WTSWTM: The off-season edition

This is the off-season edition of What They Said, What They Meant, where a quote (from Astros.com) is broken down between sportspeak (what they said) and people speak (what they meant). In other words, we are here to serve you with the translation from what they said, to what they actually meant!

GM Jeff Luhnow talking about using Chris Devenski as a starter (or not)

  • What they said – “We’re going to keep our options open there.  A.J. and I have been talking about it. I think Devenski will come to Spring Training and prepare as a starter and start to build out. We don’t have to make a decision even halfway through Spring Training, as long as he’s able to go multiple innings and we can look at it throughout Spring Training and see how everything’s going, and see what else we have to make a decision. Devenski’s going to have value for us one way or another.”
  • What they meant – “I know I am the guy with the 5 year plan, but when it comes to Devenski I have about a five-week plan on whether to prepare him to be a starter or a reliever. Maybe we will make him our lone tandem pitcher, start him one time and relieve him the next.”

Owner Jim Crane on his spending for 2016

  • What he said – “We always said we’d spend the money when we could spend it effectively, and now is the time. We’ve raised the payroll steadily the last three or four years and got it up over $120 million this year. We’re spending the resources we think we need to be competitive and get in the playoffs and win a championship. That’s the goal.”
  • What he meant – “All you folks who thought we would never spend money…..Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah. I feel a bit like Donald Trump after the election….”

Luhnow on trying to trade for big time pitching (such as Jose Quintana) help during the winter meeting

  • What he said – “Over the past few days, there are times I thought we were well over 50 percent chance of maybe getting a deal and at times I thought we were 10 percent.  I suspect that will continue once people leave here tomorrow and go back. Perspective changes a little bit, and there might be a few things done maybe in the next 24 hours that will change other teams’ appetite to get it over the finish line, including ours.”
  • What he meant – “We thought we had about a 50% chance of getting a deal done when we sent them our list of prospects we would be willing to trade. We thought we had a about a 10% chance of getting a deal done after we saw their wish list of what prospects they wanted back.”

Carlos Beltran on the incessant booing the Houston fans have served up since he left

  • What they said – “I don’t have anything against the Houston fans  Honestly, I have a lot of appreciation. I always said that when you get booed in a city or in a ballpark, it’s because you have done something good in the game of baseball.”
  • What they meant – “This almost became laughable after a while. I’ve been gone 12 years! I think the only guys left from that team still playing in the majors are Chad Qualls and me. I’m old. I’m older than Roy Oswalt! The grocer didn’t want to give me the no trade clause. So I get booed and he sold the club for about 5 times what he bought it. I can only laugh.”

A.J. Hinch on the off-season additions to his lineup

  • What he said – “It’s been exciting, because it felt like leading up to the [Winter] Meetings, we were the most active team with the most success at getting to the finish line. We’ve got to be one of the [deepest] teams, position-player-wise, in our league.”
  • What he meant – “I was looking at the Astros lineup from September 2014, the last games before I took over. With some variations it was Robbie Grossman LF, Jose Altuve 2B, Alex Presley RF, Jonathan Singleton 1B, Chris Carter DH, Jake Marisnick CF, Jason Castro C, Gregorio Petit 3B, Jonathan Villar SS…..Maybe Bo Porter was a better manager than everyone thought.”

Luhnow looking at additional moves after the Winter Meetings

  • What he said – “We just have to be patient, we have to be opportunistic and continue to sort through with clubs as they decide whether or not they’ve going to make players available based off of what they’ve been able to accomplish this week.  A lot of the trade opportunities don’t happen until after they’ve signed their guy or made a different trade.”
  • What he meant – “Hey, I’m playing with house money right now. I’ve had an insanely great off-season even if I go take a trip around the world.”

Cuban pitcher Cionel Perez after problems with his physical allowed the Astros to void their offer to him of $5.15 million and eventually to settle for $2 million

  • What he said – “I am happy to begin my professional career but I feel abused by this system…..I hope that you understand how these rules in my case are extremely unjust and that you make every effort for the necessary adjustments and considerations to be made. Today should be the happiest day of my life, and I cannot help but feel like I’ve just been robbed.”
  • What you think he meant……..
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113 responses to “WTSWTM: The off-season edition”

