Hey guys..just wanted to give some of you a heads up and let you know the guest was a last minute decision and it's Tim Purpura here's here at live and the radio broadcast starts at 7 and he is doing this interview cause he said he wanted to clear the air about a lot of mis information going out there etc etc....so if you want check it out and it might answer some stuff. He looked kind of nervous walking in cause all the media was already here waiting for him to ask him questions.
Purpura being as clear as he can be. PLAN B- We are going with the young guys. We aren't trading our pitching and we aren't trading away Burke. Drayton knew what he was doing. We didn't go after other premier free agents not because of Beltran but because Drayton/Purpura want to go with the young guys. Drayton is a smart guy. I don't believe Boras put one over on him.
I think it was more a case of "there really wasn't anybody else that was that attractive other than Beltran," rather than "we love the young guys so much." Honestly... all you "plan B" advocates (njrocket).... who else did you want the Astros to go after? I'm already on record (from during the winter meetings, and after the beltran signing) that I didn't think Beltre, Drew, or Finley were either worth it or fit this team. I didn't mind Alou so much... but then you factor in that he's a 38 year old left fielder, who somehow stayed injury free last year for the first time in a long time... and that's normally not a trend that gets better with age. Other than those guys, I didn't see the Astros being in the market for anybody else big... the options just weren't that good.
I would have liked to have gotten Alou. But eh. This season we will be fast and athletic (minus Baggy). SHould be an interesting season, and hopefully good one.
Out of those three, the only one that could "earn" their contract is Lowe, since he's pitching in the NL and is in a severe pitcher's park. Clement has been Redding-lite in terms of "head" problems and inconsistency. Also, the Cubs basically let him go... to be somebody else's problem. Pedro? I'll pay half his salary if he actually pitches his entire contract without either a.) a major drop in production, or b.) a major injury. Hell... he may already be injured, per his refusal to take an MRI for the Mets. The pitchers that I covet are young POWER arms, who play on teams that might not be able to keep them long term (or they might not want to stay there long term)... Ben Sheets, Josh Beckett, Roy Halladay (not that young, but still Oswalt's age).
he basically said he will go young and pick up a couple older pitchers they talked about burba... and he said a left had specialist possibly john franco lefties hit .167 against him. He said a lot of teams are calling right now because we have space in our budget to help them move players. He talked about backe.. and how he does not plan to move him but he will not rule out anyone if it can help the franchise
He said he doesn't want to trade Burke and he doesn't want to trade pitching. I added the part about going with the young guys.
Hmm... Berkman (pre and morseo post-injury). Ausman. I sorta think Bagwell is still one of the 'stros better baserunners. WHich I think underlines a big problem with the team.
How about trades? How about Podsednik? Matt Clement or Derek Lowe wouild certainly have helped. You'd rather have Orlando Palmiero than Moises Alou if you had the chance? How can you say that a guy like JD Drew or Beltre wouldnt help us? Thats being naive. You think JD Drew is injury prone? We have a 1B whose arm is about to fall off his body and can only hit if someone is behind him in the lineup. How about Hudson? How about Mulder? How about Carlos Be...never mind...how about Orlando Cabrera or Edgar Renteria? Dont like Beltre? How about Glaus? WHat about Russ Ortiz Carl Pavano, Odalis Perez, Brad Radke, Woody Williams or Jaret Wright????? Not enough talent for ya Timmy? Maybe thats because he wouldnt know what talent unless it was stuffed inside of a friggin burrito. I wish the hell I was around for that interview because I would have rattled off those names to him and see what he had to say.
Clement and Lowe? Ok...You're talking about guys who would be #3 or #4 (if Rocket returns) starters for us. For 9 mill a year or so, no thanks Podsednik fetched an under 30 .300-30-100 guy in Carlos Lee. We didn't have one of those. Drew and Beltre are Boras guys. Enough said. Renteria and Cabrera are nice, but we're paying Everett less than a mill, and he's a dandy of shortstop. I'll give you Hudson or Mulder, but frontline starters are not something we're lacking. The price for one of those guys probably would've started with Burke and Astacio, plus probably a Lane, Buchholz, or Backe. You can have your Jaret Wrights for 3 years, 21 million. Purpura's been one of the leaders in talent identification in this organization. Criticizing him on handling the media, and agents like Boras is one thing, but not on talent knowledge
lowe's contract is way to high he has had one good season his whole career and has basically lived off of that. he is not worth 9 mil a year for 4 years
Both of those guys could win 15 games for us...4th starters on a team where Pettitte is coming off of surgery and our #1 might give us some sympathy sex on his way to the hall of fame wouldnt be such a bad thing Boras guys who signed with other teams without a bunch of he said/ she said BS for 2 months. This is the point in your post that I realized you would argue every name I listed. The Cards gave up HAren, Calero and some other schmuck for Mulder...the Braves gave up Thomas (who isnt any better than Lane if Lane is 1/2 as good as some of you make him out to be), Juan Cruz who cant find ther plate and some no name. Don't make it like we would have had to gut our entire farm system to get those guys. I beg to differ until he proves me wrong. All of a sudden you guys are making this guy the brains behind everything Hun did and found....I think not.
NJ they have said it before hun left that purpura was the man finding the players with the scouts. They talked about it tonite how he will use younger guys more. He was saying it will be good to see the guys he has been with since drafting and locating them.
