Understandable. Though I do think it's funny we're all lamenting the loss of Wiggington when his arrival here was met with so much apathy. He may have just had a career year...and it's entirely possible you'll be glad we didn't spend $10 million or anything close to that on him.
Wait for what? Its not like they're saving money to sign Mark Teixeira or something.... Look, if Les Alexander were the owner, I WOULD wait. Les is an example of an owner who wants to win. But Drayton...since Hunsicker left, the only major additions to this team have ALL come with some form of "hometown discount." Face it, we all know we have nothing to wait for.....
True......I dont think I would have been actually lamenting the loss of Wiggington if we had signed someone better then Boone
it was my understanding that's what they were talking about him getting out of arbitration after a career year.
Sure you are. That's why you can presume to tell others that they're fine with mediocrity. You call Carlos Lee's contract a "hometown discount"? Or the 18 million for Roger? Or the 12 or so million for three months the next year? Do people really believe these urban legends? ...said the guy who's supposedly not a know-it-all.
One more response to this, since I've been so terse after being accused of enjoying mediocrity: I'm with you on wanting to see better for our team than what we've seen lately. I didn't like the Tejada trade, I don't like the Wigginton nontender--unless he truly was going to get $10million. I don't like *anything* (except perhaps Carlos, *maybe*) that came from Pupura's tenure. I want to see better, too. But I see it differently than you man--and that doesn't mean I'm OK with "mediocrity". ------------------------------------------------- Here's what's so interesting about those who always want to accuse McLane of being "cheap" or who say the Astros never get anybody except except on "home-town discounts": All they do is b**** about Lee's contract.... ...yet if they hadn't gotten him, they'd be b****ing about another big bat they passed up! They're b****ing about non-tendering Wigginton... ....yet they'd be b****ing about how our stupid front office paid a fat 3B with a sub-.750 career OPS $10million and can't afford any pitching help ...you just can't win when someone talks out both sides of his mouth. The term for this is disingenuous.
This is *exactly* how it goes. Which is why I can never understand it! edit: I do know the solution. Only sign the Johan's, Manny's, Teixeira's, etc. of the world and everyone will be happy with spending the money. Probably.
I left out the inevitable "they should sign someone better than _______" while invariably leaving out any idea of whom should be acquired! Come on, Wade, pull it out of a hat! Or out of somewhere else! Maybe Eddie can **** players that piss excellence.
To find out if that's true, we most troll Yankee fan sites and look for whiners. I'll assume that we'll find them.
To me it's kind of ironic that one of the complaints folks have about the Astros is their unwillingness to promote their minor leaguers and getting rid of Wigginton paves the way for Johnson in 2010 or perhaps even 2009. I assume Boone's contract is fairly cheap and if he doesn't pan out and Johnson is ready, then they simply cut Boone. In other words, Boone works out and Johnson waits or Boone doesn't work out and Johnson takes over. Isn't that a "win-win"?
Les also has the good fortune of a league with at least a soft salary cap. He also has the right to match for his free agents. Not so in baseball where the 2 or 3 teams with an unlimited warchest blow the roof off the salary scale and the other teams can then only afford 1 or 2 marquee players and 23 scrubs. You just can't compare the two.
"win-win"? Seems like you're rationalizing this. Hard to see the argument that it makes the Astros a better team now or in the future. Seems like it was just an unfortunate business decision. There was really no good decision here. The team had to cut somewhere to make payroll and with well over half of the budget lock into four players there was really no flexibility. The gamble with the Tejada trade wasn't just that he was washed up (unforunately looks like he is), it was also that his salary he could hamstring future roster moves. While you could criticize the Wigginton non-tender as poor resource allocation, keeping Wigginton and staying on budget would have meant other holes elsewhere (middle relief, starting pitching). Things are going to get worse before they get better. Tejada coming off the books will help a little (Lee, Berkman and Oswalt's raises will offset it some), but it's not really going to get better until the team can start to promote quality (cheap salary wise) prospects to fill the holes in their roster. If the team had that now, it would mean they wouldn't have to pay millions of dollars for a 5th outfielder, an end of the rotation starter and middle relief. It would also probably mean they could keep their above-average starting 3rd baseman. It took a decade worth of bad drafts to get to this point, and it's probably going to take years to solve. Hopefully this past draft was a step in the right direction (although passing on Smoak looks like it's going to hurt) and an indication that the team recognizes their problems.
Thats why I say I'm not a "Know it all," which in a previouse post, you seem hellbent on labeling me as. If I knew "everything," dont you think I would post it? AGAIN, I'm just a fan who wants win and is not happy with the moves made recently. And so I vent.....
A. I have never once complained about Lee's contract. I'm happy we got him cause, as you know, "I want the big names in baseball and for money to be spent." B. I complain about Wiggy because at this point, when our rotation is so bad we have to pray for a miracle from Mike Hampton, we cannot afford to downgrade when it comes to the bats. It sucks that we know have to pray for a miracle from Aaron Boone too. I say "it seems SOME are happy with mediocrity" because I feel the masses should be as pissed off about these moves as I feel and just dont feel that level of anger in this thread. The feeling I get is "Oh well, Drayton tried" and I just dont see it after cost cutting moves like this. You can point out every move Drayton has made in the past, this is a "what have you done for me lately" industry, just like free agency. For the first time ever in my life, I have "no hope" going into the 2009 season. Oh well, atleast I have hope and faith in both the Rockets and Texans.
Blum had a .614 ops batting right handed. He sucks from the left side too, but at least he has some pop in his bat from that side (26 extra base hits and 45 ribbies in 277 AB). Boone will maybe post a .350-.360 OBP against lefties. Wiggy will clearly out perform this platoon. But Boone/Blum is better than Blum alone. 750K seems reasonable for keeping 3rd base from being an auto out every time a left hander is on the mound.
You're accusing the Astros of not trying. Yet you have no idea if there are any other real options. "Venting" and all-out whining, mixed with accusations, are two different things. I'm displeased with 3B, too. Precisely. The only way "SOME" could possibly feel differently from you is they must by "happy with mediocrity". It's amazing that you don't see how arrogant that is. I guess you've missd the half-dozen references to "it's only December." What are you, 13? The Astros are going to cut cost, tigereye. Almost every franchise in MLB is going to cut cost. It's called a recession. You can moan and whine and accuse them of not trying to win--but you can't win baseball games if you're bankrupt. Economics have a very real impact on how franchises operate--especially in MLB, who, as you've already been reminded, don't have a salary cap. The Astros are an organization with an income and expenses, assets and liabilities, that have to survive--and in some seasons you cut costs so that you can thrive another day. Personally, I reserve hope and faith for tihngs that matter, not games and sports franchises.
Please nobody blow this off by saying that it won't happen. The Astros have already been bankrupt once in franchise history. McMullen bought the team out of receivership, where credit unions had been running the team.
