From an ownership standpoint it is and by extension most fans feel that way too But players spend years making significantly less than players who have already reached free agency and in many cases earn pennies on the dollar vs what their performance is worth. Just to have this chance
What do you mean? This off season I only see Crane learning to spend his resources wisely. Willingness to overspend doesn't mean spending stupidly like offering JV 130/3, or else he would've already be an Astros again. Astros have no issues attracting FAs, and FAs are willing to join if the money is given. It's a matter if Crane really wants to be stupid or not with his money,
This is why my first reaction to the Montero deal is Verlander will be gone. It is going to take a truckload of cash to bring back Verlander and likely hurt the roster at other places. There was never a chance Verlander was going to accept less money. Last year was a perfect example. He could have taken the qualifying offer. Nope, gotta have a tryout for every team and get a bidding war going even though he felt like he "owed Houston" for not pitching for 2 seasons and raking in a ton of money. Why anyone thought he wasn't going for a Scherzer like deal is just pure hopium.
There is no way in hell a Montero deal could or should be the deal breaker that brings back Verlander. I refuse to believe it...Crane isn't that dense. If he made the deal thinking he won't open the wallet further than yeah, what a F-up. But Crane wants to Win. He knows he has a 3-4 year window to keep winning- he'll do what it takes I believe.
I saw it differently. My thought was that Click's release and the Moneytero signing were an indicator that Crane is tipping the scale towards a spending spree to play with the big boys and leave the value meal to the dogs. Yet, admittedly, cannot predict one way or the other.
From what I have heard agents and players say in the past - it doesn't play as big a part in the decision as you may think.
It's not just the Montero deal. it is also the 2 holes in the lineup at 1st and DH/LF AND the massive price tag of Verlander that many people in here did not want to accept until they saw it straight from Crane's mouth.
If Verlander resigns with the Astros then we likely trade away Urquidy/Garcia to land a 1B or C. Should still have enough with Verlander to sign one more bat -- and gives Crane also the opportunity to prove he is all in. (i.e. Brantley at DH or similar)
It will tell me a lot about Verlander if the number on paper is his deciding factor in leaving Houston.
Based on the past moves of the Astros (which Crane has always been the ultimate decision maker on contracts), Crane will not go past a certain number and that number is based on what he thinks the total value of the player is, so the signing of Montero was completely separate than that. In other words, if it becomes clear to Crane that Verlander is not going to come close to his number - he will move on to other needs. As for the Montero signing, it has taken a lot of grief on these boards, but it really isn't an over-pay and securing Montero does solidify the best bullpen in decades of baseball. However, if there was ever a position of power for the Astros and a position that you could possibly save money on, it would be the bullpen. I asked what was going on earlier today via text and was basically told they have their hands in a lot of fires right now and something will get done. They have many different scenarios and fall-back plans and have made offers to several players.
Definitely can feel the excitement -- glad to hear they are moving forward with offers and not standing pat. This year definitely feels like things are moving faster and teams aren't waiting for the Winter Meetings or drawing out negotiations like during the Beltran days... any rate, thanks for keeping us posted!
I was not against the Montero signing and said it was fair market value. I was alway in the don't bring Verlander back camp because of the cost. If Crane was willing to pony up the Scherzer money Verlander would be an Astro already. So now the only hope for bringing him back is nobody else goes that high and even Crane brought up the state tax issue. He has set his limit. The reason the Montero thing mattered is because I always assumed it was 40 million plus for 3 years to bring Verlander back. Add that to the Montero deal and it doesn't make sense....
No, you want to allow Hensley/Taylor to develop as your backups and see if either can become your next everyday 1B. So you use Abreu as a fantastic stop gap. He's older now so you give him more days off to keep him fresh. Allow the young players to get enough PT to determine if they are ready for the next step. It's a perfect situation to sign him to a 2 year deal with a 3rd year club option.
We are on the same page. I think that the Crane has not completely given up on signing Verlander and is giving him some time to see what the best offer he can get is - but he isn't going to wait long. Also, I don't think that Crane ever expected to sign Verlander for certain. He had to know the numbers that Verlander wanted before the season ended. From what I have been told, the Astros have made offers to a number of players and those are not contingent on Verlander.
