Rumor is Springer is a Cardinal

[Trey]

trying to find verification

[Alkie]

 Do we have to do everything?

We're not PAYING for this one too, are we?

[drew corleone]

So do the Astros get a draft pick, since they didn't offer arbitration?

[Greg D]

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So do the Astros get a draft pick, since they didn't offer arbitration?

Nope.

But once the Astros made the determination they weren't gonna bring Russ back, offering him arbitration was out of the question. Had they done so, Houston would've have been locked into bringing him back. Another organization wasn't gonna sign Springer if they knew they were gonna have to surrender their #1 pick.

[the KEG]

Quote:

Nope.

But once the Astros made the determination they weren't gonna bring Russ back, offering him arbitration was out of the question. Had they done so, Houston would've have been locked into bringing him back. Another organization wasn't gonna sign Springer if they knew they were gonna have to surrender their #1 pick.

Along those same lines then, if the Astros had any inkling last week that AP wasn't likely to resign shouldn't they have at least offered arbitration so they could "re-gain" at least one of their picks they lost on Lee and Williams?

[Greg D]

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Quote:

Nope.

But once the Astros made the determination they weren't gonna bring Russ back, offering him arbitration was out of the question. Had they done so, Houston would've have been locked into bringing him back. Another organization wasn't gonna sign Springer if they knew they were gonna have to surrender their #1 pick.

Along those same lines then, if the Astros had any inkling last week that AP wasn't likely to resign shouldn't they have at least offered arbitration so they could "re-gain" at least one of their picks they lost on Lee and Williams?

My guess is that the club did recognize that the odds were growing that Pettitte might be headed elsewhere. Which is why Purpura went from his earlier response of "no arbitration" for Andy and Roger back in the middle of November to a "we haven't decided" a couple of weeks later. But I'm sure Drayton knew that he'd end up paying Andy more in arbitration than the $12MM he wanted to pay him. Had they known the Yankees were gonna offer a multi-year deal (which of course is what it was), they may have gone ahead and offered arb anyway. But that's hindsight at this point.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
My guess is that the club did recognize that the odds were growing that Pettitte might be headed elsewhere. Which is why Purpura went from his earlier response of "no arbitration" for Andy and Roger back in the middle of November to a "we haven't decided" a couple of weeks later. But I'm sure Drayton knew that he'd end up paying Andy more in arbitration than the $12MM he wanted to pay him.  

DING! DING! DING!

What is somewhat sad it the circus that Andy Pettitte, his agents and the mouthpiece newsprint guys are going to play for the next few days of blaming the Houston Astros, who should be faulted for being wise business people and not sentimental pushovers for a bruised ego.

Andy Pettitte was suspect from the start of the offseason by his friends and teammates and so by proxy the front office.  Lance Berkman even went on local sports talk radio to proclaim that both Andy and Roger were headed back to the Bronx.  This before any Jon Garland trade was explored, before an option year (player option) was asked for, before all of that!

Players knew, front office people suspected and Andy Pettitte and his agents played the Yankees for money to get him back to where he wanted to be all along.  This stuff about "having a hard two days of agonizing decisions" and stuff is good for the media's fawning, we love you Andy mindset right now.  Man, what I would pay to have just one cynical old fart in the newsroom right now saying "Aw fuck guys, you're buying this bullshit! And you call yourselves *reporters*?  Buncha pussified idiots looks like to me!  Wah, wah... we miss you Andy... bad Uncle Drayton, bad, bad man!  Come on people, somebody grow a pair and do your job!  When did Randy Hendricks become the managing editor in this press room is what I want to know, because he seems to be the one calling the shots any way!"

What the ol' fart doesn't realize is that the reading public dictates how you should react more than the agents.  The fans are idiots, well most of them... and they need thier bread and circus to keep them happy.  All hail the stupid masses and their beloved bread and circus.

[homer]

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Nope.

But once the Astros made the determination they weren't gonna bring Russ back, offering him arbitration was out of the question. Had they done so, Houston would've have been locked into bringing him back. Another organization wasn't gonna sign Springer if they knew they were gonna have to surrender their #1 pick.

Along those same lines then, if the Astros had any inkling last week that AP wasn't likely to resign shouldn't they have at least offered arbitration so they could "re-gain" at least one of their picks they lost on Lee and Williams?

My guess is that the club did recognize that the odds were growing that Pettitte might be headed elsewhere. Which is why Purpura went from his earlier response of "no arbitration" for Andy and Roger back in the middle of November to a "we haven't decided" a couple of weeks later. But I'm sure Drayton knew that he'd end up paying Andy more in arbitration than the $12MM he wanted to pay him. Had they known the Yankees were gonna offer a multi-year deal (which of course is what it was), they may have gone ahead and offered arb anyway. But that's hindsight at this point.

Andy made 17.5 mill last year according to mlbcontracts blog thing. So, he would have had to made at least that much plus a raise under arbitration. For only 1 year. Isn't that too much to pay him? Or do I misunderstand arbitration?

[No? in Austin]

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Quote:

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Nope.

But once the Astros made the determination they weren't gonna bring Russ back, offering him arbitration was out of the question. Had they done so, Houston would've have been locked into bringing him back. Another organization wasn't gonna sign Springer if they knew they were gonna have to surrender their #1 pick.

Along those same lines then, if the Astros had any inkling last week that AP wasn't likely to resign shouldn't they have at least offered arbitration so they could "re-gain" at least one of their picks they lost on Lee and Williams?

My guess is that the club did recognize that the odds were growing that Pettitte might be headed elsewhere. Which is why Purpura went from his earlier response of "no arbitration" for Andy and Roger back in the middle of November to a "we haven't decided" a couple of weeks later. But I'm sure Drayton knew that he'd end up paying Andy more in arbitration than the $12MM he wanted to pay him. Had they known the Yankees were gonna offer a multi-year deal (which of course is what it was), they may have gone ahead and offered arb anyway. But that's hindsight at this point.

Andy made 17.5 mill last year according to mlbcontracts blog thing. So, he would have had to made at least that much plus a raise under arbitration. For only 1 year. Isn't that too much to pay him? Or do I misunderstand arbitration?

Arbitration is one of two options that an arbritor chooses (and the hearing gets really ugly if they have to present their case).  The players asks for X (usually a raise from the year's previous salary).  The team offers a raise from the year's previous salary (they cannot offer a reduction unless the player was injured or incapable of playing out his contract year and then it is only a 10% reduction).  Andy could ask for 22 million, the Astros would have to offer at least 18 million in arbitration.

That is why they didn't do it.

[the KEG]

Okay, that definitely makes sense now.  I somehow forgot about the Astros paying him so much in that final backloaded year.