Thursday Lunch Links

The Astros have advanced to the ALCS for the 7th straight year, or every single year in which Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez, and anyone else whose career began with the Astros after 2016 have been in the Majors. This is a dynasty, and anyone who says otherwise deserves to get their teeth knocked into their throat. 

*Franchises to make seven straight League Championship Series:

Atlanta: 8 (1991-1999, there were no playoffs in 1994)

Houston: 7 (2017-2023)

*Playoff Wins, 2015-2023 (as of the morning of October 12):

Houston: 60

Los Angeles: 47

Atlanta: 24

New York Yankees: 20

Chicago Cubs: 19

Boston: 18

Cleveland/Washington: 16

Philadelphia/Tampa: 15

Kansas City: 11

Toronto: 10

New York Mets: 9

San Diego: 8

Milwaukee: 7

Arizona/Six Flags: 6

St. Louis: 5

San Francisco: 4

Minnesota/Oakland: 3

Chicago White Sox/Miami/Seattle: 2

Colorado: 1

Anaheim/Baltimore/Cincinnati/Detroit/Pittsburgh: 0

Verlander:

We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the bond that we have and the relationships that we have in this locker room, and we hold each other accountable in a good way. Obviously, this team is built different. These guys are built different. When it's time to step up, we play our best baseball.

*The Astros were held to six hits. Two of them, accounting for all three runs, were home runs. Houston is now 16-32 in postseason games in which they've recorded six or fewer hits. 

Houston is also now 1-5 in games where they do not draw a walk. 

15 straight Astros were retired until Jose Abreu got a base hit with two outs in the top of the 9th. 

*Jose Urquidy: 5.2IP, 3H/2ER, 6K:1BB. 53 of his 82 pitches were for strikes. Three of his 17 starts for the 2023 Astros went 17 outs or longer. Urquidy has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his 13 career postseason appearances. 

Bregman, on Urquidy, Mr. Game 4:

We've seen that since his rookie year, winning World Series games for us. We have a lot of confidence every time he goes and takes the mound. We know what we're going to get every single time: a guy who's competing, a guy who's trying to go execute pitches.

*The bullpen of Neris/Abreu/Pressly struck out eight of the last ten Twins batters in G4. 

*Bullpens:

Houston: 15IP, 10H/6ER, 26K:4BB (4ER were courtesy of Hector Neris in G1)

Minnesota: 19IP, 16H/8ER, 21K:7BB

*Carlos Correa watched Max Kepler watch Strike Three to end the series from the on-deck circle. 

Correa, Games 1/2: 5x8, 3 doubles, 3RBI, 2K:1BB

Correa, Games 3/4: 1x7, 0RBI, 2K:0BB

Correa:

I wanted that at-bat (in the 9th) so bad. I know Pressly very well, and it would've been a fun matchup. It didn't get there, but that's the way it's supposed to be.

Imagine moving Correa down in the order so that Max Kepler can represent the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th and swing twice. 

*What a find by GMs Jim Crane/Jeff Bagwell in this Jose Abreu fella. Abreu was 2x4 with the eventual go-ahead 2-run homer. Abreu had 2HR/7RBI in Games 3&4. Abreu:

The only thing I can say is thank you.k The person that's not grateful with what life has given them isn't going to reach many goals. I can't say anything other than thank you. I'm just very grateful to be here.

*Michael Brantley hit his first postseason home run since 2020 ALCS G3 - a span of 22 games. Brantley:

The core guys that have been here the last seven years, they know how to win games. Since I got here five years ago, you can call it pressure, or when our back is against the wall, we play our best baseball. We always have. And it's a testament to those guys.

*Jeremy Pena went hitless for just the second time in 17 career postseason games. 

*Bryan Abreu: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB. 

Bryan Abreu since July 18: 31IP, 13H/0ER, 41K:13BB

*Ryan Pressly: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB.

Pressly, postseason career (all with Houston): 40.2IP, 30H/11ER, 53K:12BB. 2.43 ERA/1.03 WHIP.

Pressly last gave up an earned run in the postseason in 2021 ALCS G1. In the 17 postseason games since: 18.2IP, 6H/0ER, 28K:5BB. 0.00 ERA / 0.59 WHIP.

*Correa, on Maldonado:

He knows what he's doing behind the plate, and he knows every hitter's weaknesses and he's going to try to exploit. He pitches against the xSLG...and we knew it, and still it was hard to make the adjustments, the way he was pitching backwards. Hitters counts, he would go off-speed, and then a count where he would go off-speed regularly, he would go fastballs up. 

*Verlander, on the Astros' culture: 

There's been a culture established here that hasn't faded away. It's still very present, and that's a testament to the guys that were here before and the guys that remain here and the guys that are leaders of this ballclub. They don't allow slacking off, but they do it in a respectful manner. They expect the best of everyone because they're giving their best every single day. What a great way to lead by example. I think our culture is something not tangible. Funny that one (for) one of the most analytic-forward teams in baseball, something that makes this team so special is something that's not measurable. 

*Jeff Passan:

For seven years - one short of Atlanta's record eight-straight championship series appearances - the Astros have managed to win at least one playoff series. And as dissatisfying as that might be for those who harbor resentment against the organizaiton for its cheating in 2017, anyone who refuses to acknowledge the Astros' exceptional staying power is just willfully ignorant.

*FanGraphs: Houston 60.9 - 30.1 Six Flags

Other Stuff:

*100-win teams (Baltimore, Atlanta, Los Angeles), 2023 postseason: 1-8.

Pretty sweet to watch the Astros clinch the ALDS and then turn it over to watch the Dloldgers get swept by a team that went 5-8 against them in the regular season. The Dodgers are the second team in MLB history to win 100 games in the regular season and never even hold a lead in the postseason. The Bastard Dave Roberts:

There's some things with the format that people can dissect or whatever, but the bottom line is we've gotten outplayed in the postseason. 

Read every single word above this section to see why maybe the playoff format isn't the reason. 

Dodgers, regular season, 2018-2023: 558-313 (.641)

Dodgers, postseason, 2018-2023: 30-28 (.517)

Or, Dodgers, postseason, non Mickey Mouse years (2018-19, 2021-23): 17-23 (.425)

*Jay Jaffe: Dodgers take another early exit from the postseason tournament.

*London to Norman: Inside one recruit's 5,000 mile official visit

*Respect to The Ringer for not having a single solitary baseball article on the front page of their website. 

*The radical empathy of Jason Isbell.

