both Writer of Wrongs and Wronger of Rights. It takes a lot of flip-flopping to embody such a unique paradox. He puts the "moron" in "oxymoron".
BAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! *snort* :grin: [rquoter]vBulletin Message<br />You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Groogrux again.[/rquoter]
Armando Galarraga was just designated for assignment.. Should we go for him and see what he can do in ST? IF he pans out he could be a very solid number 5 Myers/Wandy/Happ/Bud/Galarraga Not to bad if you ask me..he could also be the number 4 if he out performs Bud. I know his numbers werent great last year, but, i think he is worth a shot. The Stros' need to find a bargain player that can become something, like they did with Myers...
Zach Levine reports via Twitter that the Astros have exchanged figures with Pence and Wandy, offering them $5.15m, and $8m, respectively. However, Pence (and his agent) want $6.9m and Wandy wants $10.25m. Link.
TRADE WANDY, dude is 32 coming off two pretty good seasons and will be a free agent next season. By the time the Stros are back in the hunt he will be in his mid 30s, if they sign him to a multi-year deal. They should have dealt him at the deadline, last year, but waited to long.
He's likely not getting a multi-year deal at this point. I think they'll come to some sort of agreement before going to arbitration and sign him for 2011. I think due to his age and the horrid start he got off to in '10, the Astros have the upper hand if it went in front of an arbitrator. I'm guessing they'll sign somewhere in between or closer to what the Astros offered. If he can avoid the start he had last season, he will be a valuable trade chip...assuming the Astros are out of the race come July.
AND asuuming our front office has its priorities straight. I like Myers and thought he had a very good season, but we should've moved HIM at the deadline due to the interest he was generating. He's stuggled mightily with injuries and was having a career year for a team going nowhere. They should've jumped all over the interest other teams showed in him.
I know teams had interest but I dont think anyone offered anything really good. With the way Myers was playing last year, I would have taken nothing less than what we got in the Roy deal. Roy looked like he was tailing off and Myers looked like he was on his way up last year. If he can do it again at the beginning of this year, I can see us trading him mid season and getting good prospects for him. The same goes for Wandy.
I'm ok with keeping Myers, especially if he keeps doing what he did in 2010. It was a relatively inexpensive deal for someone who put the numbers he did last season. He's 2 years younger than Wandy and it's not like they have any better options at this point. I'm fine with rebuilding, but I'd still like a semi-competitive team. Trading the 2010 Myers puts this team down close to Pittsburgh. They don't have to trade everyone who has success in the name of getting more prospects. You have to have something to build from.
WRT trading Myers or Wandy, I do not see a pressing need since they are not blocking the promotion of any of our minor league high-end prospects. Rowland-Smith by mid-season might need to moved to make room for Lyles. The Astros might be reluctant to start Lyles's clock this season though.
In this case, it wouldn't be about what's behind him but what you can get for Wandy. His value is as high as it will ever be and if they keep him you are basically wasting away that value. Trading him now means you get 1 good prospect and maybe one single A guy who may develop into something in 2 or 3 years. Contenders, outside of Philly and Boston, are in need of pitching and trading Wandy would help the team down the road when it truly matters.
If Myers brings it and they do, in fact, trade him for some good young prospects, then I'll be the first to eat crow. If those things happen, then they made a calculated gamble and the cards came up 21. The reason I'm not optimistic about that scenario is because Myers has had extensive health issues in the past, and it would be more than reasonable to say he had a career year in 2010. I thought his value was at an all-time high at the deadline last year. I hope I was wrong and he proves to be as durable and consistent in 2011. That and I hope our management has the foresight and cojones to trade him. One more reason that (maybe) I'm being too hard on them for keeping Myers: unless you're the Cubs or you have a brand new stadium, attendance is directly proportional to winning. People in Houston will still go to see a 65 - 80 win team, if only for the opponent's popularity and/or the ballpark experience. Much fewer fans will go to watch a 40 win team and I think that provided motivation for re-signing Myers, trading for Barmes, signing Bill Hall, etc. There are a lot of people out there that will patronize mediocrity, few will even tolerate misery.
I agree with you to an extent. Mediocrity you can pull out of. It just seems once teams get into a cycle of selling players and accepting 90-100 loss seasons in the name of "rebuilding", it becomes something they can't get out of. The Pirates, Expos/Nationals, and Royals are, of course, glaring examples of this. I just fear that the Astros could end up in that realm of hell if they sell in the name of gathering prospects. I think what they've been doing over the year is a good plan. Keep the payroll relatively low, all while getting prospects and rebuilding the farm, AND staying a little competitive on the field. It's not a World Series winning team or even one that's getting to the playoffs in the next couple of seasons. But it's better than being the Pirates.
It's the same issue I have with rebuilding/staying the course with the Rockets. People continue to bring up teams like the Clippers/Wolves/Pirates/Nats as excuses why not to rebuild and those are good examples. My issue is that with teams who are stuck in that phase, their pitiful management is what gets their organizations in that cycle. For example, look at the Royals, they have been in that stage for a decade plus but finally brought in the right people and within a few years will be what the Rays are now. Same thing with Tampa, they brought in the right folks and it changes everything. The Pirates are starting to see the light now that they brought in the right people, and in their case philosophy, to the table. There is some luck involved, not as much in baseball but its there, but if management is in place then there is NO reason to expect the team to be stuck in that mode. Also consider we are more of a "have" then a "have not", I'm fully expecting the new owner to shell out some big bucks when the time comes much like Drayton did in 93 when he signed Drabek and Swindell.
But Drabek and Swindell had little to zero impact on the Astros eventually becoming a contender. If anything, those signings further hindered development, and future FA signings as Drayton was reluctant to spend big and get burned again. Baseball is still about 75-80% dependent on player development. If the team does not have formidal pieces in place in the minor league system that they feel will contribute at a high level, they need to go out and get those players.
No sure how those two hindered development and I'm sure it did somewhat screw with Drayton's mind giving those two mega bucks, for that time period, but it didn't hurt them when they tried to resign Randy, give Lima a nice contract, sign Jeff Kent, sign Andy P and later Carlos Lee. I would have said Roger but that 1st year was a gift, which made the second a no-brainer. Agree, development is HUGE in today's baseball for almost everyone outside of the chosen few. That is why having the right people in charge in the difference between the Pirates and the Braves...both small markets and yet completely different mindsets.
