The Astros refused to offer salary arbitration to any of their four free agents, general manager Ed Wade said early today.
“We are continuing to have dialogue with Doug Brocail and are hopeful that we can reach an agreement shortly.”
“In Randy Wolf’s case, we’ve had to back off our negotiations for economic reasons, but we can still re-engage at a later date if we can create greater payroll flexibility” Link
Wade cited current economic times as the main reason why they have to be more deliberate with their decision-making process. Namely, sponsorship sales, as well as season ticket sales, are projected to be down next year, which directly affects how much money can go toward player salaries.
“We’re not immune to what’s taking place in the real world, so to speak,” Wade said. “The projections aren’t good.”
“In order for us to pursue top-shelf free agents, that would entail us moving significant payroll that’s on the club,” Wade said. “There’s no certainty we can do that or even have a great appetite to do that.”
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