What To Watch, October 12:

1:45pm Central: UEFA Euro Qualifying - Scotland @ Spain

3:30pm: CONMEBOL Qualifying - Uruguay @ Peru

7:00pm: Rockets @ Pelicans 

7:07pm: Braves @ Phillies

*How Braves-Phillies became Baseball's Best Rivalry.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Pablo Lopez (whose parents are both doctors and, you may be aware, was accepted to medical school at 16) was good. Framber was not. It's the Astros' first home loss in the division series since Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS, a streak of 12 straight wins. They managed to snatch a game at Minute Maid Park and finally go back on the road in what is now a Best-Of-Three. So there's that. Game 3 is Tuesday. 

*FanGraphs: Houston 55.7 - 44.3 Minnesota.

Twins outfielder Michael A. Taylor:

We're in the driver's seat now.

*The Astros' 2 runs scored are the lowest scored in a playoff home game since Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. 

*Framber Valdez was...not good. Framber goes as his mindset goes. And while I am certainly not one to say that Framber - the winning pitcher in two of the 2022 World Series games - is "mentally weak" or a "basket case," it's pretty well-known that if Framber gets in his head, it's going to be an uphill battle for him. And ALDS G2 looked like Framber had the incline setting to Max thanks to D.J. Reyburn's "strike" "zone." 

Framber's seven hits allowed were tied for the second-highest he's allowed in 14 postseason starts, and the most since 2021 World Series G1. 

Framber, by postseason: 

2020: 24IP, 14H/5ER, 26K:10BB, 1.88 ERA / 1.00 WHIP

2021: 19.2IP, 28H/17ER, 16K:7BB, 7.78 ERA / 1.78 WHIP

2022: 25IP, 14H/4ER, 33K:8BB, 1.44 ERA / 0.88 WHIP

2023: 4.1IP, 7H/5ER, 5K:3BB, 10.38 ERA / 2.31 WHIP

It's not fair to put one start up against three full postseasons, but the point is the Astros need Framber's Even-Year Bullshit to come back. 

*That strike zone was wild for both sides, so let's not pretend that it was a total screw-job on the Astros. But if I remember the home plate umpire's name the morning after the game, it's safe to say that the home plate umpire needs to look in the mirror and re-evaluate some things. 

*How Pablo Lopez, whose parents were doctors and was accepted to medical school at 16, stymied the Astros to tie up the ALDS. Szymborski:

Houston's lineup, despite the dangerous hitters in the top half, mostly just watched their demise pass them by, only swinging at 52% of Lopez's in-zone pitches; Lopez is at 70% for his career and has never had a game in which opponents swung less often at his in-zone offerings. The result was seven strikeouts on just 12 whiffs the entire game, against 22 called strikes. To put that into context, of the 251 games in 2023 in which a pitcher struck out seven batters, only 17 featured fewer swings-and-misses.

Were you aware that Pablo Lopez has two doctors for parents, and was accepted to medical school at the age of 16?

Dusty, on Lopez, whose parents are doctors and who himself was accepted to medical school at the age of 16:

There's nothing you can say. The guy was dealing tonight.

*Yordan hit a two-run homer and is responsible for five of Houston's eight runs in the ALDS, and eight of their last 12 postseason runs. He has four homers and eight RBIs in his last three postseason games. Yordan also has a five-game postseason RBI streak, which has only happened 53 times in MLB postseason history. Astros with 5-game postseason RBI streaks:

Carlos Beltran: 5 (2004)

Alex Bregman: 5 (2017)

George Springer: 5 (2017-2018)

Carlos Correa: 5 (2020)

Yordan Alvarez: 5 (2022-2023)

*Speaking of Carlos Correa, he had 3RBI in G2 of the 2023 ALDS. He had five regular season games in 2023 of 3+ RBI. It was his 8th postseason 3+ RBI game. 

Framber:

I thought Correa got a little bit lucky with the sinker there. It was going down to the ground, he was able to get to it.

How Correa prepared for the AB that knocked Framber out of the game.

*Jose Altuve was 2x4, the 32nd multi-hit postseason game of his career. Jose Altuve is the greatest Astro of all-time, and it's not even close.

*In the seven postseason games since Kyle Tucker went 3x5 with 2HR/4RBI in 2022 World Series G1, he's hitting .087/.214/.174.

*The Astros have "parted ways" with Assistant GM Bill Firkus and Farm Director Sara Goodrum.

*Baltimore is going to "reset" after losing their two home games to Six Flags.

What To Watch, October 9:

Cambridge United @ Burton Albion: 2pm Central

Phillies @ Braves, 5:07pm

Packers @ Raiders? I think?, 7:15pm

We're 24 hours from NHL Opening Night, and 48 hours from my beloved Montreal Canadiens' 2023 season opener. 

Diamondbacks @ Dodgers: 8:07pm

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Okay, so we now know who the Astros will welcome to Houston on Saturday at a time to be determined: The Minnesota Correas. Minnesota took the first two games from Toronto to win this ridiculously-short, idea-which-should-immediately-be-abandoned idea of a "postseason series."

Anything can happen in a three-game series (see: A's, Oakland; Royals, Kansas City) but the Twins held the Blue Jays - who had the 5th-highest AVG, 4th-highest OBP, and 6th-highest OPS in the AL to one single, solitary run...but only scored five runs themselves, so who knows. 

Games 1&2 will be in Houston on Saturday and Sunday

Games 3&4 will be in Minneapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday

Game 5 will be in Houston on Friday. 

The Twins won their first postseason series since beating Oakland in the 2002 ALDS before dropping in five games to the eventual World Series winners Anaheim Angels in the ALCS. Prior to this series, the Twins had lost 18 straight postseason games. In fact, from 2003-2023 the Twins went 4-21 in the postseason. Carlos Correa has won 47 postseason games from 2015-2023. 

Correa:

This is a young, talented group that really wants it. I tell everybody this reminds me a lot of the '15 Astros, when the young talent came up, matched with the veterans that were there already and then they started going off. That's how I feel about this organization or the squad that we have right now. 

In six games against the 2023 Astros, the Twins went 4-2, outscoring Houston 29-25. 

The first time the Twins faced Houston was in Minneapolis from April 7-9. Altuve was injured. Verlander wasn't even a thought. 

April 7: 3-2 Twins in 10 innings. It was 47 degrees at first pitch. Jose Urquidy got the start on the mound, David Hensley started the game at 1B. Ryne Stanek blew the save after Houston took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th. 

April 8: 9-6 Twins. Minnesota put up a 4-spot in the 2nd and 8th innings. Yordan hit a grand slam, Jeremy Pena hit 10% of his season home runs. Luis Garcia struggled, Ronel Blanco allowed four hits and two walks in the 8th. 

April 9: 5-1 Astros. Hunter Brown threw 7IP, 2H/0ER. Chas McCormick had 4RBI. 

The second time the Astros and Twins rumbled was Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31. The series opener was Altuve's 8th game of the 2023 season. 

