He was due to make $10M if that option had been picked up.
Bet there’ll be a lot of short term deals.
And a lot of late signings.
Isn’t that how they got LaRussa back to Chicago?
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Not bad. I thought he pitched pretty well.
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Is this any sort of signal the Astros think they can re-sign him?
I hope so. But I’m honestly too dumb to really guess what it means. Hopefully someone smarter can weigh in.
I’m flat out shocked at the Brantley decision
Hoping it means they are in negotiations with him for multi-year deal.
Re: Archer I’ve always liked his stuff and would be pretty interested to see what Strom could do with him. He also presumably has some ties to Click, wouldn’t Click have been in Tampa when Archer was coming through the system?
Another name I wouldn’t mind kicking the tires on is Marcus Stroman. Very talented imo and another guy I think Strom could help turn the corner
I’m guessing that the Brantley QO decision means they’re moving on. Hope that’s not the case.
As someone said 2 off-seasons ago, the only downside to making a QO is the player may sign it.
That does make the most sense. Probably more of a financial decision than anything.
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The free agent market is going to be so financially repressed because of the current conditions that Brantley, at his age, will be able to be signed for much less than the QO. Whether it is the Astros who finally sign remains to be seen.
I hope we resign Springer, but it sounds like the Mets under Cohen, who is now the wealthiest owner in the sport, are going to spend big. Springer patrolling center in NY seems very likely as the Mets could be one of the few teams willing to spend big bucks in spite of all the financial uncertainties.
If we can’t resign Springer, I’d like to see us go after an outfielder for the future to pair with Tucker. Given our depth in pitching, I wouldn’t mind moving Whitely if the Twins would give us Kiriloff or Larnach. Would have 2/3 of the outfield set for the next 6-7 years.
This sort of trade could’ve been made before Whitley ever picked up a baseball in 2019, but not today. Whitley’s trade value has flatlined since then, and until he decides to give a shit and actually improves, he’s going to follow Mark Appel’s career trajectory.
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W.H.I.T.L.E.Y.
Exactly, Waldo. He may be rebelling after people call him Whitely after all these years.
FWIW, mlbtraderumors.com posted their predictions for where each of the top 50 free agents are going to land. Take all of these with a massive grain of salt, as they predict that Charlie Morton ends up with the Mets on a 1 year, $8M deal.
They’ve got Springer landing with the White Sox for 5/$125, but note that staying in Houston also makes sense. They don’t give any reason why the White Sox makes sense for George, but George definitely fits the White Sox’s need for a RF.
They predict Brantley goes to Atlanta on a 2/$28 deal, which seems eminently reasonable and like something the Astros could/should match or beat.
Here are their projected Astros signings, which make sense given the team’s needs and the fact that Crane/Click are telegraphing a cash-constrained offseason:
- CF Jackie Bradley, Jr. (2/$16)
- LHRP Brad Hand (2/$14)
The Astros are also listed as “potential suitors” for:
- Catcher, J.T. Realmuto (prediction: Mets, 5/$125, QO-attached)
- RHRP, Liam Hendriks (Phillies, 3/$30)
- OF, Joc Pederson (Cardinals, 2/$18)
- RHRP, Trevor May (Giants, 2/$14)
- RHRP, Blake Treinen (Marlins, 2/$14)
- RHRP, Kirby Yates (Padres, 1/$5)
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No DH next season in NL would seem to make Brantley a little less attractive there (although broadcast seemed to reference him not liking it when he was DH).
My uninformed preference (if no Springer) would be MB, Bradley, Hand, and Chirinos.
I’ll even chip in some Kohl’s Cash if that helps.
No Joc P. Please.
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Hand for 2/$14M would be a fucking steal
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If we sign someone with a QO attached, we’d lose the third round pick, right? (Our first?)
If we signed two FAs with QO’s, we’d lose third and fourth?
Is this based on personality or ability?