Of course...because you and you alone understand the business of baseball. Of course, I assume that you have put pencil to paper and counted all the receipts and footed all the transactions so you have all the facts before piping off....RIGHT?????
Posey was a product of the system and easily replacable. Ryan Young was set on being a Cowboy from day 1. I for one am glad McNair didn't sign any big time players in the offseason. No matter who we signed last offseason they wouldn't have taken us to the Super Bowl this year. Then we would be in salary cap trouble just like Jaxonville was in their 2nd year. We still have alot of players that need developing and no depth. The key is to sign the big free agents in the summer when were ready to compete for the next season. We're on a 4 year plan to have a contending team for 10 years straight. Wasting all our salary last offseason wouldn't have helped.
The Kevin Brown deal would have only worked in a 4 way deal where the Dodgers would have landed Sexson instead of Arizona. LA is the team in dying need of offense. The way i see it.... George Steinbrener on Bartolo Colon. "Get him here now!
From Jayson Stark: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=1678428 I didn't want to quote the whole article but it is a good read.
Pettitte, Yanks no closer to agreement http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1681005 NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte and David Wells were offered salary arbitration Sunday night by the New York Yankees, who re-signed outfielder Ruben Sierra to a $1 million, one-year deal. The Yankees are far apart in their negotiations with Pettitte, who also is being courted by the Houston Astros. But they seem on track to re-sign Wells.
Bad for us on the Pettitte front? I thought the Yanks were a lock to get this guy!?!?! Monday, December 8, 2003 Associated Press CHICAGO -- Bartolo Colon was close to an agreement with the Anaheim Angels, The Associated Press learned Monday, a contract that would give the team one of the top pitchers on the free-agent market. While neither Colon nor the Angels discussed the talks Monday, both Anaheim and the Chicago White Sox believed the right-hander was on the verge of a deal with Anaheim, said two baseball officials who were familiar with details of Colon's negotiations with the two teams. The pair spoke on the condition of anonymity. Anaheim offered a $48 million, four-year contract, one of the officials said. Once a preliminary agreement is reached, the right-hander still must pass a physical. Colon's agent, Mitch Frankel, did not return several telephone calls from The Associated Press. Angels general manager Bill Stoneman refused to confirm or deny talks. "We've been more active this offseason than last," Stoneman said. "We're still trying to get some other things done. In terms of what they are, we're only going to comment on that stuff once we do have something that we announce publicly." The Angels could be dealing again if the Alex Rodriguez-Manny Ramirez trade goes through. Five-time All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra would be out of a job, and it's believed the Red Sox could trade him to the Angels for a pitcher, possibly Jarrod Washburn, or second baseman Adam Kennedy. The Chicago White Sox badly wanted Colon back, with general manager Ken Williams offering a three-year contract worth a reported $36 million -- the largest ever for a White Sox pitcher. But Colon rejected the offer in October. Though the White Sox offered Colon arbitration Sunday night, Williams seemed resigned Monday to losing the 20-game winner. Asked if he was still negotiating with Colon, Williams said no, but didn't rule out the possibility. Asked if he was optimistic talks would happen, Williams said, "no." Colon has until Dec. 19 to accept or reject the arbitration offer. If he signs elsewhere, the White Sox would get a compensatory draft pick. Colon was only 15-13 with a 3.87 ERA this year, but he's coveted for his durability and consistency. He's a 20-game winner who has reached double-digit victories in six straight seasons. He pitched a career-high nine complete games this year, and was second in the AL with 242 innings. His 173 strikeouts also ranked in the top 10. In seven seasons with Cleveland, Montreal and Chicago, the 30-year-old Colon is 100-62 with a 3.86 ERA.
If $48million/4yrs is what it takes to get Colon, I'de much rather the Astros pursue him than Pettite. Colon at $12mill/yr is a much better investment than $10mill/yr for the overatted Pettite.
I don't know, Colon seems to have weight problems and there is alot of good food here in Houston. I'm for Pettite. Nice delivery, postseason experience, Rings....etc. Oswalt /Righty Pettie /Lefty Miller /Righty Robertson/ Hernandez / Lefty Redding / Righty Looks mighty nice to me.......
I agree that, at that price, Colon would be a much better investment than Pettitte....but I wouldn't get your hopes up. Ever since Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell, the Astros have a club policy to give NO pitchers contracts for longer than 3 years. It was part of why they stood no chance at resigning Randy Johnson after they rented him for half a season. He wanted 4 years. At the time, I thought it was smart to not give a guy his age a 4 year contract. Who knew the guy could throw this hard at his age?