May 29: 7-5 Twins in 10 innings. Houston had a 5-4 lead going into the top of the 9th, thanks mainly to Altuve's 7th Inning Grand Slam. J.P. France was okay. Abreu and Pressly blew it in the 9th and 10th. 

May 30: 5-1 Astros. Brandon Bielak threw 5.1 solid innings. Bregman and McCormick homered. 

May 31: 8-2 Twins. Altuve did not play. Jake Meyers and Yainer Diaz homered (it was just Diaz's 2nd homer of the season). Hunter Brown and Parker Mushinski allowed 7ER in the first six innings. 

Not much to examine. Altuve didn't play in three of the games. Verlander hadn't shown up yet. Urquidy, Brown, France, and Bielak likely won't get a start in the postseason. Garcia is out until next season. That's all six starters in the season series. 

*Here's Twins fans chanting "We want Houston" as they leave the stadium.

*Old Friend Alert (Twins who used to be with the Astros): Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, Christian Vazquez, Hank Conger (1B Coach), Kevin Golstein (Special Assistant to the GM, Player Personnel).

*FanGraphs already has it Houston 56.8 - 43.2 Minnesota. And Six Flags 54.8 - 45.2 Baltimore. Of course, FanGraphs thought Tampa and Toronto to win the Wild Card rounds. 17 of ESPN's MLB Experts picked Toronto over Minnesota. 22 of the 27 picked Tampa over Six Flags. FanGraphs' Playoff Odds missed three of the four Wild Card series, only getting Philadelphia/Miami correct. 

*ESPN: What to know about the eight remaining playoff teams.

*The Astros are 27-11 at Minute Maid Park in the postseason since 2015 (not including 2020 but, sadly, including the 2019 World Series). 

*The most important player to the Astros' October? Cristian Javier. Pitching Coach Josh Miller:

I've said to numerous people the last couple of months he's been close. He's shown glimpses of the 2022 version of himself. It just hasn't been put together. He certainly finished the season strong. He seems to have gotten his fastball shape back in line which is what we've been searching for all year, and that bodes well going into a postseason.

*McTaggart: Can the Astros figure out their home-field blues?

*There's a good shot that the Astros at least have a late-afternoon/evening slot on Saturday, as Game 1 of the Rangers/Orioles series will start at 1pm thanks to a Billy Joel concert at Camden Yards that night. 

*A.J. Blubaugh is the Astros' sleeper prospect in the Arizona Fall League.

*What's it like to be recruited by Deion Sanders?

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning(-ish) Hot Links

Good morning. I got home late, overslept, and got to work late. It's a great day. The Astros beat the Brewers 12-2 to improve to 28-19, winners of eight straight and eleven of their last twelve games. The Rangers lost, so the Astros are just a game back for the Division lead. 

*To find a longer winning streak you have to go all the way back to [checks Baseball-Reference] May 2-13, 2022, when the Astros won 11 in a row against the Mariners, Tigers, and Twins. 

*The Astros - as a team - have hit .276/.352/.451 in the last twelve games, raising their team OPS from .676 to .709. Houston also hit five home runs last night, an impressive feat considering that they hit five home runs in the previous six games combined (218 PAs). 

*The previous 2023 game-high in homers was on April 5, when the Astros hit three against Detroit. It was the 56th time in franchise history that the Astros have hit 5+ homers, and the most since the Astros hit six homers at Fenway in a 13-6 win over the Red Sox on May 17, 2022. God, we've been spoiled. The Astros are 50-6 when hitting five home runs in a game. 

*Brewers starting pitcher and 2021 NL Cy Young Winner (a feat about which I had completely forgotten) Corbin Burnes had thrown four straight Quality Starts and entered the game with a 3.48 ERA before getting lit up for 5ER. Prior to last night, Burnes had made 144 appearances (83 starts) and had never given up 4HR in a game before. 

*Yordan Alvarez hit two home runs, one a grand slam on the first pitch of the AB. It was his 4th career grand slam and the 14th multi-homer regular season game of his career, both of which feel low. Those were also Yordan's 3rd and 4th career homers against the Brewers, and the 2nd and 3rd at Not Miller Park.

Yordan's homers vs. Milwaukee:

June 11, 2019 at Minute Maid Park vs. Matt Albers (his second career home run).

September 2, 2019 at Not Miller Park vs. Brent Suter.

May 22, 2023 at Not Miller Park vs Corbin Burnes and something called a "Hoby Milner." In the year of our Lord 2023 there are people walking around that answer to the name "Hoby." Of course he's from Fort Worth. 

Brewers manager Craig Counsell:

I mean, he's one of the best hitters in the league. I don't care what pitcher we're putting in there. It's a challenge.

*Mauricio Dubon hit a home run before Jose Abreu. Just like we all drew it up in March.

*Martin Maldonado was 2x3 with a homer and a walk. Since April 30 (15 games), Maldonado is hitting - and I swear this is true - .319/.396/.511. Maldonado became the 69th player in MLB history a home run against all 30 MLB teams. 

*Jeremy Pena took a 98.9mph heater off the hand, but stayed in the game.

*In his last six games, Jake Meyers is hitting .389/.560/.722.

*Cristian Javier threw 6IP, 4H/1ER, 5K:1BB. In the 54 starts in his career, 23 of them have been Quality Starts. The Astros are 17-6 when Javier goes at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned runs. 

*It was a routine day off yesterday for Jose Altuve.

*The Astros need five more wins this season for Dusty Baker to pass Joe McCarthy for 8th on the all-time managerial wins list. 38 more wins put him past Bucky Harris for 7th, 74 will pass Sparky Anderson for 6th. 

*Something I'm sure everyone will be extremely level-headed about: Chandler Rome, on Kyle Tucker's terrible defensive metrics. 

*Carlos Correa is hitting .213/.302/.396. FanGraphs says not to worry about that. Correa also talked to ESPN about his tumultuous free agency saga. 

*1916 Watch:

2023 A's: 10-39

1916 A's: 15-33-1

*Three people have been arrested over racial abuse of Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. 

*How Leeds United's impending relegation would affect Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Brendan Aaronson, and the San Francisco 49ers.

*Uhhh check on your friends in Guam.

*Rufus Wainwright's debut album was released 25 years ago last Friday. This is hard, for me. So in honor of that...

Thursday Morning Hot Links

I took a day off - not from work, but from this and from Social Media and hooboy was that fun! Couldn't figure out why I was in such a good mood. We should all try it sometime! So, let's catch up a little bit...

*Jose Altuve sure sounds like he's back. McTaggart:

Without giving any specifics, the 30-year old Altuve said he put in a lot of work in the offseason to better himself both physically and mentally. Brantley picked up on it right away during a long talk with Altuve on the first day of camp.