  1. What Luhnow meant to say about Devenski: We’re in uncharted waters here. A young pitcher who we developed and is successful at the major league level without his arm falling off? How have we not traded this guy yet?
    What Jim Crane meant to say about spending money: You do know I was a pitcher in college, right?
    What Luhnow meant to say about trades: Every team’s player is the greatest and the other team’s prospects are just ok. I’m going to wait a few weeks and see if our prospects up their game and their players start a negative regression.
    What Beltran meant to say about the fans: If MMP is half empty or full of the other team’s fans can I start booing the Astros’ fans?
    What Hinch meant to say about the lineup is: This lineup is so good I can’t figure out where to put the guy with the.396 OBP.
    What Cionel meant to say: I just can’t believe their doctors noticed the stitches holding my arm on or all the grey hairs in my beard. These doctors really know their stuff and they can afford x-ray machines, too.

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  2. I would like to reply to yesterday. Welcome Rainbow Deck. My post was me being a smart a$$. Being new you may have missed previous discussions on needing a sarcasm font. You had a valid and logical reply. And finally watch out for Stephen and Tim. They are even more offensive but claim to be “passionate fans.” 😀. Glad to have you and your thoughts

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  3. Devo:. “Look we have some clunkers for starters. We need someone to come in the 3rd inning and protect a 4 run deficit.”

    Crane: “I can now concentrate on the Astros. I will be attending more games and want to watch a good team now. God knows I won’t be playing golf with any President for 4, 8, or more years. All that money I spent on politicians was obviously wasted.”

    Deals: “We had over 50% chance to make some deals. But look at my previous deals, they he a 10% chance of helping the team.”

    Beltran: “I would like to announce my name change to Carlos Beltran Cruz and would appreciate if the fans would yell my last name every time I come to bat.”

    AJ: “When I look at our new line up, my seat feels warm and on its way to Hot.”

    Winter Meetings: “Did you not read that my chances of making a good deal is 10%?”

    Perez:. “I feel robbed. With the $5 million I planned to buy Cuba from the Castro family.”

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  4. OMG, Loria wants to sell the Marlins! How about I talk my Buddy, Jim C, into selling the Astros to my other buddy, Nolan, and then get Jim to buy the Marlins from Loria?
    That way the Astros are owned by a Houstonian and the Marlins are owned by Florida WestPalmsonofabeachcomberian.
    Thank you for your support. And you thought I was just a GM wannabe!

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  5. What he said: * I am happy to begin my professional career but I feel abused by this system *

    What he will find out: “If I just shut my mouth, harness my emotions, and put my focus on my pitching instead of my complaining, I will wake up in 10 years the richest Cuban immigrant since Ricky Ricardo.” Ba-ba-LOOOO!

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  6. Knowing that Devenski has eagerly embraced ANY role makes him an excellent teammate! He can be your #3/4 starter, your 7th/8th inning set up guy, or your “pick-me-up swing man” to Morton. Now, compare that to say, someone who is injured, pitches poorly through it without telling anyone (has learned not to do that anymore), but who publically opposes a 6-man bc of his “routine.”

    The value Luhnow speaks of are guys who do what it takes to get in, but who don’t hurt the team (e.g. Marwin, Feliz). Did you hear any complaints from Michael Feliz about his disjointed assignments? The FO knows exactly what they have in cheap labor with no back talk.. I’d personally like to see the guys who do the scratching and clawing get more innings.

    If we sent a list of prospects to CWS (Hahn), meaning virtually every player except our select top 8, let’s say (Bregman, Martes etc), and we heard rumblings that they liked a few (like Whitley, Laureano etc), then we’d be gauging it 50/50, or worse. What’s happened so far is a little like lining up to draw offsides, or read their formation – neither team has to budge yet.

    Depreciating assets:
    3B Moran, Davis, Wik (bc of Gurriel/Bregman)
    2B Kemp, Tanielu (bc of Altuve, Ryne Birk)
    SS Sierra, Duarte (CC)
    1B White, Reed (McCall, free agency/trade)
    OF Fisher, Teoscar, Laureano (blocked by Reddick, Aoki etc)
    P Rodgers, Paulino, Sneed, Yuhl, Jankowski, McCurry
    C Stassi, Heineman, Pena, Woodward

    Each one of these positions also has C+ or better prospect, along with ETA in 2018 and 2019, so the time for culling this abbreviated list above is right now – if ever! Some of these players are like mosquitos born in December, who never really had a chance to sting the league.

    And how could they with the projected bag ‘o tricks Hinch can reach into this season? Their only hope is we’re winning games comfortably and can blend-in prospects without sacrificing the season.

