"For young pitching ". I'm sure it aint us, but I'd take that Upton and Gattis for Fowler and a couple prospects.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>On Justin Upton: Not <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rangers?src=hash">#Rangers</a>. Not <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Athletics?src=hash">#Athletics</a>. Cannot rule out <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padres?src=hash">#Padres</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan">@jeffpassan</a> said close.</p>— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/545945144420499457">December 19, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sources: Braves finishing up a Justin Upton trade.</p>— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/545937538267885568">December 19, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Astros are not the mystery team involved in a Justin Upton deal.</p>— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/545946953260236800">December 19, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Astros are not the mystery team involved in a Justin Upton deal.</p>— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/545946953260236800">December 19, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Justin Upton's numbers <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=br&url=%2Fplayers%2Fu%2Fuptonju01.shtml&div=div_batting_standard"></script>
It doesn't... but Lester could still take the Cubs offer over the Astros, despite more money... just like Robertson, Miller and Headley did. Then the mantra will be "Of course, he would go to the Cubs/Yankees/Red Sox over the Astros..." The bottom line is that free agents are more of an unknown because even if th money is equal, the other player has to want to come here. The Astros have seen first-hand this off-season that players won't simply come here simply if they're being offered the most money.
Would you say Hamels over the next 5 years will accumulate more WAR than Appel during club control years, Gregorson, Neshak, and Lowrie year's on their current contracts, and the next 48 million dollars of free agent spending by the Astros?
Let's also not forget that the two teams that Lester was considering from the start were the one he spent his entire career playing for, and the one run by the guy who was the GM of most of those teams and built the title teams he played on (and who was the GM through his entire cancer scare). He has personal connections to both.
Love the Padres new lineup, but I don't think they have the pitching to make it to the postseason. They have OF depth to trade, namely Quinten. I'm not a fan, but I wonder who trades for him.
Its possible... I'd also say it shouldn't be either/or unless you're talking about the players being traded for Hamels. No reason why they wouldn't have been able to get Gregerson/Neshek/Lowrie via FA AND Hamels via trade.
Whether MLB has a salary cap or not, the Astros have a budget they will be under. Gregorson/Neshek/Lowrie are indicative of the level of free agent WAR/$ that will sign for the Astros as they have signed with the Astros. Astros have the choice, if Philles were willing to trade Hamels straight up for Appel and Hamels agree, of either spending $96-109 for Hamels or spending $96-109 million on free agents. I could rephrase the questions as Appel + (the WAR of Gregerson/ Neshek/ Lowrie)/54 million (rough approximation of total value of contracts from memory) *109 million versus Hamels. I don't think it will be close using this metric to evaluate a Hamels for Appel straight up trade. While I think the Astros will try to get a ToR pitcher as they are a concentrated form of wins, I think the Astros will get wins on the field any way they can. So far, the Astros appear to be trying/settling to acquire wins in less concentrated forms than a starting pitcher.
You keep worrying about the budget... I'll worry about whether or not they have a team capable of competing and producing wins. I don't think its a stretch to consider they'd open up the payroll to acquire a specific player. However if they didn't get that player, I don't think they'd just reappropreate the money they were going to spend on him elsewhere automatically. They'll consider every trade/FA signing/move on a case by case basis, and ultimately Crane will decide if he approves of the move or not.