Altuve, 1243 games (5,458 PAs) from 2010-2019: .315/.364/.463, 8.76 PAs/K.

Altuve, 48 games (210 PAs) in 2020: .219/.286/.344, 5.38 PAs/K. 

Yeah, I'm not putting much stock in Altuve's 2020 after the 2019 offseason, starting Spring Training, stopping Spring Training, and the season beginning in late July.

Chandler Rome: Altuve is pursuing a season of redemption. Gurriel:

Usually the first couple days are a little more relaxed, but right from the first time I saw (Altuve), he's looked super, super focused. There's a different look about him.

*Alex Bregman hasn't been working out with all The Dudes because he has a tweaked hamstring. Dusty:

It's something that was here last year, and then he tweaked it while he was working out this winter. You know how hard the guy works. We may have to monitor his work for his own sake, because this guy works. His hamstring is sore. Again. We've just got to take care of him.

Bregman tweeted at McTaggart that, if the season started today he'd be "good to go."

*Brian McTaggart's notes from Tuesday indicate:

-James Click said the plan all along was to wait until Correa came to Spring Training before opening dialogue (oh, I'm an "opening dialogue" guy now. I'm also a "circle-back" guy, occasionally. From time to time I "reach out.") on a possible contract extension. Click:

It's a high priority. We're going to get to it. But we want to make sure that we put in the work before we really dig in, but we have talked about what is most important to him and that will give us some direction on how we can try to line this up.

My concern is that Click is going to try to Tampa this thing right up:

With a guy as talented as he is, it would be prudent for us to try to line that up, but it takes both sides.

Also:

-Stephen Souza has a real chance to make the Astros' Opening Day Roster.

*Yuli Gurriel attributed his sluggish "2nd-half" and postseason to the mental strain of free agency, and his weight (even though he signed his extension in early September). But he's in better shape now!

*Forrest Whitley and Korey Lee are actually in camp after clearing COVID protocols.

*Yordan Alvarez landed at #14 on MLB.com's 25 Best Players under 25, which is about 13 spots too low, in my opinion.

*Is Framber Valdez the Astros' next ace? Thomas Harrigan notes that his curveball, groundball rate, and improved control point to yes.

*Brian T. Smith: Giving Correa (or anyone) a Tatis-esque contract doesn't guarantee anything.

*Dusty Baker has 1892 career managerial wins. Five more wins puts him in sole possession of 14th place all-time, eight more wins makes him the 14th manager to reach 1900 wins.

*Former Astros Great Marwin Gonzalez's deal with Former Astros Great Alex Cora's Red Sox is official.

*SI's Tom Verducci: Should the MLB Postseason feature a Selection Show?

*Wired: Hackers tied to Russia's GRU targeted the US electrical grid for years.

*Rolling Stone: How to help music industry workers.

*Prosecutors dropped the DUI charges against Bruce Springsteen, as he was just drinkin' in the park (I immediately am given a BBWAA card).

*The South Dakota Attorney General is, uh, well, he's in some trouble.

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Yesterday was the first full-squad workout day and everyone's so happy. 

*Alex Bregman says there's a "good energy" in Astros camp.

In that link we also find that Garrett Stubbs is going to play a little OF and 2B in order to be versatile enough to make the Opening Day roster.

*Chandler Rome: Carlos Correa is expecting a big season out of himself (and also indicated that he's open to moving to 3B, a first in the time Correa's been with the Astros that he's said that). Correa:

I've never been more excited to show up to Spring Training in my career than this year. I'm super excited to be here. I'm happy that baseball is back. I feel something special in this clubhouse. The way everybody showed up today really told me a lot of how everybody put in the work to make sure they're ready - ready to compete and ready to win another championship.

Jake Kaplan says that the fact that the Astros and Carlos Correa haven't opened negotiations on an extension isn't that big of a deal, and lays out what's really important for both sides. Correa:

I know what I'm worth. If the season happens, I'm expecting to have a great, healthy season, which will help my case for free agency, being the youngest shortstop out there.

Here's a Brian McTaggart piece on Correa that's not paywalled.

Let's not forget that the Astros have $65.17m coming off the books at the end of the season with the impending free agency of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Joe Smith, and Martin Maldonado. That's plenty of money for Correa and McCullers to re-sign. 

*Alex Bregman says he feels like himself again.

*Correa said Yordan Alvarez looks "really sexy."

*Myles Straw knows that he needs to keep things simple this Spring Training: Get on base. Straw:

Just being ready to hit and staying aggressive and coming back to it and just getting on base for those guys is going to be the key thing for me this year.

*Ken Rosenthal wrote about, among other things, why the Astros won't sign Jackie Bradley, Jr. and it has to do with the draft picks that come with staying under the salary cap luxury tax threshold.

*Brian McTaggart ranked the five best team seasons in Astros history, and I would flip a couple of the choices, but can't disagree with #1.

*Jim Crane and the Astros Foundation donated 42,000 pounds of water to three locations at Texas Children's Hospitals.

*Mariners CEO Kevin Mather has resigned after getting blowed tf up over his comments to the [shuffles papers] Rotary Club went nationwide, which included openly discussing delaying prospects' service time and denigrating the English of Hisashi Iwakuma and Julio Rodriguez. Imagine losing your role as an MLB CEO because you overshared with the Rotary Club. Jeff Passan on the 45 minutes that sunk Kevin Mather.

*There are reasons for Leeds United fans to be excited about the possibility of extending Marcelo Bielsa. Leeds play Southampton at 12pm Central today on NBCSN. [Shouts in American] The Premier League should really take its Central Time Zone supporters into account more.

*Vox: What you're feeling is grief.

*The Atlantic: The most likely timeline for life to return to normal.

*An audience with the robots: An NME writer's encounter with Daft Punk.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Evening Hot Links

Ah Sunday! The evening the existential dread sets in. 

*Brian McTaggart took a pass at predicting the Opening Day Roster.

*Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro are battery-mates with the 3rd-most games caught in the Majors (2nd, but for a technicality).

*Jake Kaplan: Luis Garcia, Forrest Whitley and the depth the Astros will need to get through the season. Brent Strom:

It's going to take a village to get through this season.

*Jose Urquidy wants to throw 200+ IP this year. 

*David Nuno: Carlos Correa wants to hammer out an extension before the season starts. Correa:

It would be great, but it has to be on their side also. If we can reach an agreement at some point it needs to be [before] the season starts because once the season starts, I don't want to be involved with any negotiations.

Get the full link to the interview here.

*Dusty Baker, on Yordan Alvarez:

He had a cool stroll coming down the hallway. So I was like, well it's hard to have a cool stroll if something's wrong with you.