    I’m pretty sure Cionel meant this is freakin bull$%£€. I feel for Cuban players who have to risk life/limb to play a game they love. Seems pretty unfair, but hopefully coming from “dirt,” too, like CC and Altuve, toughens and prepares them for hardball in the States. How would you like 5. something reduced to less than a million after agent, lawyers taxes etc? That should have been money he kept if earned, but Stros were shrewd. It doesn’t make him less of a team player – yet.

    In studying the draft, it looks like we’ll fall into about 5 players we might select with our first pick. Which one would you choose?

    JJ Schwartz
    Cole Turney
    Alex Lange
    Jacob Heatherby
    Colton Hock
    Someone else?

    Could Shane Baz, or Nick Pratto fall to us with #53 pick?

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    • I think Keuchel is a fairly low maintenance, if not misguided, Cy Young winner in an age of very coddled major league baseball players. I say misguided, because if he was in fact hurt and did not tell anyone, then he did his team, and certainly himself a real disservice. If that arm falls off, it’s going to cost him 100 or so million ultimately.

      Devenski is one of the kids on the club I most admire. He’ll do anything asked of him. But he was a 25th round pick, a guy that did not have much success in professional ball until after paying his dues in that pitchers hell hole called Lancaster. So I think most of us in his happy shoes last season would have been enjoying the best year of our young lives too.

      I think a few of your depreciating assets are anything but depreciating. I’m encouraged by what I saw from Teoscar last year, especially when he hits lefthanders. He needs to become a better outfielder at all three positions though in order to keep a fourth outfielders job on a major league club. Laureano is also another guy. Heck, if he keeps doing what he did last year, Aoki will not get in his way. I’d hate to lose Ramon now, but if he helped us close a Quintana deal, I’d be all in.

      But you are right about some of those guys being depreciating assets. And not just because they are blocked. They’re just not great prospects. And that’s exactly why the Sox will have no interest in them. If Luhnow decides he needs Quintana badly enough, it’s going to hurt badly.

      I think Cionel made a fair point, with the assistance of his legal council. The rules will change, sooner than later. And I’m not so sure guys like CC and Altuve would ever even imagine they came from “dirt”. Yes, Venezuela certainly qualifies as one of the worst collapses of a country in the Western Hemisphere in recent times. But I live in a developing nation and really, the indigenous people here are probably more content with what they have in this life than the average American.

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  8. This exercise is not made easy by the fact that nobody in the organization is saying anything right now. There is a Christmas blanket covering the entire Astros scene.
    MLBTR is searching everywhere to find anything about baseball to talk about, so it’s the same for all the teams.

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  9. As a baseball fan, I couldn’t stand NBA players demanding to get “my minutes”. Now the Cubs win the WS and Chapman didn’t like the way he was used. Boy (or Girl) I hope that doesn’t get started in the MLB.

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    • What Aroldis meant to say: Now that I’ve got my $80 million in the bag I can say whatever I want. It’s about me. I’m here to help the Yankees any way I see fit.

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      • I’m still laughing about Dave’s comment. I think you all know which one I mean. But back to subject in hand. Until I know what is wrong with Keuchels shoulder, I can’t address rotation. I read that he was ready to resume throwing and he was quoted as saying something like “now that it is fixed”. It made me wonder if he had some kind of surgery. I asked McTaggart on Twitter and he said he didn’t know. Haven’t seen anything since. Kind of cloak and dagger stuff that makes me wonder. I have never seen any details other than “inflammation”. Does anybody have any more details?

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      • Nance, I haven’t seen anything. I even missed the part about it being “fixed”. All I know is the club has not said a word and they let him explain why he failed to reveal his injury to the team during the season to the point where he couldn’t throw any more. They have got to be livid about that.
        When a club is so secretive about their team, there is no way to judge what the future holds until the future happens. And this club is super-secretive for all kinds of good reasons. We are probably better off not knowing what our ball club is planning because they are so against the grain of regular baseball.
        I would love to sit down with Hauschild and talk for hours about what he has seen and heard in the last four years. The stories that nobody but the Texas Rangers will hear. He and Delino and Gomez will probably laugh together for months

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    • Busy selling a house, building another house,
      And living in an apartment in the meantime.

      I still find time every evening to sit down and catch up with you guys. Like Nance, Dave’s comment made my day.

