astros and Mariners are going to be right there at the end. MLB.com's Brian McTagher. Going to be our weekly guest on the Matt Thomas show with Ross. Thank you.