*Even after both doses of the COVID vaccine, Dusty Baker is still being cautious. Makes sense, 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in sports. 

*Garrett Stubbs is a good boy and is dairy-free and gluten-free. I am neither. 

*JC Correa was out distributing food today.

*Click here to see George Springer in a Blue Jays shirt, if that's something you're in to.

*Former Astros Great Aaron Sanchez signed a deal with the Giants.

*Texas Monthly: The Day Everything Went Wrong.

*Was Bitcoin created by this international drug dealer? Maybe!

*Bring me a movie about Helen Gahagan Douglas ASAP.

*Esquire: The best documentaries on Netflix will change how you see the world.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

I truly hope that every single person who reads this is doing okay. This week has proven to us that the Biblical imagery of Hell being hot may not be entirely accurate. My family and I are lucky - we live around the corner from a National Guard...outpost or whatever, and they're not going to shut off power to, like, The Army:

 

Anyway, this has been a hell of a week. I know that my wife and kid and I are extremely blessed/fortunate (depending on your view of Christianity/Deism/Atheism), and there are millions of people around Texas who are not doing okay. Here is a link to a Google Doc organizing direct relief, if you're in a position to help. If you/your family have a specific need, email me at astroscounty at gmail and I'll will do my absolute best to help you/your family. 

*Here is a list of food and water distribution sites in Houston, Austin, North Texas, San Antonio, Corpus.

*I guess the Astros did some stretching. But, more importantly right now, they're banding together to help out the Houston area:

-Alex and Reagan Bregman are distributing bottled water from 9am-2pm Saturday at the Astros Youth Academy (2801 S. Victory Drive).

-The Bregmans, the Brantleys, the Presslys, the Smith/LaForces, the Astros Foundation, Brothers Produce, Mayor Turner's office, and the City of Houston are handing out 5-gallon jugs of water at Butler Stadium (13755 S. Main Street) until they run out.

-Lance and Kara McCullers have pledged $150,000 and 400,000 water bottles for the Houston Food Bank, who will distribute the water. The Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation will also partner with several local organizations to help with water and veterinary services. Click here to donate to the LMJ Foundation, as they want to donate a literal million bottles of water to the Houston area.

-Carlos and Daniella Correa will donate 1,000 meals to law enforcement and public employees, as well as support in recovery and reconstruction efforts. To donate the Correa Family Foundation, click here.

*Brian McTaggart has notes! Zack Greinke won't report until the deadline, as is his custom, and is also not a big deal at all, Bryan Abreu came to camp slimmed down and looking good, Josh James likely won't get a 60-Day IL spot since he's projected to come back from hip labrum surgery before then, and Joe Smith knows he's old (and there's a certain amount of coolness that comes with that). 

*Chandler Rome: The signing of Former/Current Astros Great Jason Castro is all about helping Martin Maldonado get through the season. Machete, on talking with Jiminy Clicket about the Castro signing:

We had a really good conversation about it. I think Castro is going to give us another form of leadership behind the plate - a guy that's been here, been in the big leagues for so long. We are going to work together, get the best out of our pitching staff and be a unit.

There's mutual respect between the two catchers, and that can't be a bad thing. 

*MLB.com: Here is your projected 2021 Astros lineup/rotation.

*Jake Kaplan: Myles Straw and Bryan Abreu are among the Astros with the most to gain this Spring Training.

*Dusty Baker: Bryan Abreu looks "really good" so far. 

*Virtual Astros FanFest will be Saturday, February 27.

*Chandler Rome: Steve Cishek is trying to sidearm his way, along with Joe Smith, into the bullpen.

*Our Dude Brian wrote up a post about the Astros being 2021 AL West favorites.

*Former Astros Great Brandon Bailey will have Tommy John Surgery and miss the 2021 season.

*Wolves 1 Leeds United 0 in a bullcrap game that "technology" ruined.

*I tried to figure out a simple way to understand just what the hell happened to Texas this week.

*Uncle Nearest is the Most Important Story in American Whiskey History.

*How a Shadow Army of Ghost Kitchens Took Over America's Restaurants.

*Barcelona and the Crippling Cost of Success.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

A few things upon which to catch up!

*The Astros took what I'm assuming is a good step towards extending Carlos Correa by settling with him on a contract for 2021 worth $11.7m (a little more than $500K over the midway point of their pre-arbitration gap), thus avoiding a Grisham-esque courtroom showdown involving the Astros telling their impending free agent superstar shortstop that he is not worth as much money as he thinks he is. Correa:

I'm happy that we were able to come to an agreement and avoid arbitration. Arbitration is not a good process. I want to thank James Click, Jim Crane and my agent, Jon Rosen, for getting the deal done. I'm ready to play and represent the Houston Astros.

And we are ready for Correa to play and represent the Houston Astros. Chandler Rome notes that Click and Correa have had talks regarding an extension, but wanted to get this year's deal out of the way first.

The Astros have about $13m of room before they hit the salary cap luxury tax.

*McTaggart says the Astros are clear 2021 AL West favorites. I read it, and I can't disagree.

*In case you missed it, Alex Bregman is jacked now. 

*Jeff Luhnow's lawsuit against the Astros has been settled for an undisclosed amount, bringing to an end the tenure of the most successful GM in franchise history.

*The Coward Mike Fiers is back with Oakland for 2021 on a 1yr/$3.5m deal.  Anyhow, Oakland opens the 2021 season with four home games against the Astros from April 1-4, then three games against the Dodgers from April 5-7, then three games in Houston from April 8-10. If the A's open with Fiers as SP5, he'd miss the opening series but then catch them on Saturday, April 10 in Houston. If I'm...whoever the manager of the A's is now then I'm throwing him in Oakland and letting Fiers avoid having to pitch in Houston. Because it would just be preposterous for one of your five starters to miss the first ten games of the season, especially when they occur within ten days. 

If we're talking Oakland, it's worth mentioning that Arlington and Oakland swung a trade exchanging Elvis Andrus (who committed two errors in the 7th Inning of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS) and Khris Davis.

*Very Random: George Springer hit 174 home runs for the Astros. Now that he's gone, Jose Altuve needs 56 home runs, Correa needs 68, Bregman needs 70 to pass him. Just making sure that you saw Richard Justice's piece on George Springer in Texas Monthly.

*New minor-league OF Steven Dinesh D' Souza is a Tyler Bauer apologist who GOES ALL IN on the replies. Never go all in on the replies.

*Houston Chronicle: The sons of Former Astros Greats Roger Clemens and Mike Capel - Kacy Clemens and Conner Capel - were cleared of wrongdoing and awarded $3.24m in damages related to a bar fight at Concrete Cowboy over two years ago.

