Offseason Review: the Houston Astros

From riches to rags: Chris Carter was traded from the 2013
AL West champs to the inevitably doomed Astros

There are plenty of scandals and controversies talked about in the baseball world.  Steroids, the one game playoffs, the Hall of Fame and so on.  The Houston Astros may have set a precedent by being the first team ever to catch flack for intentionally being bad. After trading Jed Lowrie to the A's for a set of prospects and DH/1B Chris Carter, the Astros total salary shrank to just over $14.5MM dollars, which for comparison's sake is $2.5MM less than Derek Jeter will make in 2013.  Suffice to say the expectations for the Astros first year as an american league team are dismal.

That being said, the overhaul needed for the Astros to find their way back in to relevance needed to be so thorough that the front office essentially needed to dismantle and rebuild their whole lineup and rotation in piecemeal fashion.  2013 is essentially locked down as awful for Houston, and that's ok.  The Astros got the first overall pick in 2012, will again in 2013 and if all goes as expected this season, they will take the first pick in 2014 as well.  Who does this remind you of? How long ago was it that the Washington Nationals were considered a joke?  Keeping that logic in mind, the Astros are doing what they need to do.  It's going to be ugly, but it's going to help.

TRADED! Jed Lowrie

To the Athletics with RHP Fernando Rodriguez
 for Chris Carter, Brad Peacock and prospects.

Fresh off of an unexpected playoff rearing 2012 season, the A's have been uncharacteristically busy building a competitive team this winter.  Former Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie figures to be the last addition in a long line of additions, which include the trading of shortstop Cliff Pennington AND the signing of Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima.  With the signing of Nakajima, Jed Lowrie doesn't figure to be an everyday player.  A's GM Billy Beane; who's usually prone to keeping his moves close to his chest, proclaimed to reporters that this is likely the last major move for the A's this offseason, and that the Athletics goal is to build a team who is capable of winning now.

Oakland unloaded quite a substantial bundle in order to acquire Lowrie's services.  First baseman and DH Chris Carter, one of the more powerful bats for the A's last season, will move to Houston.  Also joining the newly AL West Astros is starting pitcher Brad Peacock and catching prospect Max Stassi.  Peacock showed flashes of talent in 2011 and became a key piece in the trade that sent Gio Gonzalez to Washington, but struggled at Triple-A Sacramento posting a 6.09 ERA.  The trade makes sense for both teams with the A's trying to repeat last season's success and the Astros needing a complete rebuild, but I think Houston came out on top.

Jed Lowrie will by no means be a bad addition to the Oakland lineup. He is a proven major leaguer who will show some much needed infield versatility; with the ability to play second, short or third. That all being said, Chris Carter was one of the few power bats in Oakland, and he's still young enough to develop in to something substantial. Stassi and Peacock are prospects so their development and ceiling is always in question, but for a pretty decent utility guy and a not very good reliever, prospects of their caliber are a lot to sacrifice.  If Oakland can beat the gauntlet that is the AL West again and make it in to the 2013 postseason, this move will pay off. Time will tell.

Contract Corner: Bill Hall, Clayton Kershaw

Bill Hall

Usually I'd be full of snark about an aging, declining utility man (ex-Brewer nonetheless) but the Bill Hall to the Yankees contract seems pretty agreeable on both sides.  $600K base salary with $50K paid incentives for each 50 at bats from 100-250 and 100K payouts for each 50 at bats after that. Hall looked totally shitty last year splitting time with Houston and San Francisco with a .211/.261/.314 line, and two home runs.

So why invest at all? Here's my guess. The guy who looked forgettable to Houston last year is the same guy who had 85 hits and 18 HRs while playing in the AL East in 2010. Not a bad gamble at $600K for a vet who may be craving a ring.

2011 NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw

I love this gawky Cy Young award winning monster. I also almost don't even care what his contract is so long as it satisfies him and baits in an owner interested in keeping him around and winning championships. At the age of 23, Clayton Kershaw has already been in the majors for four seasons. In 2011 he earned the distinction of being voted the best pitcher in the National League. In a franchise where the pressure of pseudo-ownership of the psychotic McCourt family dissolved in to non-ownership, and the lack of incentive that comes with a losing team, Kershaw came up huge. The contract details are as follows: $500K signing bonus, $7.5 million in 2012 and $11 million in 2013. Not bad for either side. If you're inspired by horrible camera filters and HIGH OCTANE SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS!!! the video below is worth watching.