Dec. 8, 2003, 10:12PM Astros a player in race for Pettitte By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Astros owner Drayton McLane returned from Europe on Sunday and quickly asked general manager Gerry Hunsicker for an update on the talks with representatives for free agent lefthander Andy Pettitte. McLane liked what he heard, because his club remains a contender to land one of the top pitching prizes on the free agent market. A year after extending the budget to sign free agent second baseman Jeff Kent, McLane and the Astros remain in solid position with Pettitte, the star lefthander from Deer Park who has spent his entire career with the Yankees. In late October, few people in baseball believed the Astros could step up and persuade Pettitte to leave the Bronx. That opinion is changing quickly, several baseball officials told the Chronicle. More important, McLane remains as optimistic as ever that he might pull off the major shocker of the hot stove league for a second straight year. "I think we have several advantages with Andy being from (the Houston area) and wanting to be a Houston Astro," said McLane, who spoke with Hunsicker daily from Europe last week while monitoring the talks with Pettitte's agents, the Hendricks brothers, Alan and Randy. McLane and Hunsicker have met with the Hendrickses twice. The sides also negotiated via phone regarding Pettitte at least three times in the last week, according to a person close to the situation. Another meeting could happen as early as Wednesday. McLane has not made Pettitte an offer, but he has given the Hendrickses "a range" to work with. The Yankees almost decided against offering Pettitte salary arbitration before Sunday night's deadline, which would essentially have ended his days in the Bronx because the Yankees would not have been able to sign him until May. By offering arbitration, the Yankees can negotiate with Pettitte until Dec. 19. If Pettitte accepts arbitration from the Yankees, he would surely earn at least $14 million next season. Nobody doubts that the Yankees would dwarf any other offer for Pettitte on a long-term deal, especially with hard-throwing righthander Bartolo Colon close to a deal with the Angels. Pettitte's ties to the Houston area could serve as the Astros' wild card over the Yankees. "I think they're looking at the Astros very aggressively," McLane said.
It's not just the 'Stros. Many, if not most, clubs won't guarantee a 4th year for arms...3 years is the most they can insure against injury. On the Colon front, from things I've read, his elbow is a serious worry. One fron't office type whose medical staff had reviewed MRI's & whatnot, said it looked "hideous". I'll try to find the liink.
Don't know if this has been posted ... From an article on ESPN .... The player: Andy Pettitte His biggest financial offer will come from the Yankees and his best personal offer comes from the Astros, because his family resides there year-round. If he signs with Houston, he might have to walk away from perhaps $20 million or more of Yankees' cash. One official with the Yankees believes the chances of re-signing the left-hander to play in the Bronx are slightly less than 50-50. If he does go to Houston, the loss of Pettitte would be devastating. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=1682059 I honestly didnt think we had any chance of signing him, but if someone in the Yankees organization thinks the odds are that he will go to Houston, then I think the Astros are in a lot better shape than I thought. I'll wait until I actually see Drayton open up the pocketbook before I get excited though.
BTW, The Angels got Colon. That means the Yankees will go all out to pursue Andy Pettitte. I hope the guy follows his heart and not his pocketbook but - as they say - money talks... Does anyone else think that we could use 30 mil elswhere and make more of a difference? I mean, sign a 5th starter instead of a top of the line guy, and then go after some position players. Are there any position players worth going after, players that want to be traded, etc? Even with all thos questions, I would be happy to sign Pettitte. We'd just have to make the playoffs and then it'd be lights out.
just thoght i would post this for those that care. there is another article in the post below this one as well. looks promising . . . Dec. 9, 2003, 11:12PM Hometown might have decisive lure By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Almost six months after making history at Yankee Stadium with a six-pitcher no-hitter, Drayton McLane's Astros are in a good position to shock George Steinbrenner's club again because Andy Pettitte might to be leaning toward picking Houston as his baseball home. According to a person close to the situation, the Astros are the "front-runners" for Pettitte, the lefthander who is one of the top pitching prizes on the free-agent market this year. Steinbrenner's slow approach toward re-signing Pettitte appears to have backfired while McLane intensified his efforts to land the nine-year veteran. Pettitte's agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, have said they would like to get a deal done before the conclusion of the winter meetings, which begin Friday in New Orleans. With the Yankees playing hard to get and the Braves and Red Sox no longer in the mix, the Astros are suddenly in a great position to have the Deer Park resident pitching at Minute Maid Park for the next three seasons. The Yankees might have underestimated Pettitte's desire to pitch in front of his wife, Laura, and their three children. And though Steinbrenner might step up and overwhelm Pettitte with an offer he can't refuse, it might not be enough to overcome the recruiting pitch McLane has given Pettitte's agents through general manager Gerry Hunsicker. Hunsicker has referred all comment on the negotiations with Pettitte to McLane, but the GM has quietly set up the Astros nicely with Pettitte, according to sources close to the negotiations. McLane has made it clear he is interested in finding a home for Pettitte at Minute Maid Park, but Tuesday he said "nothing is new" with the negotiations. Pettitte was 21-8 with a 4.02 ERA in 2003 and is 149-78 with a 3.94 ERA over his nine-year career. Of the pitchers on the free-agent market this winter, only Bartolo Colon (who Tuesday agreed to a four-year deal with the Angels worth approximately $48 million), Greg Maddux and Kevin Millwood are in Pettitte's class. Of those three, only four-time Cy Young Award winner Maddux has accomplished more than Pettitte in his career. But Pettitte is six years younger than Maddux, 37. Millwood and Colon don't compare to Pettitte in terms of postseason success. Pettitte is the all-time leader in postseason victories with 13 (Maddux is fourth with 11), and McLane is impressed with his collection of four World Series championship rings. Wade Miller is the only Astro with a start in the postseason, having earned a no-decision in 2001 despite holding the Braves to two runs over seven innings. Roy Oswalt, Tim Redding, Jeriome Robertson, Brandon Duckworth and Carlos Hernandez have no postseason experience. If Pettitte signs with the Astros, he, Oswalt and Miller would give Houston three pitchers with a chance of winning 20 games next year. Pettitte has two 20-win seasons under his belt, and Oswalt won 19 games in 2002. Pettitte isn't the only player Hunsicker has been monitoring heading into the winter meetings. "I'm still looking for another arm to add to the bullpen, possibly an extra outfielder, a center field/speed type, and a candidate to compete for a utility infielder job," Hunsicker said. "I think the quality arms are still in demand. Pitching is still the name of the game."
