Except we can't conclude that. Cardinals Deal: $65MM/yr for 15 years + 30% equity stake in FSMW Rangers Deal: $80MM/yr for 20 years I think most teams would take the Cardinals deal in a heartbeat. If rates continues to rise, those last 5 years will pay much more, and they get a huge stake in a TV network.
I don't know how much the Astros offered when the demand from Castro's representatives was superstar money (at the time). I do know that the Astros in 2014 the Astros made an offer to buy out his last two years of arbitration and two years of free agency. The offer the Astros made was competitive for other players that had contracts signed under similar situations.
Maybe not offseason related, but I'm not going to not post this pic: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2/7/65 The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> welcome the legendary Satchel Paige to test pitching conditions in the almost complete Astrodome. <a href="https://t.co/vY7iYGCNsB">pic.twitter.com/vY7iYGCNsB</a></p>— Mike Acosta (@AstrosTalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/AstrosTalk/status/696413696298340352">February 7, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Rangers also have an equity stake in FSSW (basically the same deal as the Cardinals), in a network with more overall subscribers. Also, the Cardinals max out at $85 million in the last year of the deal. As far as those last 5 years, It still remains to be seen if this network rights deal bubble has truly burst or not... on the one hand, you have debacles like what happened in Houston and what is continuing to happen in LA.... on the other hand, networks realize that pro sports is likely to be the only guaranteed viewing of something "live", and they're still willing to pay a premium for those captive viewers who can't skip commercials. For now, those who already have big deals locked in for more years are at a distinct advantage over those up for re-negotiation. In 15-20 years, I expect a vastly different TV landscape... with cord cutters and on-demand provided services to be the norm.... which makes any new TV deals beyond that subject to some big question marks.
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these deals go bad before they end. If the bubble truly bursts, a lot of these partnerships will go bankrupt.
I'm not a big Castro fan but I do see a situation where it'd be mutually beneficial for him to return next year. He's definitely not going to sniff the QO or really have a lot of interest in the FA market but I can see the Astros preferring him to rolling the dice on Stassi/Gonzales/Heineman/Pena. Other than Lucroy there aren't a ton of significant upgrades at catcher available. If they decided to sign him to a 2 year/$15 mil extension sometime towards next offseason I wouldn't blink twice.
Probably... and yet Arizona just signed for a "true-value disputed" 20 year/$1.5 billion dollar deal last year (another deal larger than the Cardinals, with value based largely on market size). Its a conundrum. We do know that live sports will always have a place on television... so a version of these channels will have to exist in the future. What we don't know is whether or not consumers will be confined to the cable/sattelite controlled "package" models, where they have to pay for every single channel just to ensure they're getting one. All networks will likely diversify and get to the point of being able to offer on-demand/mobile services separate from the big companies... right now, only the big networks (ESPN/HBO) have positioned themselves to be able to accommodate such a change.
It was reported that the Astros offered $25M for four years after his 2014 season; $5M for each of his 2 arbitration years, and then $7.5M for each of his first two free agency years. I'm not a huge Castro fan, but I would have turned that down if I were him as well. He'll probably get close to that even having played badly the last two years, and that's even if he is marginal this year as well.
I feel like it really isn't that big of a risk betting on one of those 4 guys to be able to replace the offensive production of Castro. Maybe you lose something behind the plate (or maybe not) but I feel like the drop off in the batter's box can't really be all THAT much. But considering our payroll I suppose a short 2 year deal like you mentioned wouldn't be that risky either.
The Astros offered him a deal very similar to 2/15 for his first free agent years and he balked. I don't think the Astros would pass up a good deal for any player that would help them; but I don't see Castro's camp taking that offer. Although I view Castro as not a great fit with the Astros "all or nothing" approach, I do think he would get a longer or more lucrative offer than 2/15 (assuming his past surgery and cyst removal don't cost him time next year).
Max Stassi is frustrating. He is a very fine catcher defensively, framing, calling pitches and communicating with his pitchers. He just loses interest in the minors.
Gattis being out should give others the chance to compete for his spot. If that's the case, he can take all the time he wants. Personally, I found him unimpressive down the stretch despite having an absurd amount of triples and leading the team in runs batted in. Singleton was unimpressive for me as well, and I would hope Reed can show what he's made of.
I don't think it is as simple as a lack of effort at the plate. It has been noted that he will get down on himself and lose focus; but his advanced stats show red flags as well. It has just been noted that the effort/focus increased when with the Astros. This is a big year for Max as far as remaining in the Astros organization.
makes sense. he's starting to feel very AAAA. A little Jio-ish? Definitely hopeful he can with the backup job with some authority and push Castro for PT. Maybe an underrated thing to watch for in ST given the impact it could have on future seasons with Castro
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Astros load their equipment truck Friday morning for 976-mile trip to Kissimmee, the last such trip to Kissimmee if all goes to plan.</p>— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDrellich/status/697580536403873792">February 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
God, this off season can't end fast enough. The Rockets season has become interminable and it's just the All Star Break
