Biggio and Bagwell had nothing to do with the collapse. That was 100% on Drayton deciding the farm means absolutely nothing, and refusing to invest a penny in it beyond the bare minimum. The farm was already absolute dog s**t when they made their 2 runs in 04/05. If you want to point to holding on to players way too long, it was Berkman and Oswalt that actually hurt. The best GM in Houston history to that point Gerry Hunsicker up and quit because he couldn't take it anymore.
This is why adding a very good 2nd OF bat is so important. Also good to know Dezenzo played some RF in addition to LF in winter ball.
That's why they need to add not just 1 bat, but 2 bats. Signing Walker and trading for an OF like Robert should be on the table.
It’s both. Biggio and Bagwell were not major contributors in ‘04 and ‘05 to the overall success of the team. Their combined WPA in the playoffs was a paltry -.12.
Bregman actually signed that contract 8 days before his 25th birthday. But that's not the point. He was 4 years away from free agency with no leverage. Most likely Luhnow doesn't even make the offer without opt outs, but there is 0% chance Alex would have been given an opt out in any extension. An opt out puts 100% of the risk on the team. No way Alex had enough leverage to get one, especially with an owner and GM that didn't want to give a 6 year commitment even without one.
They could have continued to build around Oswalt/Berkman/Pence... had the farm been properly stocked in the interim. Was it the 2007 draft where none of the players selected ever reached the majors? Can't recall, but it was something inexplicably horrible (we already know what 2 years of no 1st or 2nd round picks does to the farm... imagine an entire draft's worth of incompetence).
They were both very much involved in 2004 and key players. Bagwell was out in 2005. Biggio still batting leadoff. I presume you're not new here, even though you're pretending like you are?
That 2007 draft when we didn't have a 1st or 2nd, and failed to sign our 3rd & 4th rounders. We drafted 4 players that made the show, but failed to sign all 4 of those players. Drayton was so determined to stay under Selig's bonus recommendations, while many other teams were going way over. The best draft pick we had was Zobrist and we traded him away. The same year we drafted Pence. It was a great draft for us, but the one bright spot in a decade of draft disasters.
The deal was team and player friendly at the time. But him being younger actually proves my point even more. He wouldn’t have inked a 10yr deal before his 25th birthday unless opt outs were on the table. No way no how.
Why does everybody every year talk about how bad the farm system is and every year they bring up guys that contribute to WS, ALCS, playoff teams. I am give you 4-5 guys who will be playing MLB ball in 2 seasons in the Stros minor league system.
Bagwell posted an .865 OPS in the 04 playoffs, and 3.7 WAR in the regular season, he was very much a contributor. Biggio less so, but he was a positive regular season contributor and posted a .729 OPS over the 2 postseasons, he wasn't dragging the team down. Neither guy had anything to do with the collapse of the farm, which was the real culprit.
I'd like Christian Walker at first base. And then you have to hope Jacob Melton plays well and gets called up to replace Meyers or McCormick in the outfield.
We're talking about the state of the farm from 04-10. It was bad prior to the Correa/LMJ draft. I'm all for farms that provide depth/filler that is reliable... but every now and then, you need stars as well. As long as any draft coordinator does their homework and signs the majority of picks (especially the high round ones), you're going to get either major league contributors or guys you can trade to acquire major league contributors... and every now and then, you'll either draft a stud or have the assets to trade for a stud.
And being younger and unproven prevents you from having the cache to receive an opt out, and makes it even riskier and less likely that a team would offer one. We are both right here. I can absolutely agree that Alex would want an opt out, and maybe not sign without one. There is just zero chance he would have been offered one. It would negate any benefit the team was getting for signing him long-term, when they already had him cheaply for 4 more years.
Pretty sure the Witt Jr. deal, the Juilo Rodriguez deal, and the Wander deal all have opt -outs... despite those guys not having leverage. But they're all in much later years of the deal so yes, you're both sorta right. Once you know your fast-tracked stud prospect doesn't fall flat on his face vs. MLB competition, teams should be very pro-active with the long-term deals (moreso than they are now).
I would say from just last year Blanco and Arrighetti have star potential. They've got talent on the farm to trade for Robert if they want to make that trade.
