Detroit paid Lyon $4.25 million last year. Of course, it was only a one year deal so they weren't tied down if he sucked.
How could I forget Kaz Matsui! I would argue that this Brandon Lyon deal is worse. Matsui atleast excels at on defense. Too bad he is made of glass. I think what makes me mad the most is that back in 2007, the Astros had a chance to hire a real progressive forward thinking GM. They easily could have found someone young who knew all about the new and advanced statistics. We could have ushered in this rebuilding process atleast with the hope that the organization was cutting edge and doing all they could to get competitive as quickly as possible. Instead, Drayton allows Tal Smith to hire his buddy. The same GM that has never sniffed the postseason in all of his years as a GM. Sure the Phillies came close in 2005, but so what. By 2005, Philadelphia hated him. ( One of my best friends is from Philly and lives there now, and he told me, even before we hired him, that Wade was sports public enemy number 1 in Philadelphia.) So instead of moving forward with the rest of MLB, the Astros hire an "old school gm". One who does not put much weight into advanced metrics and the like. One who is the laughingstock of all the other GM's for the ludicrous contracts he has dished out. The worst part is that he has that reputation, and because of that other GM's and agents know that they will have their way with him. For the most part, I support my teams, the players, & the front office. I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and do not overly criticize. However, in this case, I can honestly state that I have absolutely no confidence in the Astros with Wade as the GM. It is only going to get worse and Wade will have to get fired before it starts to get better. While I do not agree with every decision he makes, I am a fan of Drayton McClane. He is good owner who has done a ton for Astros and baseball in Houston. For the life of me, however, I do not understand his complete confidence in Wade. He trusts this guy like he has never trusted any of the GM's before him.
Well, at least Wade is good at drafting prospects. He drafted most of Philly's core. Let him rebuild the farm system and then dump him for someone who knows how to put a major league team together.
I will give you that. He does seem to have the right person in Bobby Heck. I just hope that the big club is not saddled with long term high dollar deals that prevent us from making the jump.
I can't tell, but doesn't look like it. I just pulled that from RR's website: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2010_04_17_nozaaa_rreaaa_1
I preface this by saying that I LOVE Oswalt, and he's my most favorite Astros pitcher of all time. But right now, I'm really hoping he's pitching himself out of an Astros uniform. Lee's untradable unless we eat half of his contract. Berkman may be good, but he's still a 1st baseman at a time when all the contenders have good 1st basemen. I really hope Oswalt will be dealt at the trade deadline for some desperately needed prospects, so I don't have to watch retreads Wade keeps bringing in. If I have to sit through the Astros sucking, at least let me see some light at the end of the tunnel.
I hate watching Oswalt pitch his heart out only to have our bullpen implode or our offense not show up. He is a great pitcher and HIGHLY underrated due to the market he plays in. If he was in a Red Sox or Yankee uniform he would be worshiped.
Agree on Oswalt but Puma is VERY tradeable, well when he gets healthy he will be, to quite a few American League teams and some National League squads. Boston comes to mind almost immediately, Big Pappi is a shell of his former self so Puma would fit in nicely in the DH/1B role along with Victor Martinez. Texas might be an option as a way to bridge the gap till Smoak arrives and with his buyout clause wouldn't make it crazy to imagine the Rangers going after a Texas boy. In the NL, Atlanta is an option for both Roy and Puma and so is the Mets but their problem is lack of prospects so that may be an issue.
Oswalt is my favorite player of all time. I'd love to see him traded some place where he can compete for a championship and also get some more of the national recognition that he deserves, though I think he couldn't care less about the last part. I don't think we'll have the worst record in the league but Oswalt will probably be long retired before we're good again if we can't get any prospects in here. Trading him will help both parties tremendously.
brianmctaggart In the 1st inning of his 2nd rehab game at Round Rock, Berkman doubled to right, driving in Edwin Maysonet. Berkman later scored.
