The Astros were never going to spend big on starting pitching. It’s a shame but hopefully they understand that complacency isn’t going to get it done
Like they said, they were going to trade for a pitcher and sign a cheap bounce back candidate like a Mongomery. A guy that didn't receive a QO.
WTF? Considering how much being under is worth, I would think they would have a team figuring that number out. There is no way Crane blows his wad in a trade this year even if we are contending.
I think this is a very good way to live life. Unfortunately it seems like the bottom line of money and praise is all that matters and not that it is earned. I have made a lot of mistakes in my professional and personal life. I could have been discharged from jobs/accounts/clients many times. I have not lost many simply by being honest, apologizing once and offering a possible solution if there is one.
It isn’t always as easy as it seems and I don’t know what his involvement was with other possible trades. He was on the phone working on possible deals and that had something to do with it as well. Because I am essentially asking for information, I try to just listen and not distract… especially when the phone call is personal and what the Astros are doing is secondary.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is what I posted like a month ago. They want to trade for a higher end starter and sign a secondary starter. They also want another corner outfielder. That could be in free agency or trade.
This is the way I've run my business for over 30 years. It's served me well. If you're wrong fall on your sword mentality has gone by the wayside these days.
I am hearing conflicting reports. In the end it doesn't matter because the Astros are not signing Kung, Suarez, or Gallen. But there is a question about whether the PPI is ineligible to count toward penalties. The $1M loss in international F.A. Funds is 100% true. But the draft picks lost could he #28 and #119* Or #59* and #133* *if my math is right.
Who gets the axe to make room for Weiss on the 40? My guess is VanWey but it could be France or Whitcomb. I want it to be Trammell or De Los Santos but they have already agreed to money so it won't happen like it should have 2 weeks ago. They have to pay anyway, so they aren't just throwing them away. FWIW I will run naked down my street clucking like a chicken if they remain on the 40 man roster all season.
If Crane is set on staying under the tax, it feels like there won’t be many upgrades made. The pitching addition via trade might offset the Framber loss.
Reading into the latest rumors and quotes, it seems like they intend to move Sanchez and Meyers. That will clear another ~$10M, which conservatively puts them ~$30M under the CBT. At this point I don’t see them spending any more money on the bullpen, and it seems pretty clear that the backup C need is not a priority. The last few days and quotes around the Weiss signing make it seem like they are content to have Javier, Weiss, Arrighetti, McCullers, Blubaugh, and the other internal options fill out the 3-7 spots in the rotation, which means they are mainly just looking for one playoff caliber starter. There has been very little talk of adding a bat, but I think they are just prioritizing getting the SP first and then will move on to addressing the need for another OF; I think it would be foolish and unlikely for them to trade both Meyers and Sanchez without bringing in another veteran OF of some kind. Short story is they have plenty of money to go get a ToR SP in trade. Once that is done they’ll re-assess their payroll and see what they have left to address backup C, another SP, and a lefthanded OF bat. It’s a bummer that the Astros have $60M in 2026 payroll tied up in 3 non-star players (Walker, McCullers, Javier), but I still think they have the resources to field one of the 7-8 best rosters in the league.
I thought I read/heard somewhere we were still looking for a corner outfielder and a lefty bat. Which makes it seems odd that we have Sanchez and are looking to trade him. Curious to see who is removed from the 40 man from Weiss. It seems like JV is out of play. Although I'm underwhelmed by Pearson and Weiss as our SP additions.
Looking more into the Sanchez situation. He is basically unplayable vs LHP. If they can replace him with a guy who can play against both LHP and RHP then it frees up Cam Smith to be sent to AAA to learn to use his power and get another year of control for the Astros. I like both the Pearson and Weiss signings. It's never a problem to have too many plus arms that are healthy. Weiss adds another starter who was able to pitch 180+ innings (including playoffs) last year. They still need a #2 which is why JV is likely out of play, but the bottom of the rotation and bullpen are stronger. And the number of healthy arms with MLB quality stuff increased. At a total cost of $4M
Yes I am excited about this. They have an AppleTV and Firestick app for streaming along with apps for mobile devices and web access. I have streamed there services in the past and it was pretty good. There are some restrictions. You have to be in the service area (or at least have a VPN that says you are). If you travel you have a 30 day window to watch before you get locked out. Blackout restrictions still apply. But I will definitely pay $20 a month to stream over the $120 I was paying for FUBO and only watching the Astros.
I've got no problem with them moving Sanchez and Meyers. If they can trade for Donovan at 5 mil that will leave them 25 mil left to spend and they can trade for a guy like Rasmussen/Bubic (I dont know their salaries but they should be fairly inexpensive) Senga and get a reclamation project like Montgomery and still be under the cap. If they want to move more money trade Walker for a middle reliever and pay say 20 mil of the 40 mil he's owed and that would open up another 10 mil for a trade deadline acquisition. All of this can be done. They also depending on who they trade could have dynamic young arms in the bullpen to fill a spot or 2 from the minors guys Blubaugh/Pecko/Brito/Hicks etc.... I'm thinking Javier bounces back to become the quality SP3-4 that he was before TJ in his 2nd yr back from surgery. All isn't lost the way you're making it out to be.