*It's almost a week old by now but it took me two separate attempts to get through the gut-wrenching Jeff Passan story on Drew Robinson. 

*Former Astros Great Mike Foltynewicz has signed a deal with the North Waxahachie Rangers.

*Another Baseball Bro resigned for treating women horribly.

*I got a couple of birthday books: The Hike, by Drew Magary; and The Revisionaries, by A.R. Moxon and I am very excited to start them both.

*A new theory on the Dyatlov Pass Incident.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

There's not much happening in AstroWorld right now, but I guess I felt some sort of compulsion. I need professional help. 

*I turned 41 this week. Last night, I needed to pop my back and so I laid down face-down in the floor and my dear wife popped it for me. She also, because she is swole, cracked one of my ribs. This comes on the heels of breaking a bone in my foot in July and tripping before Thanksgiving and breaking two ribs in my back. Things are great. 

*MLB.com on how the AL West's catchers stack up.

*Forrest Whitley gets some love for his changeup and cutter.

*The Astros are preparing for fans in the stands at Spring Training.

*Check out Jake Kaplan's new Astros mailbag, which discusses Carlos Correa and his extension possibilities, Jeremy Pena, the decision to re-sign Michael Brantley after not extending a qualifying offer, Pedro Leon, farm system rankings, the leadoff spot, and Chas McCormick vs. Stephen Souza. 

*FOAC Kevin Goldstein wrote about how minor-league contracts come to be. Don't miss his introductory FanGraphs' column from yesterday. 

*Government officials are recommending delaying the start of the 2021 MLB season by a month.

*Make sure you check out Levi Weaver's (unlocked) article on living with Depression.

*The Rodeo got cancelled. 

*The Atlantic: The Library of Possible Futures.

*Leeds United 1 Everton 2. Leeds dominated the entire second half, but couldn't overcome an inexplicable first goal and a predictable goal off a corner kick. Leeds remain in 11th place, but are at less than 1% to get relegated.

*Outside: Is fast food better for you when it's plant-based? As someone who had an Impossible Breakfast Sandwich just this morning, either I got hoodwinked or that stuff is legit. 

*Myanmar or Burma? Why the different names matter.

*The Golden Globe nominations were released and the only thing I can think of is why Scandal isn't on there.

*Rolling Stone: The Ballad of Justin Townes Earle.

*I am on a year-long quest to listen to all of Rolling Stone's Greatest 500 Albums of All-Time. I won't listen to compilations or albums that aren't on Spotify, but I am now on #399 and let me tell you, I've already listened to a whole bunch of bullcrap in 2021.

*The Musical Selection is Not Bullcrap:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

 *The Michael Brantley re-signing is officially official. Among the things he said on a Zoom call (of which I was not a part, hmph):

-He signed, in part, out of respect for Jim Crane.

-His teammates thought he was going to Toronto, as well. As did he, but Brantley feels as though he has "unfinished business" in Houston.

*Carlos Correa has personally reached out to James Click to indicate that he wants to stay in Houston beyond 2021. Click is "obviously" very interested. As am I. And damn if it didn't take Correa's response to the worst scandal in franchise history to bring me on board.

*McTaggart has the ten best moments in Minute Maid Park history.

*Apparently I missed that the Astros traded Cionel Perez to the Reds for a minor-league catcher. Watch Cionel Perez carve up the NL Central where only like two teams are trying to win their division.

*SI's Emma Baccellieri: How should we (the rest of baseball) feel about the Astros? It's complicated.

*Arizona has asked MLB to delay the start of Spring Training due to the high positivity rate in Arizona. MLB basically told Arizona to piss off. The Cactus League said "okay."

*The Hall of Fame will announce the Class of 2021 on Tuesday. Among David Schoenfield's look at 40 current MLB players on a HOF trajectory, we see Current Astros Greats Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke as Locks, Gerrit Cole and Jose Altuve as On The Right Path, and Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa as Have Some Work To Do, with Yordan Alvarez as The Next Generation. I swear the thought of the 2019 Astros, with seven Hall of Famers and no World Series, makes me want to throw a kitten in a river.

*My new favorite NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers, have increased their ownership in my beloved Leeds United, to 37%. Leeds play Newcastle at 12pm Central on Tuesday.

*You can watch Hank Aaron's memorial service at 12pm on FoxSportsGo on Tuesday.

*Vice: The furniture salesman who saved Houston. You already know who it is.

*Astros County HQ highly recommends "Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer" on Netflix.

*One of my favorite bands is Travis. NME interviewed lead singer Fran Healy on what he remembers from his own career.

*A bunch of Redditors (a site which I previously thought was just for planning murders and whatnot) made GameStop's stock price soar in an effort to screw over hedge fund managers trying to short it.

*Before we go, it's time for another installment of Hello, I'm A Massive Nerd! Let's get to it:

1. The Astros are hosting the Pirates, and Jason Castro is up to bat, hitting .193. The Astros are up 3-2 in the 6th. Some other names we recognize that can narrow down that window: Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Wallace, J.A. Happ. 

2. Jason Castro only played with the Astros in the NL in 2010 and 2012. Hunter Pence only played with Jason Castro in the NL in 2010. JA Happ only pitched for the Astros in the NL with Jason Castro and Hunter Pence in 2010. The only possible explanation is that this game is from 2010. 

3. JA Happ (and Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose) was acquired from the Phillies for Roy Oswalt on July 29, 2010. Anthony Gose was immediately flipped to Toronto for Brett Wallace, who is hitting 6th in this game. 

4. Brett Wallace made his MLB debut on July 31, 2010. The only games he played against the Pirates at Minute Maid Park in 2010 were from August 13-15. 

5. On August 13 Brett Wallace batted 7th. On August 14 he came into the game in the 8th and didn't record a Plate Appearance. On August 15 Wallace batted 6th. JA Happ started that game and threw 6IP, 3H/2ER, 5K:4BB. 

7. We see from the picture that Jason Castro is hitting .193, he singled in the 2nd and struck out in the 4th. The Astros have put two on the board in the bottom of the 6th. If we go back to the box score for that August 13, 2010 game, we find that Castro singled to CF in the 2nd off of Jeff Karstens, but Karstens struck Castro out to end the 4th inning. 

8. We know that the Astros were up 3-2 when Castro comes to bat. The Astros started the 6th Inning down 2-1. Hunter Pence hit a ground-rule double to lead off the inning. Carlos Lee flied out to deep RF for the 1st out, sending Pence to third. Jeff Keppinger hit a sac fly to score Pence. Brett Wallace got hit by a pitch (the only time the Pirates hit Brett Wallace at home). Chris Johnson singled through the left side to move Wallace to 2nd. Jason Castro singled through the right side to score Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. 

