Are you sure that you have your facts straight? 2012 2013 2014 The indictment extends far beyond the rebuild.
If you think they are a joke on the field this year, you haven't been paying attention. 36-39 in their last 75 games, playing a number of those games without their 2nd most consistent offensive player this year (Fowler) as well as 2 weeks without Springer. They are showing improvement and showing promise. They won't be expected to be in the playoffs next season, but a wild card in 2016 is certainly attainable.
I agree. But honestly does it make a difference? If the team is more exciting (and we have to say that Springer + Singleton coming up + Keuchel doing well / Altuve improving, now hopefully Folty doing something is all exciting)...then I'm ok. I don't need the team to go from worst in the ML to 4th worst in the ML to 10th worst and then to playoffs. I'm just as happy with worst --> 2nd worst (with some excitement) --> say 6th worst next yr --> playoffs. Same time period, less wins. I'd feel differently if the increased wins came with a shot at the playoffs...but adding 1 expensive player doesn't do that.
Ok, so two and a half. Still only halfway into a 5 year rebuilding plan. The plan is coming together, and most baseball people expect the team to be competitive in 2016. As far as it extending far behind the rebuild...we all know. Crane beat you up, stole your lunch money, took your girlfriend to the prom and disrespected your mother. That is the only rationale behind such blind hatred.
Well that's twice you put up wrong info in just this thread. The fact that you call it blind hatred is silly. There are far more people than just me who think Crane is a terrible owner. Why you have to cry and run to Crane's defense every time he screws something up makes me think you have a crush on him.
There are more people than just me who think you have some odd need to find Crane to be the root of all evil. It is an obsession of yours. Its like you have some mental block about the guy. Meanwhile, you defend everybody else...as long as you can blame Crane. Sometimes I wonder if you a loose screw or three.
If some of you would actually check out what the team is doing on the field instead of constantly complaining about the owner not spending money, you'd realize there is a vast difference between this season and the last few. I wish you'd just go away so we could actually talk about the product on the field which is actually fun to watch for the first time in years (and way before Crane bought the team).
Holla. Anyone that is bashing the on the field product (while acknowledging we have had limited Fowler and Springer), then you're just being ignorant. If you agree, then ignore the people that are choosing to stay sour over the Astros. They will watch them contend for the playoffs in a couple of years and wonder why it didn't happen sooner.
Those people are called homers. Get outside of this isolated baseball forum within a basketball forum and test the waters. Do a google search on The Astros and Jim Crane. The only ones who are defending him are guys who get butthurt if someone dares tell the truth. Maybe just maybe some fans are tired of Crane running the team by scamming the system like a welfare abuser would. Easier to get his money doing nothing rather than trying. And yeah "expert", Crane is getting money from revenue sharing and national TV money enough to cover his pitiful payroll numbers.
I am neither a Crane supporter nor a detractor. I think at this stage of his ownership he hasn't had the opportunity to drop a lot of money on players that would make a significant improvement on their record. I think he has put a lot of money into the farm system as well as doing more in the International market than they have in the past. While the Aiken situation was unfortunate, if he truly has next to no UCL as has been reported, they gave him a fair offer $5,000,000+, which he chose not to accept. (Link to article about R.A. Dickey and his lack of a UCL - http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2014/08/03/r-a-dickey-can-empathize-with-brady-aiken/) You mentioned they continue to be a joke on the field. What are you basing that on? As I (and others) have pointed out, they are 36-39 in their last 75 games. They have been doing it the past couple of weeks without their starting outfield. Their bane continues to be the bullpen which they did address with two quality signings in Albers and Qualls and took a flyer that Crain would be healthy at some point this season. Essentially, Jim Crane gave Luhnow his blessing to throw 3.25 million at a player who may never throw one pitch for the Astros. Unfortunately, Albers injury has cost them a few more wins. While some point to their gaming the system with respect to trying to control Springer (and other teams have done the exact same thing), that did not stop them from bringing up Santana or Folty. They signed Singleton to a multi-year contract without him ever having a major league at bat. This is a risky situation for both parties, but Crane signed off on it. The CSN situation continues to be a mess, but as it has played out, it seems all parties are at some level of fault. 2015 and beyond will be the true telling points regarding Crane's likelihood to spend money on actual, existing ML players to push the Astros towards the playoffs. It is feasible they will have a .500 record next year and legitimately having a chance for a wild card berth in 2016. When Crane and Luhnow took over, they had a plan. So far they appear to be sticking to it.
You make it sound like Crane has been owner for decades when it's been less than five. And I would say most fans are just tired of the team losing, and that goes well before Crane's tenure with the team. But anyone who actually pays attention can see that this year is the first in a long while that you can actually see the light.
They pretty much laid it out when he bought the team, and they haven't done anything budget-wise that should surprise anyone. I don't understand why people are shocked or disappointed at how they've spent (or not spent) so far. I'm going to keep saying it, this offseason is huge for them, both in terms of improving the team and (relatedly) energizing the fan base.
I'd settle for Correa making a full recovery, and Appel having a strong end to the season, and a possible successful AFL stint, that has him back on track.... those two things would "energize" myself (and give a great chance for some real future long-term success). Also, a Springer "extension" (ie - buyout arbitration + 1 FA year) would be nice, and seeing Dexter Fowler run again sometime soon would also be encouraging.
I hate to re-hash this, but what Dickey has (congenital absence of a UCL) vs. what Aiken has (a congenitally "small" UCL) are two entirely different things. Dickey's issue almost always predicts future failure/degeneration. Aiken's issue is a total unknown of what will happen. There's a good chance his other ligaments/muscles have compensated for his UCL and this actually lessens the strain on his arm. I think the main concern the Astros/doctors had was "if" something were to happen to it (with the similar risk of any pitcher), it "may" be harder to repair with traditional TJ surgery (but again, that also is unknown). We won't know much more till he actually gets hurt.
I mainly posted it just to show what the Astros were told based on this quote: “He may have some (of the UCL), but not much.” I tend to agree that nothing will ever be known for sure unless he gets hurt in that area or has any sort of preemptive surgery.
Springer doesn't seem willing to sign any kind of extension unless it's for his market value, which is smart for a player of his caliber and potential. There's no point in even wasting time hoping for an extension. I understand people are upset about not signing the #1 pick, but I think it's overblown. We get the #2 overall pick as a comp. It's not the end of the world.
There is one thing to expect a normal fire sale and a low payroll. The Astros went a lot further than I expected in cutting costs. If I was MLBPA, I would strongly want a salary floor in the next labor agreement. Granted, the Astros weren't being paid media rights, either. I'm not as shocked or disappointed as most, but it is completely understandable that some people are really shocked/disappointed. I do find it irritating when people's frustration over the overall performance the last few years gets blasted at each move even if it has little to do with the overall problem (not enough talent on major league roster to contend).
Since this thread is about waiver claims, and Crane is who everyone is talking about, I must conclude Crane is available on waivers.
