BREAKING NEWS: The Houston Astros are expected to make an offer for Trevor Bauer

Bauer’s discontent for the Astros has been quite prevalent over the past few years, but if Bauer wants an MLB return, Houston seems like his only choice, as they’re the only MLB team making a move pic.twitter.com/AEOGlFF1My

— 管升鲜 (@HanSeongJanNEWS) January 12, 2024

I'm guessing a big nothing burger drummed up by Bauer's rep...

It almost makes too much sense in some ways.

Looking at the rest of his Bauer tweets, it's probably 1000% fake.

No MLB team will take Trevor Bauer because the US is a woke hellhole right now and despite Bauer being proven innocent regarding his sexual abuse cases, the woke radical leftists will cancel any MLB team that even approaches Bauer

— 管升鲜 (@HanSeongJanNEWS) December 22, 2023

Beater and cheaters!

I can't rule it out because I haven't been told it won't happen but I would be very, very surprised.

texasaggie2015 said:

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I can't rule it out because I haven't been told it won't happen but I would be very, very surprised.

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I think anyone is talking to Bauer until all of his cases are settled.

Bregxit said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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texasaggie2015 said:

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I can't rule it out because I haven't been told it won't happen but I would be very, very surprised.

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I think anyone is talking to Bauer until all of his cases are settled.

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What is still pending?

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At least one civil suit. He referenced it in the apology tour he went on. He settled with no pay on the big one. The allegations in the paper were never more than that. No criminal ones ever came.

BREAKING: Right-hander Jordan Hicks and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a four-year, $44 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Hicks, 27, is expected to work as a starter after spending the majority of his career in the bullpen.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 12, 2024

We definitely weren't going 4 years

I kind of doubt it. 44 M is the 18th richest relief pitcher contract of all time and 4th active. That assumes Robert Suarez isn't starting/swing man.

For context, Montero is 5th active. *barf*

Edit: I see the starter reference now. Very strange. Makes the money make more sense now. Good for him, but he's going to have to develop more pitches. By the end of last season he was a 2 pitch pitcher.

At least it's not the Yankees

Wish we would have gotten Hicks… but 4 years is one too many for me.

The Astros were not close financially in their pursuit of Jordan Hicks, source says. Was told last week that the team hasn't shown much interest in a Phil Maton reunion. Hector Neris already declined an $8.5 million option, so he'll seek more. Houston just got under the CBT.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 12, 2024

Pretty crazy that our entire starting OF of Tuck, Chas, and Meyers are making combined like what $15mm next year yet we don't have much room under the CBT.

Do we really have that many bloated contracts?

Never felt we had any real shot at Hicks, and while it's a disappointing offseason, I am really going to hope that we can get Montero to revert back to 2022 form. He could end up being the difference on the season. If he doesn't, we are absolutely going to have to make a move to pick someone up in-season.

The best part of the Texans being good and making the playoffs this year is that it occupies my mind for a bit. By the time the Texans season is over, it will be so exciting to know how close we are to baseball season. I cannot freaking way.

Altuve
Bregman
Verlander
McCullers
Pressly
J. Abreu
Montero
(Greinke)

Ag_07 said:

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Pretty crazy that our entire starting OF of Tuck, Chas, and Meyers are making combined like what $15mm next year yet we don't have much room under the CBT.

Do we really have that many bloated contracts?

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Four guys making 3.75-8 M,
7 guys making 10.3-19.5M each, and 3 guys making 22M+

Also paying Greinke 12.5M

The ones hurting us are obviously Montero's $11.5M and McCuller's $17M, as we either aren't getting any production at all would arguably be better off if we weren't getting production.

When you consider the bullpen trio of Pressley ($14.5M), Montero ($11.5M), and Graveman ($8M), is that the best use of $34M? If Lance winds up in the bullpen, that becomes a rather expensive bullpen.

Add Abreu to that mix based on his 23 production.

That is almost 50 M is bad contracts per year. We're paying Bregman, Altuve, Javier, & Verlander big money.

Tucker, Alvarez, Framber, Chas, Abreu, & Pena are the only guys we have on the cheap compared to their production.

bring him home

If we are really barely under the CBT now, I don't think we sign anybody else. I think they try and piece it together and wait until the deadline to take on salary. I don't like that approach since we really have nothing in the farm system to trade and get talent. Any additions should happen more, but I just don't see it.

But taking on basically anyone at the deadline puts us over.

If we get 2nd half Abreu and Montero then I think those contracts will be worth it. But they need to stay on that trajectory

Farmer1906 said:

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But taking on basically anyone at the deadline puts us over.

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Yeah but that's been the pattern of what Crane is willing to do. Start cheap, go over later if it's worth it. It just puts an extra drain on the farm system to go that way.