Well does that expense impact what they're willing to spend on draft picks? Or signings after the '09 season?
Yes. See, you have to think like Drayton. Signing Pettitte would be a big splash for him, and he would probably use it to justify (to himself) saving in other areas.
Some interesting signings...if this was 2002. These are minor league deals... I do like the signing of Hall. He's decent insurance if one of Quintero or Towels disappoints. I didn't know that Danny Graves was still in baseball. Talk about making a HUGE mistake when the Reds tried to make him a starter. It ruined his career. For the most part, this is ST road game roster filler.
Baseball America Top 10 Astros Prospects [rquoter] 1. Jason Castro, 2. Bud Norris, rhp 3. Ross Seaton, rhp 4. Brian Bogusevic, of 5. Chris Johnson, 3b 6. Jordan Lyles, rhp 7. Felipe Paulino, rhp 8. Drew Sutton, 2b/ss 9. Collin DeLome, of 10. Jay Austin, of When the Astros wheeled across the finish line in 2008, team officials said they had two reasons to be optimistic. The big league club improved by 13½ games over the year before, and the June draft launched what Houston hopes is the rebirth of a depleted farm system. If that sounds as if it's grasping at straws, well, it is. The Astros have traveled a bumpy and unsettling road since their 2005 World Series loss to the White Sox, so they'll take anything they can get in order to combat the painful reality that they have fallen from power in the National League Central. While the Astros finished 86-76 and leapfrogged the Cardinals for a third-place finish, they had to hoof it to get there. Talk of wild-card contention briefly bubbled up in August but quickly faded despite a 42-24 second half. Nevertheless, it provided first-year general manager Ed Wade with some comfort after attempting to clean up the mess he inherited. The immediate future hardly looks encouraging, however. Between the majors and the recent draft class, the farm system has been gutted in recent years by trades, the loss of draft picks and the unwillingness of owner Drayton McLane to pony up signing bonus money that might have cushioned the fall. In 2007, for example, Houston gave up its first- and second-round picks as free-agent compensation, then failed to sign its third- and fourth-rounders. A year later, just one player from the first six rounds of that draft, outfielder Collin DeLome, remains in the organization. The aftermath has been tough to stomach. Astros minor league affiliates combined for a disturbing .397 winning percentage in 2008, easily the worst mark in baseball. Scouts from other organizations say they have to search far and wide to find Houston prospects who might be big league contributors. The Astros say the reconstruction is under way. They spent $6.5 million on the 2008 draft, their first under scouting director Bobby Heck. Heck, a former disciple under then-Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik, demonstrated that he wasn't afraid to take chances, spending the 10th and 38th choices on catcher Jason Castro and righthander Jordan Lyles though neither was considered a consensus talent for those slots. Initial returns on both players, however, were positive. After the season, Houston handed out contract extensions through 2010 to Heck, farm director Ricky Bennett and assistant GM David Gottfried. At the same time, however, the Astros continued their penurious ways by announcing they would pull out of Venezuela. Thanks to the efforts of Andres Reiner, who left to join the Rays three years ago, they had been scouting pioneers in the nation, signing such players as Bobby Abreu, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, Melvin Mora and Johan Santana. The organization also experienced several changes. Longtime field coordinator Tom Wiendenbauer was reassigned to the scouting department, with administrative coach Al Pedrique taking his place. Triple-A Round Rock manager Dave Clark moved up to become the big league third-base coach after Jackie Moore left to become bench coach for the Rangers. [/rquoter]
Oh, and some more good news for those that weren't already aware: In addition to investigating Clemens, Butler is also considering whether to seek an indictment of Houston Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada on charges that he made false statements to investigators for the same House committee that heard Clemens’s testimony. According to a person briefed on the matter, a grand jury has been convened to begin hearing evidence regarding Tejada. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to jeopardize his access to sensitive information. A lawyer for Tejada did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment. In a telephone interview Thursday evening, Butler declined comment on the matter. Like Clemens, Tejada was referred to the Justice Department by the Oversight Committee on suspicion that he made false statements about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. In addition to investigating Clemen...opardize his access to sensitive information.
what's the latest on Peavy? braves seem to be definitively out of the picture now with the lowe and kawakami signings. yanks are obviously out at this point. bosox signed smoltz, and the cubs said they are out. who does that leave?
Nobody. He's off the block at this point. It's not going to happen with the Astros and they'd be right not to pursue Peavey. They'd have to gut an already gutted minor league system plus give up young major league talent. Doing so sets the team backwards, even with adding Peavey. What would be the point in adding him if the team would actually be worse for doing so?
Look at the bright side. If he goes to jail, we don't have to pay his salary. That would give us the coveted "payroll flexibility."
At this point, my biggest hope is that Astros management continues to avoid getting caught up trying to fix what can't be fixed in the short term. They really need to do exceptionally well when it comes to drafting over the next few years to make up for lost time and shore up the farm system. In the meantime, I think it's good that they are going after cheap, short-term solutions to fill in the gaps, even if that is only because that is all they can afford. I am aching to see us draft and develop some good young talent!
They need to sign minor league deals with as many pitchers coming off serious surgery as possible. The law of averages says that one of those guys will pan out as a serviceable starter. And yes...they need to have more drafts like last year. I think given a few years, Ross Seaton may be the real deal.
You are so right! Seriously--if he's the stiff people on here and at the Comical act like he is, then that is the best case scenario for the Astros. Although I don't wish that on anybody.
He's not a total stiff, but there's no way he's worth $15 million. So I think it would be a good thing in terms of the Astros building a roster.
so, out of curiosity, would you rather see a firesale? or keep our core players in tact and hold at the slim hope that we can make a miracle run?
Somewhere in the middle, depending on the situation. The #1 priority for the next several years should be to draft and develop well. Beyond that, if the team doesn't look competitive, they should listen to offers. That doesn't mean go and ask our Big 3 to waive their NTCs and get rid of all them for anything they can get. I just think management should be willing to make a move under the right circumstances.
The priority for the next couple of years should be rebuilding the farm and shedding dead weight contracts. I don't think that the Astros, as they are built now, can be a legit contender for the forseeable future.