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  11. I’ve been here as well……..I’ve been pretty sick the last week. The back biting some of you fellas are doing, is NOT pretty. All of our kids live in other states, for the exception of our youngest, who lives in the Heights…..and Amazon has become my best friend, so no I haven’t been shopping or at the Casino daveb. It makes me very nervous when it gets too quiet around the front office, something must be about to happen. Let’s hope our “genius” GM isn’t about to deal our future for some over rated arm. Take care, I’ll be glad when the holidays are over. Becky⚾

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  12. Becky, sorry you have not been feeling well. The back biting has been in jest, at least from my standpoint. We’ve been well behaved. Hope you feel better as we approach Christmas Day.

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  13. The fragrance of fresh spring grass. The scent of the leather of the glove.

    The glow of the setting sun fading into my favorite stadium’s lights.

    The temperature change.

    The vendor’s shouts of ‘Popcorn! Peanuts! Hot Dogs! and ‘Cold Beer, Here!’

    The shout of the umpire. The crack of the bat.

    The pop of the glove. The roar of the crowd.

    Take me out to the ballgame indeed!

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  16. There has been a lot of talk about untouchable prospects from all over the league this off season and I would like to offer a few thoughts on that.
    The Astros have used the words nearly, virtually or close to untouchable in describing Kyle Tucker. But the Astros have three core players who they will have to make a decision on in the next few years, Altuve, Springer and LMJ. Tucker is the only player in the system who projects to replace Springer. Laureano looked good on paper last season, but his BABIP was approaching heaven and he has not approached major league pitching, yet.
    Dansby Swanson was not untouchable to Arizona because they are dumb and have shortstops. The Braves traded Simmons and then traded for Swanson and he seems untouchable because he is their SS of the future.
    Martes may seem untouchable to us because of our pitching situation and our money situation. But he would not be untouchable if he were in the Dodger farm system.
    Houston needs to be more careful with their prospects because they won’t ever be as rich as the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs or Red Sox. They have to plan, whereas the big clubs just have to gamble and spend, and gamble and spend and then reload and spend.

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    • And, of course, the Phillies just helped out the Red Sox, by taking a player who was gonna cost the Sox $13.5 million. Boston picked up Buchholze’s option, before getting Sale, and then the Phils swooped in and did exactly what the Red Sox hoped somebody would do.

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  17. What he said: “Ho! Ho! Ho!’

    What he meant: “I conspire with elves to commit over 200 million counts of breaking and entering annually, and I and my co-conspirators walk because our place of residence does not have an extradition treaty with any law abiding country!’

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  19. What he said: “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch!”

    What he meant: ‘You seriously expect us to trade you Bregman, Martes and Tucker for the likes of Jose Quintana?’

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  20. I get an email with your comments every time y’all make a comment and I laughing my butt off here as Mr. Bill’s comments roll in one at a time. Funny stuff!!

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  21. What he said: “The most enjoying traditions of the season are best enjoyed in the warm embrace of kith and kin. Thith tree is a thymbol of the thpirit of the Griswold family Chrithmath.”

    What he meant: ‘Kyle, I hate to break it to you, son, but you might want to get used to spending the holidays without your brother Preston. And yes, I HAVE already had a similar talk with Yuli Gurriel.”

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  22. What he said: ‘It’s Zuzu’s petals!’

    What he meant: “You really want to know how I described Dallas Keuchel’s fastball last year?”

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  23. What he said: “Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan! ”

    What he meant: Well, I’ll be *$#%-ed if Jim Crane didn’t finally ante up and actually spend some money on payroll after all!’

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  24. What he said: “Now wait a minute, Susie. Just because every child can’t get his wish that doesn’t mean there isn’t a Santa Claus.”

    What he meant: “Nope, no Chris Sale. Nope, no Rich Hill. Nope, no Arnoldis Chapman. Nope, no Jose Quintana. But hey, have you counted the number of spins on Charlie Morton’s curve ball lately?”

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  25. What he said: ‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.’

    What he meant: ‘Let me tell you what Dave Hudgens will be saying if all these big bats JL acquired over the off-season crash and burn as soon as they get to Houston the way Carlos Gomez did!’

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  26. What he said: “I think we’re gettin’ scammed by a kindegahtenuh.’

    What he meant: ‘After further review of young Cionel Perez’ medical records, his small frame, and his history of command problems, did we really agree to pay this guy a $5.15 Million signing bonus – and pay a 100% international overage tax to boot?’

