I don't think the Astros will use the Marlins model. If the Astros were really going to use the Marlins model, they would have gone all in this season dealing prospects with the hope of winning in the next year or two before tearing everything down and rebuilding again. Luhnow has been pretty straight forward. He wants as many shots at the playoffs as possible and will not mortgage that for a single year or even two years.
Springer will be the easiest to retain if we want to. Given his age the market for him will be much thinner than the likes of Altuve and Correa. I think the most likely resign is Altuve. Keeping Springer will depend on how the team has formed around him by that point. Correa is gonna command a ludicrous contract most likely, and has made it clear that he is about business with the whole "Team Correa" approach. He is gonna be in rare air territory, and I just can't see us outbidding the blue bloods. Bregman is throwing his name in that hat as well with this strong campaign. If he's established himself as a great player, he could be a more affordable alternative to man a middle infield position. Then we could trade for a more traditional 3rd baseman and try to replace a Correa/Altuve in the aggregate. Not saying that will happen, just an example of how losing one of these guys doesn't mean collapse if you plan around them accordingly. You can lose superstars in baseball and keep rolling.
The Marlins won 2 World Series in 6 years. The formula works and it didn't cost them much. I think Crane will see that model and throw in a few bones to appease fans that think the franchise is cheap. Crane will keep this team young. You can see it with the value of our prospects within the org. They don't value the talent as much as they value their contracts. Look at Giles' situation.
When we make the playoffs this year, Luhnow will have made the postseason as many time as the Marlins have in their franchise history...2. The odds that you are gonna win it all in one individual season isn't great. The best way to win a WS (and get butts in the seats) is to get good, and stay good. The Marlins are is moribund franchise with no fan base because of their 2 tear downs. That 03 season was a fluke, and because it was such a fluke they never even saw an increase in attendance, then they tore it all down. Fans don't stick around just because you won a chip if none of the players are still there. Playing to a constantly empty stadium isn't what any owner aspires to.
Giles was an absolute stud and looked like the next Rivera at the start. I'm pretty sure anyone would rather have 10 years of a stud than 3-5. He was traded for because he was cheaper...but also because he was younger, meaning you can have a guy for his pre-prime years *and* prime years. That he hasn't been Rivera thus far can't be used looking backwards now. (i.e. if you draft Mark Appel, you can't go back and say "see, they didn't want to draft anyone good at #1")
This. The Astros paid a premium for Giles because of his age, success, upside and level of contract control he provided him. Giles has thus far been underwhelming based on the expectations.... the Astros traded real talent at the time of the deal, thus far the deal hasn't haunted the Astros.
If the formula really worked... you'd see more teams take that approach. There isn't even such a thing as the "Marlins formula".... they signed a ton of free agents and won the first WS... then gutted the team to slash payroll, hit on some draft picks like Josh Beckett, and won it all with a young team. They then stripped it down again... and are not close at all to making the playoffs. They won't make any money in this market unless they win.
If Alex Gonzalez doesn't drop that groundball (or perhaps Steve Bartman), the Cubs probably eliminate them and they have nothing to show for it.
Crane has been very open and honest about his financial plan for the team. So far, he has not really deviated from that. That being said, it's the first week of August, so why in the blue **** are we talking about this right now? November talk belongs in November.
Altuve and Correa are hall of famers in the making. The Astros have to bend over backwards to keep both of them. DK and Springer will probably walk and I'm okay with that as long as we keep Altuve and Correa.
i concur, i think its more likely we keep springer and altuve than altuve and correa. feel like correa is player who wants to be in the spotlight like the dodgers or yankees imo. nothing wrong with that, some players want to play in a bigger market
I agree to a certain extent . He has said he would increase payroll and then does . But ,he hasn't given any ideas what the ultimate payroll cap will look like . Maybe he doesn't know yet . I thought it was appropriate to bring up in the context that trading for vets usually results in a payroll increase .. And how much was the decision making process influenced by that ? We obviously don't know , but it's worth it , to discuss spending as a factor.
