I think another thing to consider is that the haul for Wandy can be over-magnified due to the lack of talent on this team. He was the #1 starter out of desperation the past couple of years, but if this team were contenders he'd of been a #3 tops. The haul for Wandy is suitable for a true 3rd starter in the rotation.
No there isn't a min payroll but apparently MLB gets pissed at you if you only have like one person making above a million
For all the screwjobs Houston has been getting lately (Stern veto'ing Pau/Selig forcing us to the AL) I'd love to see Crane just give 'em the finger.
I don't remember who tweeted it, either McTaggart or Levine, but he said that the only guaranteed contract we have for years to come is the money we owe Wandy. So we have a bunch of minimum rookie contracts and some arbitration contracts like lowrie and lopez(who may be traded)
Ok I was wrong, it was Joel Sherman Joel Sherman @joelsherman1 #Astros only contractual obligation beyond this season is now $16M for Wandy Rodriguez not to play for them
Definitely like the idea of trading Wandy for prospects. I was not expecting as much value as they got for Pence. A little disappointed in the haul, but expect it was best offer out there.
Did you see what Miami got for Hanley Freakin' Ramirez? Doesn't seem to be any different than what we got in some of our deals, and this is for a supposed stud player. Underperforming, big-money players are not bringing back the haul that you might wish for. I'm fine with the return on Wandy and glad to see the owner wiling to eat some $ instead of doing a straight salary dump like Miami.
It's all about getting as much talent as you can....You bet the Astros need a Pujols or a Cano or a Strasberg. But we also need about 15-18 players who aren't gonna make the umpires go "Really?" when you turn in your lineup card....and another 30-40 guys in the system behind them all pushing each other to get the best out of the ones who can maybe help someday. Right now we are fielding 100 loss talent despite a better than expected start. We need arms, bats and gloves in quantity.
my biggest fear is what some of you guys are suggesting, altuve 21, trade him for prospects start over...when carlos comes up and turns 22, trade him for prospects..start over. We could do that for the next 20 seasons.
I think the Marlins had to promise MLBPA they would raise payroll a few years back because theirs was so low.
Of course we won't do that. Have we even traded any players younger than 26? If you not a large market, and you can't field a .500 team with guys 26 and younger, then you're probably not ready to "go for it". Until you are, it makes sense to trade the older guys.
Honestly, this is still a huge concern. His huge selling price along with the debt load makes you wonder. Probably won't be a problem once the fans come back, but who knows how long that will take. Unless we take a college pitcher with the 1st pick in the 2013 draft, it could be several years before we have the kind of pitching staff we need to be real contenders. I don't think we can get by in the AL West if we build teams like the ones in the late 90s where the offense carried a mediocre staff (good pitchers, but no greats, until RJ trade).