Dec. 10, 2003, 12:27AM Yanks unlikely to lose by being outbid By DALE ROBERTSON Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle The Astros can't afford Andy Pettitte, but they've gamely indicated they're willing to try to afford him nonetheless. Let's see. Ten million bucks, or more, per year for the next three years. Work once every five days. A long Christmas vacation. Minimal travel, at least compared to the commute he's used to. And convenient access to family members and Deer Park homies. The aforementioned would be able to see him pitch live 15 to 20 times next season, depending on how the Astros' schedule lays out. Then there's the work environment. A cool stadium, as long as you keep your pitches down. A plush clubhouse, full of nice guys. Stable, salt-of-the-earth, God-fearing types for the most part, the same as he is. And pretty fair ballplayers, too, certainly good enough to win with, assuming he does his part. Yet Pettitte doesn't even have to be the ace. Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller gladly will carry the back-bowing burden of expectations equally. So what's wrong with this picture? Absolutely nothing unless the Yankees, the firm for which Pettitte has worked the past nine years, decide to throw several million extra dollars his way, thereby complicating deliberations. You'd better believe they will, too, their coy behavior thus far notwithstanding. The Astros are the rumored early leader in the clubhouse only because they have been the only active participant in the courtship. The Yankees are only waiting to see what they're up against down our way before they show their cards. Also, they've lassoed neither Bartolo Colon nor Curt Schilling, leaving plenty in George Steinbrenner's piggy bank for Andy. Except, at the end of the day, the money shouldn't be the make-or-break variable in the Pettitte sweepstakes. If it is, then these negotiations are strictly about egos, those of Pettitte himself and his agents. Which, by the way, is OK. It has always been the American way to sell oneself to the highest bidder. Can Andy swallow a contract that pays him less than he made while he was winning 21 games for New York's American League champions last season? Can the winningest postseason pitcher in baseball history sign off on being compensated at less than "fair market value?" Can the Hendricks brothers, Randy and Alan, take a client's discounted deal to the players' union and hold their heads high? There's a second set of questions to be addressed. What do Andy and his wife, Laura, want? Where do they prefer to live? How would they like to raise their three children? It's a critical period looming, because the kids will soon be between the ages of 3 and 9. The oldest, Joshua Blake, is starting to forge friendships that could matter for the rest of his life. He's also said to love football, and where better to pursue his passion than in Texas? These are the esoteric issues the Pettittes have to weigh against the tangible Steinbrenner bucks they'll be leaving on the table should they choose Houston's ambience over New York's glamour and championship tradition. The Astros can't hope to match Steinbrenner dollar for dollar. They can't pay Pettitte one thin dime if Drayton McLane is serious about staying in the neighborhood of the budget he says crunches for him. Nonetheless, they're apparently willing to make Andy the richest pitcher in their humble history. That's not a bad gesture when you consider how Pettitte, as appealing a package as he might seem on the surface, brings questions of his own to the table. Giving megasums to pitchers is a risky business. There's no greater gamble in sports. Pettitte's impeccable personal deportment removes one of the variables, but many remain. For all his success in New York, for example, he surrendered almost 4 1/2 earned runs per game at Yankee Stadium, theoretically a safer environment than Minute Maid Park represents. And as erratically as the Yankees hit in 2003, they routinely rose to the occasion behind him, making those 21 victories possible when they might not have been on another club. Nobody in Houston, particularly McLane, needs reminding how the Astros were burned on Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell, prodigals who belly-flopped upon their celebrated returns. And they came home to the Astrodome. Anyway, the decision is Pettitte's to make, and there's no right or wrong answer for anybody save him. It's 100 percent about his priorities. If he walked away from baseball tomorrow, he has already banked more than his great-grandchildren could spend. But that doesn't mean he has any moral obligation to turn his back on New York in order to ply his trade in these parts. He owes us nothing. He guarantees us nothing, either. Baseball's hardly so simple a game. Pettitte's fate should be known within the week. This dance won't linger past the winter meetings, which start Friday. Despite the lack of a formal "t's" crossed, "i's" dotted offer, there's no mystery to the Astros' financial parameters. They can tweak the numbers slightly, but they are not playing the same game as the Yankees. We would like to believe Pettitte has been thusly counseled and that he truly knows the score. We also hope he doesn't care.
