They expected him to cost a lot. The Mets wanted a lot for him at the deadline as well. The Astros are willing to spend more than most think for someone like Wheeler....... the problem comes in if someone like the Padres or Rangers decide to pay him well over 100 million. He is certainly at the top of the non Cole/Strass pitchers available.
Wheeler is going to have more suitors than Cole and Strasburg because of his lower cost. That's why I am pessimistic on the Astros landing him. If they land Wheeler, sign a solid catcher, and one bullpen arm I would be happy.
There is no question that Wheeler will have a great number of suitors. The Astros are willing to go higher than a lot of fans think, but all it takes is a team like the Rangers to decide they want to drop 120-130 million dollars to get him. FWIW the Astros appear to be trying to make trades to open up possibilities to sign other players at other positions.
Strop had a very long stretch of being very effective before being replacement level last season. Could be a bargain. At a minimum would likely be an upgrade over Rondon. Lugo is an elite reliever and would be on par with Harris. Would be all about the prospect cost. Not a free agent for 3 more seasons. Gurriel could be the 26th man next season then take over for Brantley in LF.
Cy Young (Announced Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m. ET): Gerrit Cole, RHP, Astros Brent Strom Charlie Morton, RHP, Rays Brent Strom Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros Brent Strom
My understanding is that Lugo would likely get a chance to start. I agree with you, but the prospect cost fom Gurriel wouldn't be low. The Jays want pitching from the Astros. So my guess is if they get Gurriel he is starting 150 games somewhere. When I heard Gurriel I was surprised, but I suppose it makes some sense. He is under contract for years to come at a low number and if the Astros like him bat, that fills a positional need through this version of the Astros. If the Astros can then flip Tucker for a good starter under control, then it is a potential win/win situation.
Evan Drellich can kiss my ass. All he did was belittle the Astros rebuilding effort when he covered the Astros and then had egg on his face when the Astros become the best team in baseball. I really don't care. They can investigate and dock the Astros draft picks or fine them. The Astros won the World Series in 2017 and that isn't changing. Hopefully this all teaches Luhnow to perhaps be a little more careful and not run his front office like the 1986 Mets locker room.
When I saw that post, I was thinking go ahead and dock off a draft pick and get it over with. Not that astros are guilty of this crap, I’m just tired of hearing about it. WS was exhausting just from hearing all the bs about stealing signs or picking up tipping pitches. Like that **** aren’t part of baseball. A-Fraud was the worse of all.
The real reason they got rid of tal’s hill! (J/k... this stuff is ridiculous especially since none of it explains why the Astros hit so well on the road as well).
The only thing more surprising than Drellich being involved in the story would have been if A-rod had written it.
Not a fan of Drellich, but this would not be a huge surprise if true. Last paragraph of article made me chuckle, though. Are the Astros more often a topic because they are disliked by some people around the league, and indeed, by some who walked through their own doors and clubhouse? Or is it because they are, in fact, at the forefront of the problem? Of course the Astros are more often the topic because they are disliked. Some of the things they brought onto themselves. Edit: If I had to guess, Dodgers are probably the best at "guessing" what pitches are coming. Not sure if it is through tipping or sign stealing though. Macro versus micro. Sign stealing likely helps in certain situations, but it isn't likely to be as big a factor as some random variability in season long samples (or even some multiseason samples).
They have the Astros information so the article is Astros centric. But yeah people are going to gloss over the league wide part because of the headline.
Misdirection. Someone check Ken Rosenthal's bowtie for a camera. When he's standing up, it's the perfect height for stealing signs.
Can we get back to FA talk now? Things were getting a little excited with FA and trade talks until the Fiers bs came out. Waiting to hear more from Nook.
