Thankyou. While I think Pettite would be an excellent addition, people are talking about him like he's Pedro Martinez or something. He's nails in the postseason, and would be a great addition, but let's not get our expectations too high here. People here are talking about him like he will save the Houston Astros and come in here and win 20 games with an ERA under 3.00. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but you all are greatly overrating him.
The smarter thing would be to buy a hockey team and a rodeo, then buy a television station and threaten to start a regional sports network, which will end up convincing FOX to overpay for the rights just to make it worth your while to not start the sports network. And then Drayton can significantly up payroll while the team falls to the bottom of the standings year after year. Worked in Dallas.
the rockets and astros are forming their own network. I don't remember when it's suppose to be up and running. I think 2005, but i'm not sure, just a guess.
Doesn't work quite as well if you don't own both teams since there is the other owner as partner, potentially negating the amount each partner takes in. With the Rangers and Stars, it's all about Hicks. So, he can use money from the Stars' "half" to pay Rangers players, for example. But I assume a team owned sports network will lead to higher revenues for both McLane and Alexander. I do think McLane thinks small in terms of building a fan base. Even without increasing payroll, he could do more things to sell the team. But he's just not a marketing kind of guy, I suppose.
While they might not be good at building a fan base, you can't fault McLane for how much $$$ he brings in on the advertising side of business. Just look at all the sinage they've got at the stadium: Connoco pump, Nextel bullpen, Landry's Crawford boxes, Minute Maid, Continental... notice that these are all pretty big name companies. If the Astros had ANY sort of fan base outside of Houston, their value would skyrocket... They're #11 in Forbes for their marketing to companies only.
The Astros need Andy Pettitte more than they need Billy Wagner, Sam. And actually Andy Pettitte has been the most consistent Yankee starter the last two years. The Astros need a veteran starter they can count on for innings and quality starts. Pettitte fits the bill, and he has a connection to the Houston area, seeing how he is from deer park. I'd rather get Vasquez or Millwood, but Pettitte isn't a slouch. He gives the Astros starting rotation the leadership it needs after Reynolds departed. Plus beggars can't be choosers and houston does have around 12-13 mil to play with now. And a 10 million dollar solid pitcher who has had lots of postseason success in his starts is not as financially bad as a merely good closer making 8-9 mil per year, especially when you consider those two areas on the Astros. And yes. Wagner is merely good until he learns to throw his slider against good hitting teams like Atlanta to throw them off balance. As he currently pitches, Wagner will never be a closer on a World Series team. And while your points about his numbers against the Cubs and Cards are valid, the Astros goal at this point is postseason success, and we both know how Billy does in those games. So why waste 8 million dollars on a financially strapped team on a guy who you don't think will lead you to the promised land, when you have two cheap, young fireballers in the bullpen capable of dominating as well? Finally, on Oswalt/Miller, the Astros don't have to resign them for a few more years, it's just them and Dotel start arbitration which gives them significant pay raises before they become free agents. And both of those guys combined have the ability to be a top 5 1-2 punch in the NL. Miller is more inconsistent I agree, but he is a number 2 type starter who has room to improve. Oswalt if healthy is one of the top 3 pitchers in the NL, and top 5 in baseball. He is a must keep for Houston as long as his groin surgery solves that problem.
In regards to Pettitte, wouldn't it be safe to assume his ERA would drop slightly on average going from the AL, a more offensive minded league, to the NL? No DH means fewer established hitters, and there are more "small ball" teams in the NL. Plus, the Yankees were in the same division as the BoSox, which means they played more games than most teams against the best offense in the league (or one of them, last I heard they had scored the most runs). But, what I like about Pettitte more than anything is his postseason work. The guy has been absolute nails in the postseason over his career, and it's always nice to a have a guy on the team that has been there and done that and knows exactly what to expect. I know he had a good 2003 postseason, and I recall him having many good games in previous years during the postseason...does anyone know where I can find career postseason statistics for a pitcher? I can't seem to find it on ESPN or MLB.com. Also, another question for those that are familiar with these things. Is Yankee stadium considered a pitcher or hitter's park? I ask because last season Andy had a 3.78 ERA at home, and a 4.24 ERA away. Those differences aren't huge, but if Yankee stadium is a pitchers park, then the relative change between what he does in MMPUS versus his previous home might lean more towards last season's away numbers. I just hope that, if we get him, he is paid close to what he is worth, which is nowhere NEAR what the Yankees would end up paying him. If they happen, the negotiations for this would be an interesting thing to hear.
