Maybe 'easy' to solve some Astro problems by swapping Doggy for Pettite then signing Cruz jr... Pitching and OF improve. Budget takes a bit of a whack, but Drayton can whack that.
Why would the Yanks want Hidalgo and if they were interested, why would they trade a good lefty like Pettitte for a struggling overpaid player like Hidalgo???
I think that the Astros would like to sign Jose Cruz Jr., but they have a dilemna in the outfield. They are going to move Biggio to the outfield, then theres Lance Berkman, and Hidlago has to play because he makes way too much money to ride the pine. The Astros are shopping Ward to get bullpen help. If you sign Cruz Jr. then who do you take out of the lineup? The Yankees would never take Hidalgo, especially for Pettite. The Rockies might be willing to take Hidalgo if the Astros take Denny Neagle, and I don't see that happening.
I disagree. No matter how much money you're making, if you're sucking it up, you're riding pine. Unless Gerry the Hun can manage to make some GM think that Hildago can still live up to his potential, and get that GM to not balk at his contract, we're stuck with him.
Hidalgo should bring a Hitchcock or Hernandez or Weaver form the Yankees. Anyone know if Hitchcock is finally healthy?
Why not some package of Hidalgo,Ward, Hernanez and prospect for Colon and Vlad from Montreal Could happen.
Nice idea. What would the payroll difference be, about 10-12 million? Well worth it for having one of the top two teams in baseball. Would McLane go for an 80 mill plus payroll? With all the young pitching prospects we have at or near the AAA level it seems we would have the goods to get a deal like that done. If you have to include Wagner to get it done that frees up future money for payroll. He probably then gets traded to Boston. I see Montreal making out pretty good in a trade with the 'Stros. The prob is signing Colon longterm and the resulting payroll increase. Considering that we have to pay O and some others in the very near future, I don't see an $80 mill payroll being possible. Nice to dream though. Imagine the lineup and rotation and having at least Dotel or Wagner in the pen for the next three years. It would certainly maximize our chances for the next few years and also give us a future in the middle of the lineup to build around in Berkman and Guerrero after Bags retires Nah. Never happen!.
NO way McLane would do that. Ketting Jeff Kent was already heart wrenching for him. Getting Vladimer from Montreal would be unbelievable. McLane is too much Donald Sterling and not enough Mark Cuban to make that happen.
Did you know that Mclayne is about as rich as Cuban? Yet Cuban spends a lot more money than Mclane does
The worst type of owner for a sports fan is the one who thinks of his team as a business and not a passion. Of course every owner has some passion, but the degree of passion to make a winning team is what separates the spenders from the Uncle Scrooge's. McLane treats the Astros as a business.
what baseball owner doesn't treat his team like a business? in sports where there are salary controls, you have owners who seem to spend so freely...but in baseball, you don't have those controls. market forces dictate...and no one is going to intentionally take a bath. the yankees spend willy-nilly, but they have the revenues to justify it...so until the labor situation is ultimately resolved, you will have owners spending proportionately to their revenues.
How much does Cuban spend on the Mavericks minor league system? How much does he spend on things like a Venezuelan baseball academy? Oh, that's right, the NBA doesn't have additional expenditures such as that. Please reference your source as to how Cuban spends a lot more money than McLane. The Mavericks payroll is about 70 million while the Astros were around 65 million last season.
The Mavs play half as many games as the 'stros. The Mavs have a 75 mile allowed by NBA market. The 'stros and Rangers have all of Texas and LA to split, so to speak. Don't cry for Drayton. And don't ever compare Cubes with McL -- it won't wash!
costs more than $5 million to run baseball academies outside of the US and operate a minor league system inside the US. bottom line of expenses for mclane is higher than it is for cuban... PLUS CUBAN OWNS A TEAM IN A LEAGUE WITH SALARY CONTROLS!!!!! makes a WORLD of difference!
That is the point. Comparing is silly. Kind of like comparing ANY franchise (except Man U?) to the Yankees.
