Neglecting international and rule 4 drafts starting in 2007 led to the rebuild. Trading whatever prospects they had left for Tejada chasing possible wild card berths led to the rebuild. You could actually argue that signing Berkman/Oswalt/Lee to extensions were the initial event that may have swayed those above decisions and farm system neglect… so yes, its possible that overspending in one area can lead to some trickle-down disaster… but I don’t think this front office will make an either/or choice like Drayton did.
If the Houston Astros run their franchise similarly to low-budget teams like the A’s and Rays, I will be beyond pissed. Houston is the fourth-largest city in America and one of the top 10 media markets in the country. The fans have proven they will support a consistent winner and the Astros own this town now. The model to emulate is what Friedman has done with the Dodgers, with a lower payroll due to market size.
They already proved they aren't the A's/Rays when they extended Altuve, Bregman, and Verlander. Lots of people in here have talked themselves into believing Correa will be staying. Hope we win the World Series because this thread is going to get extra salty in a few months.
It’s all about tv dollars, and they’re firmly low mid market on that (especially without an ownership stake). They should be able to be at least on the level with STL (who does spend on FA), Milwaukee (signed Yellich), Toronto, and Atlanta. Even though they’re a top 10 media market, the other teams in the top 10 do have very lucrative tv deals.
I know they aren’t emulating those two small market teams. They have a top-five payroll and Crane wants to win. As for Correa and whether he stays or not, I am not under any illusion that it’s a guarantee he does. Jim Crane will have to significantly increase the total contract value and years from the offers made in Spring Training to have a chance. Do I want him to find a way to get a deal done with Carlos this offseason? Of course. It makes the Astros better in 2022 and it would be a horrible gut punch to lose Springer and Correa in back-to-back offseasons. Also, if you knew you weren’t going to make Correa a competitive offer, then Crane should have made sure he brought Springer back on a 5-to-6 year deal he is more comfortable with. It isn’t very hard to understand. Lose one, no big deal. Let both walk: I and many other Astros’ fans have a big problem with that. The Astros have the payroll flexibility and revenue stream to make it work, and Correa is worth it to this team and franchise.
Great defensive shortstops that are good offensive players are very rare which is why you have to keep them if possible. Even when Correa isn't hitting, he is saving runs pretty regularly with his defense.
Are the Astros the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox when it comes to revenue? No. But, they should always maintain a payroll comparable to the Cubs, Giants, Cardinals in the back half of the top-10 payrolls in the sport, and when they pack the house every night because they have a team like this, they should do what it takes to keep things intact. Jim Crane is running this franchise the way Drayton McLane always should have.
Part of the reason the Astros have made so many unheralded young pitchers look good the last two seasons is Correa’s defense. (The other is Brent Strom). Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, Cristian Javier, etc. all look better when they have Carlos Correa playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop.
I agree. Its just a shame the TV money isn’t what it could be. The CSN debacle still carries over… if the Astros wanted to gain an ownership stake in a network right now, they’d have little issues securing carriage and being attractive to advertisers.
Forget the injuries. Assume Carlos will give you 7 WAR per year for the next ten years. At what price is it still too much? $200M/year? $1Billion/year? If you said no to either, you are living in a fantasy world. If you thought about it for a second and said yes to one, then it's a matter of priorities and at what value you place on them. How much value do you place on DEPTH verses STARS? Do you value a DYNASTY or a WINDOW? What is the reality of YOUR revenue stream in YOUR MARKET. Market size influences the revenue stream, but they are NOT IDENTICAL. Do you have an OWNER with MONEY and a HOLE IN HIS POCKET for his HOBBY like the Mets? ps The values on Sports Franchises remind me of the Mortgage Bubble of the 2000's. They are unsustainable in the long term.
We have the best defensive infield in the majors and Correa is half of that. http://fieldingbible.com/TeamDefensiveRunsSaved
Astros are as close to a Dynasty in the modern MLB as you're going to get. You extend that window when given the option. As for bubbles, they will NEVER EVER burst, Central Banks around the world under orders from the Rothschilds will simply inflate currences to feed these bubbles ad infinitum. 'Rona should have popped all the bubbles, but mass bailouts and Weimar-level currency devaluation only made them bigger and stronger.
IF Correa leaves and people confronted the Astros ownership about letting Springer and Correa walk I will tell you exactly what they will do because they did it to me in the past when I questioned some moves. They will point to their WS ring and also point out the 5 ALCS appearances in a row. In other words, they know what they are doing and aren't afraid to tell you.
I do not doubt Jim Crane and the baseball people inside the organization know what they are doing. The last five years speak for themselves, as does the development of young talent on this roster. I also know there are plenty of competent SS/3B on the free agent market besides Carlos Correa. (Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story, Javier Baez, Chris Taylor and Kris Bryant. Possibly Nolan Arenado, if he opts out.) There is Starling Marte for CF, but Meyers and McCormick showed they can handle the position.
The way I look at it is what should Correa get in the market? Well in my opinion he should expect to top the Lindor deal. I think he wants ATLEAST 10 years 350 million or maybe 11 years 385 million because he is a year younger. Will a team give him that? I don't know, but I do not believe the Astros will even come close to that. Everyone in here likes to come up with creative deals with front loaded money or options, etc, etc... If I am Correa I want to top the Lindor deal in AAV and years. PERIOD. That should be his agent's goal. Expecting him to sign a contract without that much guaranteed money when he clearly deserves it based on the market is fantasy land. Yes he wants to win... but if we are at 250 and the Tigers or even Rangers are at 350-385 he is GONE.
