It is a limited trade clause now, but I doubt it matters. Its still a good thing if the ownership situation is settled. We may have declined to do much at the deadline if ownership was in limbo, and it may also give us an early indication of what Crane wants to do.
Everything I've heard is that he will be committed to the farm system and building from the ground up. I would hope that would mean overpaying slot for mid-late round picks (as well as the early round ones), not wasting money on the Kaz Matsui's and Bill Hall's just to appease the fan base, and especially not signing or trading for a big-name superstar until this team has more pieces in place to make a run (ie - Carlos Lee.... antoher signing to appease the fan base). But trade deadline deals (which I assume you mean trading our established stars for prospects) are gonna best be handled by the GM's who have an active scouting department and know which team's prospects are being undervalued and are ripe for the picking.
Even though the Houston media has been reporting this for days, you didn't believe it until you saw in on espn.com?
No. I didn't read / watch any Houston media. Being up in East Tx....and being busy, I haven't exactly had time to search around on the news surrounding the Lastros. Last thing I saw of the Astros was the great escape. Hope Crane can turn this sinking ship around. no more bloated contracts.
Some tidbits from the PC: Jim Crane: Havent had much practice as much as Drayton. Drayton, you've been a great owner and a first class organization. Honored and proud to take over from you. Want to thank you for your legacy. Building this stadium, taking the Astros to the WS and creating an organization known for friendliness and first class. First: I love baseball. Has had big impact on me. From that moment, it has taught me and I gained confidence. Tought me to work hard and be a team player. I will use all those lessons. If not for my partners, I wouldnt be here today. Not only are they great but they love baseball too. They are the best possible partners. With that in mind for fans: fans come first. We will work hard to put out superior product. I believe in a first class franchise. Everything we do is about building a championship team. This is a dream come true. Again, I love baseball. Today is a great day for me and my family. Know what job one is yet? Gotta get approved by baseball. Thats number one. Still got some ways to go there. Not a lot of work with Drayton's group yet. Hands tied until then? Yes. Drayton still running the team until it transfers Money? I can tell you the pockets are empty. We studied it hard and have enough cash to run it effectively. Money being put in? We wont get into players and cash. We got to get the deal closed. What made this deal different from other past deals? Its in Houston. We looked at a number of different teams. We saw some books of other teams. Gave us valuable info. Ticket prices? I think they have a number of ticket packages in place. Havent really dived into that yet. We will be focused on the fans. Want to make it affordable. Difference between this negoation and the last one between you two? I think....it was the right moment. Drayton was ready to sell the team. We always had interest. Not easy deals but good deal for both sides. We're excited. Full time endeavor now? No, I still have other business interest. We'll hire best people we can find to run the business. My management style is to hire the best, let them run it and hold them accountable. They will have day to day operations. Do you own the majority? Cant go into partnership today. Have number of key partners that have invested with us. Your philosphy to being a contender again? Still not in charge. We have some ideas. Some things in place too. No one in the room is happy about where we're at. We want to work with whats here and make good decisions. We'll have a philosophy and we'll share that when we take over. Drayton, last 19 years, biggest accomplishment and regret? Best has been the people and friendships developed. Getting to know the leadership in Houston and people that support us. Jim, your style, will it be aggressive approach? When you look at our style, we'll try to be smart and spend wisely. Only a certain amount of money we can spend. We will spend every dollar wisely and appreciate every dollar spent here. Starts with the draft. Want to build the team for the future. That is our style when we start. Research of other teams, is there a model out there? When you think about it, a lot of that comes from economics. Yankees have more money than anyone so they spend it. We dont think thats best model but they're successful. Patti Smith with Justice: Thoughts? From Drayton's point, its emotional. There is work to do. You heard Crane say Yankees wont be the model, they will build through the draft. Patti with Drayton: How are you? Sad time. Feel like I did when I graduated college. Whats next? There is appropriate time to move forward and that time is now. We knew this day was coming. All of you are important to me. I will miss all of you. What will you fill your time with? 5 grandsons under the age of 7. Hope to spend time there. I still have 8-10 different businesses all over the world. Also want to get more involved in philanthropy. Want to get more involved with projects like that. You said you wanted someone like you or cared as much as you. We've known each other for 3 years. He is successful businessman. He has the passion. Knowing him, any sense of what he'll be? Hands on. He'll stay deeply involved. Baseball memories you remember most? Minute Maid Park. One of the best ballparks. Players too. Thousands of players in 19 years. One great memory is Bagwell and Biggio. Unusual where players play their whole career with one team. Are you able to walk away confidently without worrying about assistants? We got a great group. ... 6-8 more weeks of me and we still want to be champions. Patti with Tal Smith: How are you? Whats going through your head like today? A lot of thoughts. You reflect back on Drayton's 19 years. This stadium, first WS, you start thinking back of all the great moments. New opportunity for Crane and his investors. Happy for both parties. Wish Drayton well. What can you tell us about Crane? Cant tell you much. Hope to get to know him. You've been through this, how difficult is this? As you said, I've been through this. You learn to adjust. You look at it as an opportunity and try to make the most of it. Thank you so much.
Agreed...Lee is too fat and happy to leave...he'd have to actually work somewhere else...A new GM would be nice, but this is going to be a time for rebuilding...bring in talent and in the years to come, maybe we can compete...
Yea, I don't see him pulling a Berkman and suddenly whipping back into shape after being traded. I say we just waive him.
I wouldn't waive him until JD Martinez is healthy and ready to be brought up to the majors (I think he's ready now, just not healthy at the moment). Not if his defense is up to snuff but it couldn't be worse than Lee's.
let him play indeed. he may not be everything he looked like in April, but he plays hard. that 1-2 speed threat was pretty disruptive; I was enjoying it and hated seeing him get hurt.
Well, Bourgeois has speed... that's for certain, but he's a very light bat. He's not a long term option. Martinez is the future left fielder.
I hope the new owner is willing to pay players more when a player wants a raise & I want the new owner to go after better players by buying more than before to get the better plays.
My needs are simple. Please bulldoze that stupid hill in CF, or at least make it a sitting area for fans and bring the CF fence in to 410'. Put up a plexiglass OF fence and make it a picnic area or something. I'd like to see a HR to centerfield more than once or twice a season.