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  27. Kind of reminds me a bit of Ron Guidry. He was a 160 pound lefty soaking wet, wild as could be in the early minors. Ended up being one of the best true pitchers of the mid 70’s to mid 80’s. And he could throw heat too.

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  29. Did you know that the Astros dropped to fourth(from second) in baseball in striking out in 2016, but actually struck out 60 more times than in 2015.
    The Astros had 16 position players last season who had K% higher than 20%. Only Correa, Springer and Bregman are projected starters for 2017 who had K rates above 20% in 2016 and they were in the low end of the 16 players as far as K-Rate. All of the top ten K-rate players are either gone or are fighting for backup positions on this team.
    The Astros are making a determined effort to cut down on their strikeouts.
    The Cubs made similar moves last offseason when they concentrated on adding players who didn’t strike out and they were hugely successful in doing that.
    I believe the Astros will benefit in the base stealing department having batters who don’t strike out near as much. I believe base stealers have a lot more pressure on them when the guy at the plate strikes out a lot.
    People talked about the umpires having a lot to do with Keuchel’s lack of success this past season, but I honestly believe his arm problems took zip and movement off of his pitches., and may have caused him to alter his arm slot on certain pitches, cutting down on some deception.
    Even being hurt and never having seen major league pitching before, Yuli Gurriel still had an amazing K-rate of 8.8% last season.
    Alex Bregman struck out at a 25% rate in his first 25 games and at a 22.5% rate for his last 24 games. But his batting average, OBP and SLG went up to an All-Star level in those last 24 games. His projections have him with a 15.6% K-rate for 2017.

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  30. Did you realize that Michael Feliz has appeared in only one AAA game in his career and has never been given a major league start? He is 23. Has he been given a fair chance by the Astros?
    Do you remember that the only AAA game Chris Devenski ever appeared in was when he started and won in the AAA Championship game to end the minor league season in 2015?
    Did you know that Martes has only pitched up to the AA level, but was 4.3 years younger than the average pitcher in the Texas league this past season?

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    • I’m not saying this would happen, or that I agree with it. But putting EE on first base frees up Gurriel to play 3B and Bregman gets the Astros their pitcher. What I don’t under stand is how they could afford that. The addition of EE plus the salary of the pitcher puts the Astros in a salary structure they have never been in before. (of course they are actually higher right now than they have ever been before).
      On the other hand, signing EE and trading Springer for that pitcher, cuts down on the ever increasing salary that Springer costs for the next four years, gets EE’s bat into the lineup and keeps Bregman in the lineup and gets the Astros the pitcher they want. It leaves our defense weaker in the outfield no matter who we put out there.
      I believe that the Astros made a multiyear offer to EE. But I don’t think that offer is still on the table. But it is a good mind exercise and there has not been much of that on the blog the last few days.

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      • If it came down to Springer v Bregman, I’d keep the latter, although I know that’s probably a minority opinion.

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      • Why would we consider EE at his age for Springer at his age? 2016 was Springer’s first full season. It’s reasonable to project Springer to be far more valuable over the next four years (and I would argue even over just the next one) at likely half the cost or less of signing EE. Also, keeping Springer doesn’t cost us a draft choice.

        As for getting a pitcher, paying anything other than surplus for Quintana is a panic move. I would only understand it if the FO has serious doubts about certain pitchers being healthy and/or bouncing back.

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  33. Encarnacion isn’t going to come here. Luhnow is only offering a 2yr deal. He wants at least a 4-5yr contract. I don’t fear Springer or Bregman are gonna get traded any time soon. I’ve been watching all the rumors, but we are pretty far down the list for this guy.

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      • We can do that if:
        George Springer is the CFer I think he is.
        Yuli Gurriel is the hitter I think he is.
        Alex Bregman is the player Jeff Luhnow thinks he is.
        Jose Altuve is the player he was last year and bats in the #1 spot in the lineup.
        Carlos Beltran has one more good year left in him at the plate.
        Carlos Correa makes the adjustments at the plate he said he was going to make.
        Josh Reddick hits .270.
        Dallas Keuchel really was hurt last year and is healthy this year.
        Charlie Morton really is the new Charlie Morton.
        LMJ is healthy.
        Frances Martes becomes the 2015 LMJ in the second half of the season.
        Collin Moran is our #5 pitcher.
        Giles picks up where he left off last year.
        Gregerson is Gregerson, Devo is Devo, Harris is Harris and Hoyt is better than Neshek.
        Marwin Gonzalez remains a super utility guy and not a regular.

