Williams signed a 2 year (plus one year at a club option) with the Cardinals today. No monetary details were announced.
Williams gets $6 million in 2003 and $8 million in 2004, and the Cardinals have an $8 million option for 2005 with a $900,000 buyout. He made $6.25 million in 2002, the final season of an $11.25 million, two-year deal.
With the Texans and the Rockets hype (Ming and new stadium) i'm glad to see the Astros step up and make some bold moves.........oh, wait, nevermind. Hope the winter meetings bring some excitment.
I believe it was Sunday's Chronicle that said the Astros were scheduled to meet with Williams' agent today (Monday). It will be interesting to see if the Astros even had the opportunity to make Williams an offer.
wow! the astros were supposed to meet with the guy TODAY as i understood it...now this??? "you were right about one thing, master...the negotiations were short." -- obi wan kenobi
Rez, You are a bold bold person. I really like that you are willing to make a statement like that and know that you will be held to it. I think you just replaced Barkley as the most quotable person. lol It’s enough to piss you off isn't it? How excited are you about next season. Here is my prediction: -They will quickly become the 3rd sports team in Houston. -Drayton sells the team in 2 years (to collect on the All-Star game) If not, look for much of the same. Drayton is a politician in disguise. He is forever talking out of both sides of his mouth. I was one that was hoping the players won the CBA in baseball as he promised to sell the team if there was a strike or unfavorable CBA. DAMN IT!!!
Now: Wait! It's early! Anything could happen! (Cubs get Dusty Baker and Damien Miller. Cards hold onto Woody and Rolen. Phillies sign David Bell. Braves get Hampton.) January: It's still early! Hold onto hope! (Phillies get Thome. Mets snag Neagle. Yanks buy Hideki Matsui. D-Backs trade for Larry Walker. Carlos Hernandez injures himself working out.) Late February (players report to camp): Oh, nevermind... (Cubs get Jeff Kent. Reds sign Steve Finley and Cliff Floyd. Brewers trade for Pudge and A-Rod. Pirates acquire Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens. Cards trade for Bonds and Curt Schilling. Daryl Ward wins a pie-eating contest. Hidalgo transforms into a black hole of pure suckitude, from which even light and talent cannot escape. Drayton demands a new stadium and vows, this time, he'll spend money on free agents.)
Re-signing Shane will be the only significant move I can see. McLane will then boast about how re-signing Shane is just as an ADDITION, since Shane was hurt for most of last year. Kind of like how Alou was back for 2000, after missing all of 1999. McLane said that getting Alou back, was akin to the Astros signing a premier hitter. Retention=Addition for the Astros.
Before we go directly to the "Drayton didn't want to sign this guy because he's cheap" card...can we at least find out whether Woody's agent even showed up for the meeting they had scheduled with Astros brass? It seems a lot like the Astros weren't even given the chance to make an offer.
Stl prob gave him a "take it now, or leave it" offer, I imagine. Shane Reynolds will be the winner in this, since he now has more leverage on the Astros.
Apparently the Astros gave Williams' agent the parameters of a contract a while back but no real negotiations ever took place. The Chronicle story indicating that a meeting was to take place today was inaccurate according to Hunsicker.
Dang...it seemed like we had a chance for a while, but 6-8-8 million is a lot of money for a guy who had some injury trouble last season. Maybe he is over it...but honestly I think I would have been upset if the Astros had given that large of a contract to Woody.
williams is an awesome pitcher when healthy but i wouldn't take the chance with that kind of money. it looks bad on the astros to "miss out" again but it's probably for the best in this situation.
If I heard correctly, the deal was 2 years, $15 million??? Yeah...I'm sincerely relieved we didn't invest that money into Williams. A good pitcher? Absolutely...a pitcher worth $7.5 mill/year??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Since the Astros haven't managed to attract or retain any notable free agents since Doug Drabkek, I am inclined to be pessimistic about the Astros offer. I think you can plausibly pass on Woody Williams...his age and injury concerns are real, but the Astros have not been in the running for *any* moves this off-season. No, I don't think wanting Hampton, Williams, or Clemens to sign with the team at a hometown discount is enough.
Drayton's wealth is not that far from Mark Cuban's (Drayton's worth $1.1 billion according to Forbes. Cuban's worth $1.3 billion according to Forbes). What the Astros need is a free-spending owner like Tom Hicks.
