Your label of being a Tinfoil hat guy has nothing to do with the Astros or with baseball. Keep up!
focus on team.
Do you think it’s possible Crane has ever handled any negotiations with high stakes and a shit load of money? Naaaah he’s a total noob.
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and coherence.
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…and spelling and punctuation. Consider poor chuck’s feelings!
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poor e e cummings
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“And that’s why Crane should be expected to hire his own boss to handle these negotiations.” -Jeff Passan, probably
It’s mind boggling how clueless Law is.
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I would like to know if Crane et al. have given up on Brantley.
spelling and
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make Them
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priority
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I wonder if it’s just a matter of uncertainty regarding Uncle Mike’s health. Maybe Crane feels he can’t afford to wait to find out and risk missing out on other options.
Remember Crane mentioned something about not knowing about Brantley until March (alluding to health) a couple weeks back.
“I love this team. I’m a Houston Astro. I’ve been here since 1991. I think Jim Crane is the best owner in baseball, that’s part of the reason why I do this,” Bagwell said. “(Crane) is a guy who played in college, that understands the game of baseball, hates to lose and will spend some money. You can’t ask for any more than that. He’s got a passion for it. To be a part of it is nice whatever part that is. But I care. And I care about the guys.”
Great quote from Bags…
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Dunno.
Now that Abreu has been signed, I’ve been doing some thinking about the next step. The more I think about it, I really hope we take that chance on Bellinger. As a plus defender at first base and center field, he provides some great lineup flexibility.
Alvarez LF/Abreu 1B/Bellinger CF
Alvarez DH/Abreu1B/Bellinger CF/Chaz LF
Alvarez LF/Abreu DH/Bellinger 1B/Chaz CF
Alvarez LF/Abreu 1B/Bellinger DH/Chaz CF
If he is just half the player he was in his MVP year, he would be a great left handed bat to stick 7th behind Abreu. A one year deal, which is what he’s looking for, wouldn’t block Leon in center for the future.
Benintendi is better suited to left field and that isn’t ideal if we plan to play Alvarez in the field more. Conforto and Nimmo would also each be better in the corner and I don’t want to shift Tucker to center.
At any rate, I would think that any of these free agent outfielders would be itching to get on Houston’s roster for a shot at a ring.
Rosenthal’s article alludes to how Dusty’s concern at the deadline, that Contreras would be upset about reduced playing time in a contract year, wouldn’t apply anymore.
Personally I don’t get why you’d pay Contreras’ price (including the lost draft pick) if you see him as a LF/DH, there are other good bats out there who would seem to fit the lineup better. But it’s not my money.
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RE:Bagwell
Whatever the Astros have gone “too far” towards over the last 6 years is what I want them to keep doing…
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From what I have heard/read:
Crane is still very interested in Brantley but he is just now starting baseball activities and not expected to be fully healthy until Feb/Mar. And nothing will be decided until then.
It does not feel like anything will be held up in the meantime.
If anyone is interested here is what my “Source” ( lol) says about Contreras and the Astros.
" a lot of misconceptions out there about Contreras
First, several weeks ago I said the Astros plan would be to have have him play multiple spots. I don’t where this Twitter guy heard he wouldn’t catch. Unless something has changed in the last 10 days, Contreras would still catch and would be the catcher when Maldy would not be catching. The goal was around 100-110 starts for Maldonado. That means 50-55 games where Contreras would start as a catcher. He would DH when Alvarez plays the field (80-85 games) and he would play some LF and possibly first if Abreu is out or DHing.
The Astros (and Contreras) believe that he wears down catching 120 games a year and it impacts his hitting. He also has discussed playing better and focusing on a winning team.
So from the Astros perspective he fits very well and his bat will improve with better protection and not having catch as often.
Maldonado would also work with him on game planning and pitch selection.
As for his defense, he is not considered a bad defensive catcher around the league. He has very good raw tools and they make up for the occasional mental lapses he has. So he won’t hurt the defense.
Where Contreras has drawn criticism is managing a pitching staff and preparing for games. They believe the preparation for him will be less demanding catching less often and the Astros coaching staff and Maldonado will help a lot with that.
The Astros are looking for value and versatility and he potentially provides that. So far Contreras hasn’t had an offer around the amount he is worth. The Astros have made an informal offer and we wi see.
A lot of this stuff in the media about the Astros is mostly accurate but details are missing and context.
If the Astros can get him at a solid value I would support the move.
Also, I know some of Contreras basic analytical numbers seem good but not great, but my understanding is some of the more advanced and precise numbers show he is an even better hitter than advertised.
The Astros want to meet him in person (something Click didn’t care about) and the Astros will judge him in person, FWIW someone from the pitching hive mind (Murphy maybe?) will meet with him. As for Bagwell, I trust his ability to identify the work ethic and character of a ball player. It is something he has good instincts for.
Also I am fine with them just signing an outfielder instead, they are looking at all angles to increase their chances of improving the team. Contreras makes more sense than it seems at first - but so does just getting an outfielder and back up catcher."