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      • Most of those are possible (I take it the Moran thing was a joke), although I don’t see where this implication about Correa having a “bad year” comes from. Granted, it was a bit down from his rookie year, but..1) he finished strong 2) he hit clean up with little to no protection through most of the year and 3)his OBP actually was HIGHER (and his OPS was still an excellent .811)

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      • (Not saying you were making the implications, but your post reminded me of a few others here along those lines)

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      • Colin Moran throws right handed and probably has less heat than McHugh. His brother, Brian, however, was a LHP at UNC a few years before Colin played there. I don’t think he is an answer for the rotation or bullpen though.

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      • That thing about Moran was a silver moment. I meant to say Collin McHugh, as you could tell from the way I spelled Collin. Moran only uses one L.

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      • Billy, I mentioned Correa because he himself said he was not happy with his performance in 2016 and was going to work on rectifying it in the off season.

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  34. With some speculation that EE might sign a deal with an opt out clause (like Cespedes last year) I could still see him coming here. But as much as I’d like Quintana, I don’t want to lose any of the guys already on the 25 man. I’m probably more willing to give up most any of the guys in the minors for him, than the majority of us, but I understand the hesitation there too.

    I can wait on the top of rotation guy until mid season when a potential rental would not cost as much as Quintana. But I do not think Luhnow is not done building his club for 2017.

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  35. The problem I see with trading either Feliz, Devenski, Paulino, or Martes is that we have zero solid, dependable ‘stopper’ quality starters at the MLB level. If Keuchel rebounds [a huge and unlikely IF in my book] and IF McCullers can stay off the DL, and IF Musgrove can keep his composure and learn how to keep ML hitters off balance, and IF McHugh can throw 190 or more quality innings, and IF Fiers and/or Morton can get real hitters out in real clutch situations in real games [however much their curveball does or does not rotate], our offense should theoretically keep us in it in 2017. But if ANY of those ‘ifs’ fail us in the real games we have to play, we will need guys like Feliz, Devenski, Paulino, and Martes badly. And for who would we give these guys away? Quintana? No thanks.

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    • Ergo, my preference, at this point, is that we see what happens the first half, and if we are in contention and need to add a rent-a-pitcher in July from some non-contending club, we get in line as early as possible and take a shot.

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      • I feel the same Mr Bill – who knows by midseason with injuries and all we might be fine at SP and need a different piece.

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    • I’ll be giddy if EE gets signed, as long as the order suggested by Bow Tie does not get compromised by a trade for a pitcher. 25 million a year? Who cares? We’re coming out of a stretch that we should have been paid to watch.

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  37. I guess Jim Crane would ask Ken Rosenthal if he has an extra $25 million per year sitting around?
    I would be happy if they added him as long as that did not mean they were trading Bregman or Springer.

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    • To which Rosenthal would quickly ask how a $25 million spending spree in CF at MMP was going to help win a World Series. Or a $100 million new spring training facility? Heaven forbid he would spend it on players!

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  38. Ka-CHING! YEAH! Ka-CHING! YEAH!

    Hey now everybody have you heard?
    Jim’s going to buy us a Bopping Bird!
    And if that boppin’ bird can swing
    he’s gonna buy us all a Series ring!
    And if that Series ring shines bright,
    Jim recoups all those mill in just seven nights,
    And that’s why . . . yes, indeed, oh, yes indeed, oh
    I keep on shoutin’ in your ear now,
    EE, EE. EE Oh yeah!

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  40. Bad news concerning Brendan McCurry. 50 game suspension for of all things, methamphetamine. He is officially untouchable as a trade chip now, and not likely to be trusted too far by our organization anytime soon either. I hope he can overcome this.

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    • Did not think the guy was a tweaker. Wow.

      Crazy how meth has the same punishment as weed…actually, it’s quite insulting and backwards.