9. This photo was taken immediately after Castro's AB, in the bottom of the 6th Inning on August 15, 2010. Houston would go on to win 8-1 to "improve" to 51-65.

10. Send me a picture of a scoreboard and I will absolutely do this again. 

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

The Hot Stove is truly, literally, upon us. 

*The Astros signed Former Astros Great Johnny Sh Jason Castro to a 2-year deal. Allegedly it's for $7m total, with incentives up to an additional $2m based on the games he catches.

Castro ranks #1 on the all-time FanGraphs Astros Catcher leaderboard with 10.8 fWAR. He's seven home runs away from tying Alan Ashby for the most homers by an Astros catcher. Friend of Astros County (FOAC) Daren Willman notes that Castro ranked in the Top 20 in MLB for Hard-Hit rate over the span from 2019-2020, and he is a good defensive catcher, and will be a valuable backup in managing the pitching staff for Machete. I can't be mad at this move, but if I'm Garrett Stubbs, I'm livid. 

FanGraphs' Ben Clemens on the Castro signing. This is a really good in-depth article about what Jason Castro brings to the Astros.

*Carlos Correa said - after getting sent to an arbitration hearing - he wants to be "an Astro for life." We also find that the Astros basically were out on Springer as soon as he turned down the Qualifying Offer, which is very cool.

*It is very early in the offseason but Jake Kaplan took Crack 1.0 at the Opening Day roster. (Please let me be clear: I am not accusing Jake Kaplan of "taking Crack." I am simply saying that he took a stab at what the Opening Day roster. Please let me be clear: I am not saying that Jake Kaplan stabbed somebody. I am saying you know what never mind. Jake Kaplan stabs people while smoking crack.)

*Chandler Rome says Michael Brantley's return is a good counter from the absence of Springer's production.

*Baseball Prospectus has their 101 Prospects list. It's paywalled, and I don't have a subscription (I have to draw the line somewhere), but I have deduced that Forrest Whitley is 69th and Jeremy Pena is 82nd. Pena is also MLB.com's pick for Best Defensive Prospect.

*Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio (and Andre Johnson, Guy V. Lewis, and Bill Yeoman) were elected to the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.

*Former Astros Great Joe Musgrove has elite penmanship.

*SI: It's beyond time to change the treatment of women reporters.

*Because there was no other reason to occupy their time, the Secret Service did a 9-month investigation into John Mulaney because of a joke on Jimmy Kimmel's show.

*Oh hey I was on KHOU's very own Daniel Gotera's podcast on Thursday.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Been a while, yeah? Because nothing - Astros-wise, anyway - is happening. Well that changed a little bit yesterday. A shame, really, I had gotten used to not having to think about the Astros.

*The deadline to settle arbitration cases was yesterday and the Astros could not come to an agreement with Carlos Correa, and so they will head to a hearing. Correa wanted $12.5m, the Astros offered $9.75m. That's quite a gap. 

I do not understand this decision. Let's recap what has happened since October 2019:

1. Brandon Taubman popped off at some reporters about domestic violence, getting himself fired in the process.

2. The Astros lost every home game of the World Series.

3. The Mike Fiers story dropped, which resulted in Luhnow and Hinch getting fired and the Astros becoming the most hated single team in Baseball since 1919. 

4. COVID-19. 

And through all of that, Correa became the face of the franchise, standing up for his teammates and bearing that burden to the public, allowing guys like Altuve and Bregman to sit back in the shadows (as much as that is possible, anyway). And you can't come up with the extra $2.75m to pay him? He is going to be a free agent at the end of the 2021 season, you think maybe, if you want a little goodwill in the negotiations with the best shortstop in franchise history?

*FanGraphs' WAR, Astros shortstops:

1. Correa: 19.4

2. Dickie MF Thon: 14.3

3. Adam Everett: 9.2

In 45 fewer games than the man largely considered to be the best defensive shortstop in franchise history, Correa has put up 10.2 more fWAR. Since he came into the league in 2015 - even given the injury-shortened seasons - Correa has the 5th most fWAR among shortstops, in more than 150 fewer games than three of the four players ahead of him. I know baseball economics are allegedly what they are in a pandemic/post-pandemic scenario, but it's also important to never believe a billionaire when they cry poor. I could have stopped that sentence after "billionaire." And so, now, approximately ten months before he's set to become a free agent in his Age 26 season, the Astros will go before a panel and tell Correa that he's not worth as much as he thinks he is. Seems real smart. Click:

We have nothing but the utmost respect for Carlos and his group. Again, I can't emphasize this enough: I think they came very well prepared and I think we were very well prepared, but we just see different things in the market and that's why the system is there to help us resolve those.

*In the last couple of weeks, the Astros have added veterans Ryne Sandberg Stanek and Pedro Baez to the bullpen. The back four of the bullpen will be Stanek, Baez, Joe Smith, and Ryan Pressly. Click that link and McTaggart will tell you the Astros are engaged on Brad Hand, Alex Colome, and Trevor Rosenthal. So obviously, the Astros are trying to shore up their bullpen and will just get to the 2/3 of the outfield that is apparently missing, exiled to Weiland Island. Click, on Springer/Brantley:

Those two guys are very special to this franchise and we will continue to have conversations, but we're, like I've said, gonna go where the market dictates sometimes, and something we are gonna push the market and make it come to us.

This is an excellent example of saying something and it's full of nothing at all.

To be fair, Click did say that they have discussed an extension with Correa. The Astros did avoid an arbitration hearing with Aledmys Diaz ($3m) and Lance McCullers ($6.5m). 

*ESPN is predicting Springer to the Blue Jays.

*I totally missed the rumor that the Astros are interested in Joakim Soria, who at this point just must be 52 years old.

*Houston signed 22-year old Cuban OF Pedro Leon to a $4m signing bonus, in a long-rumored move. Click:

He's a special talent. He has all five tools, and a sixth one if you count just how good he is at the game of baseball from an instincts perspective - tremendous off-field guy. There's just not enough good things that we can say about him.

Click said how quickly he rises through the system depends on Leon, but they're not planning on him immediately replacing Brantley or Springer. 

*The Tri-City ValleyCats, formerly of the historic New York-Penn League, have sued the Astros for lost revenue over the minor-league contraction/restructuring that got rammed through by Soulless Ghoul Rob Manfred (for a non-paywalled link, click here). The complaint:

MLB's intimidation tactics, which it used to pit MiLB teams against each other for the 'privilege' of not having their businesses destroyed, has gone on for years but was most vividly demonstrated by a May 2020 email in which Commissioner Rob Manfred emailed the ValleyCats' owner condolences on the passing of his father, and then in the very same email, issued a veiled threat that any public statement made about MLB's contraction efforts would be 'unwise.'

