NAPLES, Fla. - The Astros have made multi-year offers to free-agent sluggers Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano and are in serious discussions about a deal with Woody Williams, according to a Major League Baseball official. Astros general manager Tim Purpura told the Chronicle late Wednesday he had made some offers, but won't confirm to which players. Lee hit .286 with 37 homers and 116 RBIs last season wiht the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers, and Soriano hit .277 with 46 homers, 41 steals and 95 RBIS last year for the Washington Nationals. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4340964.html Would one deal going through nix the other??? I'm assuming so.
I wonder if it's a first come, first serve basis. IE if Lee accepts first, Soriano's offer disappears. Amazing if we get both however.
i'm guessing we get woody williams at best. someone will offer the other two crazy money and that will be that.
i'm pretty sure that if for some strange chance in hell that they both say yes . . . then they will both be here (just a gut feeling though). Roger's chances of coming back are only higher if we are stacked! Drayton knows this better than anyone.
Because the well of $$$ can, and will, dry up. At the latest all major FAs are signed by 1 December IMHO.
Soriano has always been my favorite non astro player. I would love him and Berkman in back to back in our lineup. I think we will get Lee and not Soriano.
Guys you are talking about the astros, they signed players like clemens, berkman, petitte...dont underestimate this guy. we have the money and this market has grown a lot in the past two years. we are no different than ny now.
The Astros didn't sign Berkman, they re-signed him. Big Difference. Clemens and Pettitte were local guys. Jeff Kent was and is the biggest signing ever for this team and serves as proof that the Astros can get any player any time
However name a time the Astros signed a major free agent outright that they did not get a hometown discount for. Pettite, Clemens, Kent all had ties to Houston or Texas and all took less money to come here. Didn't Alou come over in a trade? If not he might be the exception. Randy Johnson, Beltran, (I'm forgetting someone here...) they came via trade and then left for more money. Woody Williams is another guy who will probably come for his ties to the area. I have a feeling Lee will sign here but if he does it'll only be after turning down more oney somewhere else.
I think this is the case. The Astros have learned their leason targeting only one player in Beltran. It's nice to see them put several contracts out there to see who bites.
If Tim pulls off the Soriano thing he should be exec of the year before the season starts That would be by far the greatest offensive F.A. signing in franchise history.