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      • I guess I’m an OTBG, because I don’t have a clue about your reaction to his suspension. As a child of the sixties and seventies, I know what I saw happen to families with the usage of a so-called recreational drug, and I also see what meth usage is currently doing to many families today.
        As all of us get older, some of us just said no and turned away from illegal substances and some haven’t. Now, in my late sixties, I have heard all the rhetoric and excuses and arguments and what is left is the people who do and the people who don’t and the distinguishing between penalties falls on my deaf ears.
        He got caught, so do the time and let’s see how he does after the suspension is over with. I guess what matters to me is what he says and does about it after the fact. As for now, I couldn’t care less about the differences in what the penalties are.
        All I know is what I have seen happen to people I cherished who did illegal drugs forty years ago and what they did to their families and that is what sucks. it took them out of the realm of being husbands and wives and mothers and fathers and slowly took them to another place entirely, leaving a swath of broken hearts and families behind. There was nothing innocent about it.
        I guess it boils down to having to see death in order to recognize it. I have seen it and it aint pretty and it aint cool.

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      • 1OP…I am a strong supporter of marijuana legalization, at the very least for medicinal purposes. My wife suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and it’s basically the only thing that helps with the pain. For me personally,I consume it the way people who drink do with beer (I myself do not drink) Meth, however, has absolutely no redeeming qualities. The idea that both carry the same penalty to me is mindboggling. I just don’t get it.

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      • I should know better than to comment on this, but unfortunately I don’t. BC, we are talking about terms of the CBA. You are talking about the general public. The CBA and contracts set rules on conduct, clothes to wear, defacing a baseball, and banned substances, etc. So that is the line he crossed. He is not going to prison. So I may disagree with your opinion on currently banned drugs in the general population, I do understand your point. But McCurry had to know the severe penalty for what outside of baseball would have been a minor penalty or none at all.

        And finally, being apparently slightly older than OP, the only reason that I did not use any drugs other than alcohol, when I was young, is they were not available.

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    • That’s a real shame…….it’s so highly addictive. Why would you do something so stupid, when you’ve worked sooo dang hard to get to MLB. I don’t get it.

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  41. I had to order my 2017 Astros calendar, and I ordered the one that has 12 months of Correa. Everytime I get a new one, half the guys aren’t playing for us anymore. So I figured since Correa isn’t going anywhere any time soon it was a safe bet!
    The Indians and A’S are the two teams going after EE hard. The only wrench in the deal is the A’s, aren’t offering a 3 yr deal and the Indians are. And……he wants some BIG money. I would love for him to go to a NL team….since he hit 42 homeruns last year!!

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    • So EE turns down 4/$80 to get a 3/$60. Math is not my strong suit, but it seems that he did not get a better deal unless he get to last through year 37.. And Indians give up a draft pick, although almost a 2nd rounder.

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      • AC, I think it is a good deal for Cleveland. I think they made a good move. I think EE’s agent blew smoke up his chimney and looks like an absolute fool. The more I read about this situation this morning the more it sounded like Paul Kinzer was a guy standing in the hayloft of a barn that was on fire and his talk sounded like he was trying to put out the fire by throwing hay on it. Cleveland is looking like a really good team.

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      • If I am the Indians, I take EE over Napoli in a heart beat. I just find it interesting when one reads the “rumors” that fly around, it is obvious that EE and his agent did not turn down any $100+ million contracts. So all these teams that were in on him, no one offered anything over the Jays.

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    • Dave, I think that EE thought he was going to get 5/100 because of what he was being told by his agent and nobody was willing to go there because of his age, because of payrolls being stretched, because of 2019 and because of the new CBA.
      It is a sign to me that baseball’s budgets are starting to hit a ceiling. We all were waiting around for one of the rich guys to fill EE’s coffers and they wouldn’t do it because they want to be ready for the bonanza free agent year of the fall of 2018.
      GM’s want their long term stuff cleared up so that they can have all of their money ready for the year when the superstars are on the market.

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    • It tells me that the Astros are in for 2017 in a good way because Beltran got EE’s Astros money. They made him an offer, he turned it down, so they signed Beltran to a 1 yr deal, keeping their future money clear to use on younger guys. I think they still want a pitcher for this year. Beltran and EE were the bats to be had in the AL and they both ended up there. The rest of the power guys available are big K guys and Luhnow is done with that kind of a lineup.

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      • Yeah, it’s logical. But let’s face it, the Bow Tie line up looked like fun. And I fully agree, Luhnow is not done yet. He’ll get a pitcher. Hold breath time.

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  44. Jeff Bagwell picked up his fifth net gain vote overnight, and he needs only 7 more of those. Not quite a quarter of the votes have been posted, so he and Raines are looking real good right now at 92% and 91 %. Raines has picked up 16 of the 20 net gain votes he needed to get in on his last chance. The push to get Raines in is real.

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