That's nice to know, but what about the others. Are they expendable? They need to get some firepower on this team other than Beltran to get this offense going.
Sure, they're not looking to move them right at this very moment, but we'll see if things change by the end of this month, for better or for worse.
Sportscenter was discussing who would be the better pitcher to trade for, Johnson or Clemens? I know it was hypothetical, but if the Astros even considered trading Clemens then they're a bunch of ___________.
They will be forced to do this by the EOM. They are playing so poorly that by then they're be out of the wildcard picture. The division title is gone. Then the damage control operation will go into full effect.
If Clemens wants to rejoin the Yankees, then let Clemens demand a trade in public. It would be a PR mess to unload him and then point fingers. Let him express his unhappiness to the media. Beltran has to be shipped IMO if there is more than a 10% he won't resign. Drayton should sell the team and the new owner should clean house if the Astros let Beltran walk at the end of the season. Do they really think they have a chance in the playoffs? What kind of weed are they smoking at MMP?
On 610 this morning John Granoto was talking about this article. It sounded like pure NY speculation. If Clemens wouldn't mind going to NY then that would be great. We could get some value back for him. The Astros are likely done, and we should start unloading the players that will not be around here next season.
I just don't think you trade Beltran. You build around a guy like that. If Clemens really wants to go then I would tag Bagwell on with him . Clemens is such a hot ciommodity in post season at such a low price, that I would definitely make Bagwell a condition of the deal. Bags could not complain either as he would be going to NY to play for a championship. The 'stros get his huge salary off the books. Can afford to pay Beltran and we can feel good that Jeff got his chance in the series. Kind of a bad feeling left by losing Clemens but that would be his choice anyway. I certainly would not blame Gerry for pulling this trigger. You have my blessing to trade Bags. OK Drayton. It's time to let the legend die. His time has come and gone. Let him go if you can. Thanks Jeff for 13 exciting years. Good luck.
Trade this guy, trade that guy, can't afford this guy, and that guy we can't afford to resign. Why do Astros fans bother? Or any team not from New York, Boston, or LA, for that matter. Sorry to b**** and moan, but I'd be a pretty big baseball fan if not for crap like this. Its a broken sport, and I just cannot understand why fans even bother. Anyway, I'm out.
It's sad when I believe Mclane has more money to begin with than Steinbrenner, but mclane is sooooooooo fukin cheap it's sikcening. He's a BILLIONARE and want's to a save a nickel here and there. It's his money but it also hurts the team in the long run. Matress Mac would be a great owner. He was rumored that he was interested in buying the Astros.
Mcclane made his billions ny not neing willing to lose money on any venture I'm sure. The big markets LA NY and Bos afford their owners the ability through revenue to spend more freely than the other teams, it is a broken system which allows teams and cities to grow players only to have them bought away from them whenever they reach their potential. How do you think the Royals fans fell right now. Baseball is the only sport where instead of building around your talent youre trade it away before you can't afford it. There are four or five perennial contenders and everyone else is jsut trying to catch lightning in a bottle like the Marlins did. Drayton and Gerry have kept this team together longer than I thought they should have but I can not fault them for fielding a great product for the past ten years, really since Mcclane bought the team he has tried to add parts, it could be alot worse, trust me. Anyone who buys a new team will grow tired of sinking money into the team only to have other teams always be able to pay more. As for breaking up the team, yes it's time; it was time in '98 after they lost RJ and the usual suspects stunk it up again in the playoffs. Now we are stuck with a couple of aging guys Bidge (yeah he's been great) and Bagwell who if you are going to get rid of them it will have to be a part of a package with Clemens or Beltran and even then that may asking for too much. In the end if getting Beltran or Clemens doesn't lead us to the playoffs and world series glory and it only means that we can force someone to take Bagwell in a trade along with either Beltran or Clemens then in the long run it may have been worth it. I don't think Bags is already totally washed up yet but I do think with his remaining contract we are fast approaching a time when it will be hard to stomach him being on the team. Regarding Clemens, he has showcased to both leagues now that yes he is one of the greatest ever to play in the league however, he is still one of the biggest asses to ever play. Roger wants to pull on my heart strings, hometown boy ... blah ...blah ...blah. He could have come home whenever he left Boston the first time for Toronto but he spurned us and the organization so I would haver no problems trading away him, who make no mistake was brougfht in here to get us to the Series; as soon as it bacame evident this team was nowhere good enough to get there he becomes expendable, there are no emotional attachments to the guy, not for me atleast. Bags, honestly would be missed but he is a DH at best from here on out, BOL where ever you might land. Biggio enjoy your swan song here because I wouldn't resign you when I could use every penny to through at Beltran in the offseason who along with Berkman and Lane would get a two or three year run together. Anyway enjoy the rant and let me hear what you think.
You honestly think Steinbrenner pays for the team with his own money?? All the money they spend is off their PROFITS, since they have revenue streams that no other team has (Yes Network). McLane has done all he could to put a team that SHOULD win out there... if he can't win it all with this bunch, another direction has to be taken. They also need to get back to developing position players... Berkman was the last sure-thing in the organization, and after Burke comes up, its all smoke/mirrors down there.
Its not that drastic... but there is definitely a class system. Its pretty simple... you have the teams that will spend big money every year (Yankees and Boston), and that will never change. You also now have the teams that used to spend big money, but are falling back into the mid-market status (Atlanta, San Fran., NY Mets, Arizona, Texas, Dodgers, ). Then you have the mid-market teams that will occasionally pump big money into the club when they're having a great year (St. Louis, Chicago cubs/sox, Houston, Seattle, Toronto, Philadelphia, San Diego). Everybody else is small. Its those small teams that lose almost all their big free agents, but they do get a good 6 years out of them (for cheap), and many people say that those are most likely their best years anyways (thus, they got the most value, before it became ineffecient to have them on the team at that $$$). The mid-market teams can afford some big names, but not all... and they MUST still focus on player development, or else they might as well not spend any money, because they can't buy all the good players (see your current Astros... all old names, hardly any young studs on the horizon, and when things are bad they can only get worse). I actually prefer being a mid-market team (as long as you have a decent minor league system), because of the flexibility it affords you to have a decent team each year at a cheaper price, possible world series contention, you can still sign the occasional big FA, and you can still always rebuild (rather than reload) with young prospects who could be much better in the long-run than an aging overpaid superstar.
The East Coast media just makeup the craziest things. There is no chance that the Astros deal Clemens and if he wanted to play with NY so badly he never would have retired.
If Clemens forced a trade, I like the suggestion of dealing him along with Bagwell, in a package. Then try and re-sign Beltran. Personally, I don't think the Stros will ever win a championship, unless they have one of those magical seasons, or baseball institutes a salary cap.
