Crane took it upon himself to cut out his own knees by firing the best GM/Manager combo in franchise history instead of just standing on the MLB suspensions and picking back up next season. In my eyes the only way he can even somewhat atone for that extremely rash and foolish decision (especially considering how lightly Boston got punished and how the NYY are being protected by Manfred) is to open up the checkbook and re-sign freaking everybody. George AND Correa. Maybe that's not financially feasible, I don't know if it's a matter of not having the money vs. prudency of spending that kind of money...but that's what I need to see happen.
I find it funny that you believe a mere one year suspension would have still been the punishment had Crane not agreed to fire them. Manfred allowed Crane to look like it was his choice to "do the right thing", but it wasn't. You fire them, or we fire them for you...and more, your choice.
The players have a choice. My reading of the tea leaves on Springer is that between his service time manipulation, being from the northeast, and the cheating scandal, he is ready to go elsewhere. The pandemic free agent market may force him to accept a Qualifying Offer, but at this point that’s pretty much the only way I see him playing in Houston next season. At his age short term deals in places he doesn’t want to be really don’t help him. I will say I found Baker’s comment about Re-signing Springer and MM being the perfect park for him interesting. As an aside, it would not surprise me at all if Boston made a big play for Springer. Correa is a bit of a different story. While there’s plenty of reason to think a player like him wants to move on to a Top 3 market and secure as much money as possible, things have certainly not panned out as he’d hoped leading up to his free agency. Even if he were to come back next season and have a full, healthy, productive, monster season, the $300M+ he was dreaming of will not materialize. Given his age and ceiling (and that his wife is from Texas), he may do well by taking a big 1-2 year extension and hoping to Re-enter a healthier free agent market after raising his value. I could certainly see something like a $120M/5yr extension with an opt out after the 2nd year working for both sides.
Crane was TOLD he would fire the GM/Manager. There wasn't a lot of discussion. The league was to make them the fall guy and the whole thing was supposed to be swept under the rug and everyone was to move on, but the media did not play along and then the gag order on teams and players did not last long...... so it all blew up.
At this point there’s no more reason to think Verlander will be in Houston in 2022 than McCullers or Greinke. I think Verlander’s biggest desire (aside from simply getting back on the mound) will be to win, and it’s hard to say that after next season Houston will be in a better position to offer that than a lot of other franchises. The pitching coach may have an impact but will not be as important to JV as winning and money, and it’s probably 50/50 if Strom will even be around after next year.
I am not even sure how much of an effort the Astros will make to resign Springer at 30 years old. I am sure that they will offer him a deal but I don't see them getting into a bidding war for him. I think we will see the same with Correa as well. I somewhat expect the next 3-4 years of the Astros to be ran like the Rays. The Astros will try to piece together players around who they have.
Strom pretty much has lifetime contract. I'm pretty sure he can coach as long as he wants to coach and get paid as much as he wants to get paid. He isn't going anywhere other than to retire.
It is so hard to guess about 2022. The Astros very well could be great in 2022 depending on their pitching development and if they have resigned anyone. The pieces are there for the Astros to have their young pitchers to continue to improve next year. Plus the Astros should have some money to spend.
I've heard that before, but do we know for certain that's how it went down? If that is really the case that is so unfathomably effed up that I just can't believe that is the reality that MLB is so corrupt it would force dismantling of a franchise's front office while completely protecting another for the same behavior.
I posted on it right after it happened. The league wanted to punish the Astros by firing the two faces of the franchise, quickly get it out of the media cycle and use the Astros punishment as a warning to other teams........ MLB felt they could control the media reporting as many are employees of MLB, and they put in a gag order on MLB teams. The problem is no one followed what MLB said.
It's unfortunate because I do think this mess really affected our players' psyche. They effectively made one of the most cheered for baseball team and well liked players to become the most hated in the league. Fans of other teams now hate the Astros way more than they hate the Yankees and the Red Sox. Not to mention, it doesn't hep that Rockets fans (myself included) constantly complain about James Harden not being appreciated the way he should be. It is a tough time to be a Houston fan right now. We really needed either the Rockets or the Astros to play well this year. Don't even get me started on the dumpster fire that the Texans are. Haven't watched a single game this season, and not planning onto any time soon. Those 3-4 hours could be spent productively elsewhere.
As it stands, here are the Astros only payroll commitments for 2022: Altuve $29M Bregman $13M Pressly $10M vesting option James and Diaz will be arbitration eligible. Everyone else would still be on league minimum salary (assuming guys like Biagini, Garneau, and Pruitt will be cut loose by then). Might be worth it to make 2021 a reload year, trade away Greinke and Correa to save $30-40M and restock the farm, come into 2022 with a rotation of young studs, a good farm, an offense built around 3 young stud hitters (Bregman, Tucker, Alvarez), and an absolute ton of money to spend.
My guess is that they will discuss a 1-2 year extension with Greinke at some point and see if that is something he wants to do. Greinke has ALWAYS gone for the money and doesn't especially seem to be attached to any one place, so he may pass on the offer. I could see the Astros also try to workout a deal with Verlander for 22' if it is heavy on incentives. The Astros have been trying to move Correa for a pitcher for some time. Maybe they can move Correa and Whitley for a young #1-2 under team control.
Wouldn't mind seeing if Tampa will listen on Brendan McKay, the 2-way player. Click should be familiar for obvious reasons. Loved him since college. Not sure what role he'd have but when he was called up he was a consensus top 25 prospect. May not have a place? but if we can get him in return for something in a trade I'd be excited.
I have said this very thing also. And it is probably worse than most Houstonians realize given that mostly, we still see them in their previous light and ignore what the rest of the world thinks. I think the players are ahead of most fans in this. Their play, in part, shows to me what kind of toll this kind of thing can take. It is probably harder on the players that were drafted here and have played their entire ML level careers here than guys like Brantley who have spent most of their career somewhere else and understandably, are not as deeply embedded as a Houstonian as the home grown talent.
They have floated his name the last two years wanting a top starter back. My understanding is interest has largely been lukewarm around the league.
