Yeah, I said the Astros won’t match. A rundown of what we are paying our vets wasn’t necessary. However, if they want to reach for glory, the Astros should grab him. Not winning a WS with current lineup whether we add another average guy or not.
IDK... starting to feel like a real possibility the longer this goes on. I think it makes perfect sense to go for Santander or bring back Bregman. It bridges the gap between being the AL West favorites/contenders in the AL and giving the farm enough time to become good/great. I'll add... what's the point of trading for a bat at the deadline versus now and giving up more prospects. It's not my money, but if the Astros want to continue to build the farm... just eat the tax for the next few years.
Crane took the hit last year. Part of the issue is that the penalties increase every year, so a 2nd consecutive year is not fun for him or ideal. I think Crane wants to start the season under and then will be willing to go over at the deadline to reinforce the cream if there is a legitimate chance. The 1st level is $241M, but it's really only $219.2 once you take away money spent on the pre-arb bonus pool, minor leaguers on the 40 man, and player benefits. The Astros have 10 players under guaranteed contracts (2 no longer on the roster) that add up to about $164M That leaves about $55.2M to fill the remaining 18 roster spots.
He doesn't have to own the Stros to cash in on that though. I'm sure he owns the land outright in a separate entity. Not saying owning the Stros doesn't help, but owning the land adjacent to MMP (which he doesn't own) is incredibly valuable in and of itself.
Trade away Press and Caratini and you've freed up enough to cover Santander's salary. Or Hader and Meyers. I'm sure there's other ways to free up salary by trading redundant parts.
In my dreams. . . Framber is Framber in 2025. Hunter has a legitimate Cy Young contending season. Blanco picks right back up where he left off in 2024. Arrighetti takes a 2024 Hunter Brown type step up where he becomes a no doubt option to be in a playoff rotation. Lance McCullers is finally healthy after 2 years of trying and returns to his 2021-2022 form without setbacks. Luis Garcia returns healthy and pitches like he did before the injury. Javier goes through rehab without setbacks and looks ready to join the rotation in August. Gusto, Gordon, Ullola, and Blubaugh stay healthy and continue to show promise. The Astros trade Framber at the deadline, getting at least 1 player who improves the 2025 team and 2 additional players/prospects who realistically could help the team 2026-2030ish 100% healthy, Brown, Arrighetti, McCullers, and Javier are in the playoffs rotation after very good seasons. Blanco and Garcia are available if needed.
I wonder if there's a world where the Astros actually are waiting to see if Bregman will come around before making a final pitch to Santander. Whichever one blinks first and signs what is currently out there gets the spot.
The only way that works with Bregman is if the Astros feel Paredes could play a passable left field, or they are willing to trade Paredes for a comparable outfielder with multiple years of club control. Santander is a much cleaner fit. But, if I was Dana Brown, I’d definitely be thinking like this. Bregman can’t be happy with the way his free agency has unfolded to this point.
That would be nice, but I don't see that. If the Astros traded some combination of players that opened up $20M on salary then I could think that may be logical. If Brown was still looking for a $15M+ AAV FA the first thing he would do is open salary space as Crane wants to start the year under the CBT and once they are over it will be harder to get value in the trade.