C'mon man, please don't burst my bubble like that. Can't I dream of a Correa/Moncada left side of the infield for the next 10 years?
What would be the affect if the Astros did pursue and acquire Moncada? If the Astros are thinking 2016-2017 contention, the consequences might be worth it.
according to MLBTRADERUMORS.com "Astros owner Jim Crane told Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that he doesn’t envision his team signing Shields. Some have speculated that Houston could be a sleeper for Shields, with the fruits of their rebuilding efforts on the brink of Major League contribution. However, Crane cited the lack of TV revenue from 2014 and Shields’ age as factors. “With the (local) TV money not coming in last year, that really hurt. That was over $50 million that we did not receive,” said Crane, who also added that he’s not sure the team is quite ready to begin making four-year investments. He did note that the Astros would have to consider the move “if we got a good deal.” so Crane would only go for Shields "at the right price." I have no problem with their decision not to want to offer him a 4-5 year deal at his age, but I hate hearing from the owner how cash-strapped they are due to lack of revenues, etc... not saying we have to spend like the Yankees but it would be nice to root for a team that is down to open their wallets wide to do what it takes to win.
He won't have the revenue crutch to fall back on next year. I'll be interested to see how he acts next off-season now that he will have TV rights and should have a team ready to compete. If he falls back on the "no money" argument again then I will be concerned.
100% penalty only means MLB gets the money and not Moncada. In other words, if Moncado is worth 80 million, team will offer 40 million. I believe Astros would be limited for two years. Considering Moncada, the loss of bonus spending the next two years is insignificant. Now the 80+ million needed to sign Moncada, that would be why Astros wouldn't do it. I don't think much of the 80+ million is deferred so that is a huge chunk of money now for a team not paid 50 million in TV revenue last season.
It's 2 years worth of penalties and I believe you're limited to $300K as the penalty. It would make more sense for the Astros to splurge next year, assuming their record is better and they have less international "capspace" to work with. And if you're going to do it, you should just go all out by signing multiple players since you're going to be effectively signing for 3 years.
Very true, especially with the Yankees & Red Sox limited to the $300K bonuses for the next 2 signing periods.
Interesting take. I like Obie. He's never flat out terrible. He's usually good for 6 innings, 3 runs...decent starter. Probably better suited as a long reliever on a championship contender, but he could be a serviceable #5 for a competitive team.
Obie is a good #5 pitcher in probably 40-50% of teams in the majors. upgrading his position should not be a priority unless he is a free agent wanting #3 or #2 pitcher money. or if a young pitcher in the minors takes his spot flat out. I can see Obie being a #5 pitcher on this team for a couple of more years.
I think Obie is an MLB starter, even on a good team. He's unlikely to ever be a TOR guy, but I think he can be a solid innings eater who gives you around a league average ERA, which was basically his projection coming up. Particularly if you are a salary conscious team like the Astros. Having a guy do that on the cheap allows you to upgrade the team around him, maybe allowing you to splurge and get an actual TOR pitcher in FA.
Hilarious. Crane is claiming that he didn't have enough money last year. Hopefully he realizes that a balance sheet includes both revenue and expenses. His opening day payroll was only $44MM in 2014, dead last in the league and $40MM less than the next lowest team in the division, Oakland. So, while he failed to collect $50MM last year from Comcast, he also was still running the team on a shoe string budget.
A business with a $50 million revenue shortfall tends to cut back expenses. Not only did they lose $50 million in revenues, the team probably didn't sell as many tickets or as much merchandise as they would have had local fans been able to follow the team. This doesn't even touch the hundreds of thousands the Astros had to spend in legal fees from the CSN bankruptcy. The last two years are a financial anomaly for the team. Next offseason, the team should be more willing to spend.
Spending money for the sake of it is pointless, especially on older pitching. The Astros can get Shields level talent when they are closing to contending.
let's start the season already!!!!! I'm anxious to see the new lineup in games. I'm meh on the pitching rotation, but hope we find a gem out of our prospects this spring training. I can honestly say, probably the most excited I've been for baseball since, umm, 2007?? I kinda went comatose during the 2010-2014 years. Let's go 'Stros!!!!
Formerly known as Fausto Carmona <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> have signed RHP Roberto Hernandez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.</p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/565964260321140736">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Hernandez, 34, went 8-11 with a 4.10 ERA (75ER/164.2 IP) in 32 games with the Phillies and Dodgers in 2014.</p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/565964998980034560">February 12, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