Yanquis Stadium is built for lefty pitchers. D goes towards ERA, too. All teams likely to give best shot when facing Yankees. My take on Pettitt is that he has some bad innings, some bad outings. But when hhe is on he is lights out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1654437 New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte is going to test the free-agent market, general manager Brian Cashman told The New York Times for Wednesday's editions. Pettitte Pettitte, 31, has not yet filed for free agency, meaning the Yankees will remain the only team able to negotiate with the pitcher until Monday. New York, however, has yet to make an offer at this point. "He's come this far," Cashman told The Times. "He's going to go out and find out what his market is first. He's going to elect free agency." The Houston Astros seem the most likely candidate to pursue Pettitte, who lives outside Houston, after the team relieved itself of $8 million in salary Monday when closer Billy Wagner was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. But Cashman, who had been silenced before Tuesday under a gag order imposed by principal owner George Steinbrenner, told The Times he was not concerned with the Astros' supposed interest in Pettitte. "You expect to have a competition on your hands when a player of Andy's ability is available," Cashman said. "All you can do is what you feel is best. We'd love to keep Andy. We'll have our discussions, put our best foot forward and hope for the best. He's put himself in a great situation." In the aftermath of the Yankees' six-game World Series loss to the Florida Marlins -- Pettitte was the Yankees' most dependable starter in the 2003 postseason, winning three times in five starts -- manager Joe Torre told the left-hander to do what was best for his family. Pettitte said he would call Torre, but has not done so. "When he's ready to talk about it, we'll talk," Torre told The Times. "But I don't think there's any question everybody here wants him back."
I think the whole "postseason success" thing is a little overrated, unless there's some basis in fact for the difference. The amount of innings a pitcher (esp a closer) throws in postseason is minute compared to a career record, as are the number of at-bats a hitter gets. Look at Barry Bonds. He was a terrible postseason hitter until 1992, when all of a sudden he was lights-out. I remember seeing a statistic on Bernie Williams this offseason that was interesting. Apparently, he's been great in the 1st round of the playoffs, terrible in the LCS, and then really good again in the World Series. What accounts for that? Blind luck, imo. And I think St. Louis (which has had a great offense for the better part of this decade) is at least a good a judge of effectiveness against quality hitting as Atlanta (which has had a mediocre offense throughout their recent history, with the exception of this past season). Pettite's going to command top dollar, and I just can't see paying him 10+ mil per season when we are "cash-strapped", as people say. The team certainly doesn't have the luxury of paying ace-money to mid-level pitchers, even after losing Wagner. The difference between Pettite next season and a journeyman like Ron Villone is 2 or 3 wins, maybe.
I don't know if this question has been asked and answered in this monstrous thread, but I'll go ahead and ask it just in case. Who was the person and/or persons responsible to signing Wagner to an $8 million/year contract to keep him in Houston?
i think Drayton tried to win short term. He signed Wagner to a 3 year deal, a year later he got Jeff Kent. Now that the astros the last 2 years have not been to the playoffs so it's time to retool.
When you've pitched in the playoffs as much as Pettite has, the numbers no longer become insignificant: 186.2 IP; .246 BA; .301 OBP; .336 SLG; 1.28 WHIP; 2.83 K:BB I'll take that guy on my team every time; his demeanor on the mound and, by all accounts, in the clubhouse is fantastic. 'Stros could use a veteran presence on the pitching staff, that only adds to his attractiveness. He had a very poor May (1-4, 6.14), but was 10-2, 2.70 post-ASB. I'm inclinded to throw out May as an anomaly, and judge him based on '02 & the remainder of '03. 3-yrs $24M w/ an option year for, say $6M or a $2M buyout sounds about right, for both sides. All, and I mean all, indications are that his family wants him in Houston, and he's a HUGE family guy (and not in a Peter Griffin way). p.s. Colon's 30 (31 in Dec), Milwood's 28; both had comparable years to Pettitte; both will command more $$$ on the market; neither are left-handed. 2-3 win (maybe) difference b/t Villone et al and Pettitte? In the words of Jesus Quintana, "Laughable!"
He said this morning on 610 that money will not be the leading factor in his decision on where to sign.
