The Astros are among the teams still pursuing free agent righty Zack Wheeler, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Houston’s interest has long been known, but it wasn’t clear whether the club had staid in the bidding.
Entering the day, one Texas ballclub was known to be pursuing Wheeler. That still holds true, though the team’s identity has changed. It emerged earlier today that the Rangers are no longer involved.
To call Wheeler’s market robust would be an understatement. If reports are true, he’s already sitting on a baseline offer of five-year, $100MM (or more). It seems the only question is whether some organization will push much further north in terms of AAV or guaranteed years.
It’s interesting to see the ’Stros staying in this market even as it reaches greater heights than most anticipated. The club has strongly indicated a desire to drop below the luxury tax line and will need to drop some salary obligations to do so. Adding Wheeler would only add to the intrigue.
This app > BR. Quicker with the news and no soccer or basketball BS shoved down your throat. Keep up the great work!
LOL, congrats on finding a baseball-only source of information. Literally no one forced you to read other sports articles. People are incredibly and pathetically amusing.
that’s mean, thunderbolt.
Yes Thunderbolt, why would you take the time to belittle someone? You would never have said that if you weren’t hiding behind a screen.
Noooo I like the sprt of basketball ;p
If they get him, every Astro fan should bang on their trash can to celebrate.
bangin’….on a trash can! bangin’…on a streetlight!
You must have a really fun life. You aren’t involved with mlb get over it. I mean the cardinals hacking their database was much worse than this.
Theres a lot of people not “getting over it”. The penalties are going to be huge. Buckle up Astro nation…
Astros fans are truly trying to laugh it off like its no big deal. They are going to get hit with some heavy heavy penalties and i cannot wait to see it come to light.
They hit better on the road that at home. Did they try to cheat? Sure I’m not denying that I just think everyone is a little too butthurt over it. When they get fined a few mil and a draft pick or two everyone will cry saying its to light.
I got my garbage cans ready!
Oh God Gerrit Cole 2.0 arrises
I’m seriously thinking of attending a home game at MM this season and somehow sneaking in a drum and banging the living heck out of it every time an opposing pitcher starts his wind up.
OMG I will pay for your tickets if you do this…ha
Astros may have trouble signing higher profile free agents with this scandal and disciplinary decision still ongoing.
Why would this effect them signing anyone? It isn’t like they are going to be “banned” from post season play or anything.
Yes it could effect coaches, GM, and others…but I ultimately do not think it will effect the players.
They’re tainted. No question about it. Some players are not going to want to go near it. Could force Stros to overpay.
2017!!!!!! World Series champs woooooooooot nothing else matters
The punishment and how that impacts the future is uncertain. They could lose draft picks or future money to sign impact players. No player wants to commit years to a team that can’t say for certain what their competitive future looks like.
It’s just pedestrian and palatable to make this move.
Jim Crane is going to spend this offseason to keep the fan base happy. It may not be Wheeler, but he needs good headlines. Cutting salary would not be smart.
I came for the baseball news, I staid for the conjugation lessons….
How many trash cans does 100 million dollars net?
This is good for the astros, hopefully they get him, stop cheating, and move to 5th in the division while having to pay out huge contracts!
*STAYED, not STAID, in the bidding. Does this site have editors?
Aren’t the Astros already at a 200 million payroll for next season ?
No top tier free agent is going to sign with Houston. An organization that is going down. Let’s all enjoy this unprecedented disaster!
Apparently they aren’t lol
I’m curious why any player, and especially higher end players, would sign with the Astros before there is some more information available on the cheating investigation, which will provide some hint of possible penalties. There already appears to be strong evidence, highly public, of cheating to some degree, and baseball world will be expecting consequences. It’s conceivable the Astros may be without a manager, a few coaches, a few players if there are suspensions, loss of draft picks/international money, and that doesn’t get to fines and consequences for Crane et al. Whatever happens, would anyone place a bet on the Astros contending in the near future?
They will easily win their division next year and again beat the Yankees
Yeah, I would. Look, I totally get fans of every other team are out for blood, and I agree harsh penalties are coming down. But anyone who thinks Altuve, Springer, Bregman and others aren’t elite baseball players is just being silly. That will still be a scary lineup without trash cans.
pco1, Yes, and I totally get that. Barring injuries or losses to something else, the Astros are a strong team. I’m a Yankee fan but I’m also a baseball fan, and appreciate the talents you mention, among others. I enjoyed watching those guys play; now they disgust me. I don’t hate opposing players just because they’re opposing players. The whole thing begs the question, why did they cheat? They are good enough without cheating, Why risk whatever penalties may be coming, not to mention the overwhelming PR hit?
You didn’t mention my first point, which relates to the potential risk to new players coming onto a team that could be penalized severely, including the loss of financial resources or the outright loss of players for some time. Your statement about them being a “scary lineup” assumes that scary lineup remains intact. A would-be Astro doesn’t know what might happen to those players you mention, or others, If they are proven to be adversely “caught up” in this, they may not be part of that lineup. All three of those you mention were enjoying the benefits of knowing what the pitch would be, based on video coverage (anyone can refute/deny/deflect/hope all they want, it’s there). Will they receive suspensions of varying degrees? No one can say with 100 percent certainty that Altuve, Bregman, Springer, others won’t get 81 game suspensions, or full year suspensions, or 20 games, or none.
What if they or other key players get injured? The Astros are a fairly young team but Verlander, Greinke, Gurriel are getting up there in age, and injuries can happen to anyone. There is almost certainly going to be a loss of first round draft picks and international money for some period of years, which impacts their farm system and trade resources more down the road, but if someone is looking for a long term gig with a team, that should give them pause before joining the Astros.
What I’m suggesting is that signing with the Astros will not be like signing with another team – there are risks, mostly unknown at this point, which may or may not be realized once the investigation wraps up.
And, yes, true enough, I favor the severest punishment at every level of the organization – Crane, front office/executives, GM, managers, coaches, players, including mega-fines and lifetime bans for the higher echelons. For me, this cheating affects the integrity of the game which is more important than how it merely affects the Yankees, And if this were the Yankees, I’d feel the same way – this would end my fandom.
Every team in baseball has stolen signs since the twenties. Now I will admit it seems worse when you introduce electronics into it but stealing signs is stealing signs. The Yankees and the Redsox both are KNOWN cheaters in that regard over the years and let’s not mention PED’s and steroids. Alex Rodriguez among others anyone ?? This team will be fined cash and draft pick(s) and will move on and compete for division titles. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
R-U-K-D-N-M-E – refute/deny/deflect/hope. lol. keep the faith
Haha they were never in it. Just lip service.
Who would sign with these cheaters. Especially with the possibility of the death pentaly hanging over their heads.