MLB is arguing that it wasn't really a threat, and there's nuance that is missing. Actively trying to remember why I even care about this sport. 

*Former Astros Great Jeff Luhnow is working with the group that brought you "Club de Cuervos" on Netflix to buy a Liga MX team.

*Leeds vs. Brighton: 9am. NBCSN.

*Minute Maid Park will host a vaccination drive today.

*Mental Floss: The Harvard Chemistry Professor Who Was Also A Murderer.

*Food & Wine: Ted Cruz's love for soup knows no bounds.

*Outside: Journey to the Center of the Earth.

*I've been a little busy over at Michael Bourn Identity, featuring interviews with musician Joe Firstman, Centro-Matic's Will Johnson and Fenway Park's Josh Kantor, and Hall of Fame play-by-play man Eric Nadel.

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

Alright, there's life in this off-season yet. Again: I'm perfectly fine with a boring off-season. 

*The Astros, unsurprisingly, tendered contracts to Carlos MF Correa, Lance McCullers, and Aledmys Diaz, and agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with Austin Pruitt. Correa and McCullers will be free agents after 2021 if they don't sign an extension. Fun, huh?

*Chandler Rome: Five non-tendered players the Astros could consider this off-season.

*Jeremy Pena - the Astros' 3rd-Round pick in 2018 - is one of the best-hitting prospects in the Dominican Winter League.

*Here's one of the dumbest things you'll read today: if the Yankees can't sign DJ LeMahieu (French for "DJ The Mahieu") then their Plan B is...Michael Brantley.

*Former Astros Great Thomas Eshelman has cleared waivers and is now a free agent.

*FanGraphs has an updated international prospect list. 

*The Staten Island Yankees have filed a lawsuit against the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball, setting the stage for a battle between 60% of the Five Boroughs, something that Don Winslow warned is a Really Not Good Idea.

*Another Michael Bourn Identity episode records today and drops on Monday. Subscribe to Lima Time Time on iTunes/Spotify/Wherever so you don't miss interviews with my friends. 

*Why we forget how early it gets dark every year. 

*Texas Monthly: How a Black cowboy's discovery changed the field of archaeology.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

I last posted on Astros County Dot Com on November 13. This may be the longest I've gone without posting on this blog and, to be honest, it's been quite nice. I needed a break from...everything. I haven't posted in a while because there's...been nothing to post about. It's extremely quiet across AstroWorld. Which, I guess, makes sense when you're trying to navigate a global pandemic. 

That said, Ken Rosenthal dropped some notes on Tuesday morning (which he updated later in the morning). I know not everyone subscribes to The Athletic, but it's a pay site, and I respect that. The gist is:

-The Astros are open to the idea of acquiring DJ LeMahieu which, might I remind you, means "DJ The Mahieu" in French...but that would hinge on whether or not the Astros can trade [blinks into the camera for an uncomfortably long time] Carlos Correa. The Astros are apparently listening to offers because, after so long with the Rays, Click may not be aware that extending superstar franchise cornerstones is even an option. Rosenthal said the Astros are not actively shopping Correa but, "like most teams" are at least listening to whatever is happening. Also, don't expect the Astros to try to sign anyone who rejected a Qualifying Offer (Bauer, Realmuto, though LeMahieu fits this profile as well, sooooo).

I can understand listening to any offer. If the Astros tell the Angels, "We will give you our entire Triple-A roster for Mike Trout," I would expect the Angels to listen to that offer. That said, if the Astros trade Carlos Correa this off-season, less than a year after he had the balls to tell Cody Bellinger to shut the fk up on national tv, months removed from jerking a knot in Framber Valdez's chain in the middle of a playoff game, I will be forced to exhale very hard and go for a walk. I can't say that anything the Astros do will make me not watch them - I've had a blog about the Astros since 2008 - there's no debasement I would be unable to withstand. 

*Charlie F. Morton signed a 1yr/$15m deal with the Braves, dashing the hopes and dreams of Astros fans across the world. I think we need to sort of realize that most members of the 2017 Astros team who have had - however theoretical - a chance to return to the Astros, haven't. Altuve and Bregman signed their extensions prior to the Fiers article dropping. That's not to say they wouldn't have, but it's worth noting that maybe getting heckled mercilessly online may have an adverse effect on your mental state when playing a game. 

That's pretty much it as far as the Astros go. That said, you may or may not know that I have started a new podcast: The Michael Bourn Identity. If you subscribe to Lima Time Time on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, it should be in your feed. If you don't listen to podcasts, but still want to check out the episodes:

Ep. 1 w/Roosh Williams.

Ep. 2 w/Steph Stradley.

Ep. 3 w/AstrosFansUK.

Ep. 4 will drop Wednesday so you have something to listen to if you're executing your ill-advised travel plans for Thanksgiving and I'm recording at least two more episodes this week. I really like just talking to my online friends, but over Zoom.

A quick note on Lima Time Time. As far as I know, it's still an active podcast that is simply on hiatus.

*Randy Arozarena got Milkshake Duck'd as he has been detained in the Yucatan on allegations of domestic violence. 

*Other things (often my personal favorite part of the Hot Links):

-I've been enjoying "Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes" by Maria Konnikova, and her book "Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win" is on deck.

-On Sunday the Fantastic Leeds United tied Arsenal 0-0 despite hitting the post/crossbar three times in the last 15 minutes of the game, and out-shooting Arsenal 25-9, and out-squandering chances Infinity-0. I hate Arsenal. I hate every other team in the Premier League, though, so it's nothing personal. Leeds are 14th in the Premier League, though it feels unlucky so far. Meanwhile, Leeds signed a partnership with Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency, and I love Jay-Z, so shove it. Leeds plays Everton on Saturday morning at 11:30am Central.

-Sergino Dest became the first American to score for Barcelona.

-On Sunday, the 57th anniversary of JFK's death, I wrote on my History Nerd Blog about Judge Sarah T. Hughes, the only woman to ever swear in a president. There's also a recent post about The Compromise of 1877, if that sort of thing catches your fancy.

-Business Insider: A Sommelier rated 11 low-cost wines.

-A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Here in a few weeks, Astros County Dot Com will be 12 years old. In late 2008 my wife told me I could either play video games or do Astros County, and I obviously chose the latter. Earlier on Friday this cursed blog/website hit seven million total pageviews. That's probably not a lot in the Grand Scheme of Things, and for other baseball/sports websites, but it's pretty damned impressive to me. Thank you for continuing to come here, even when I sprinkle some social commentary in which I try to radicalize you. I have a little something coming on Monday in the Chronicle on George Springer and the Astros payroll, and that's going to be somewhat temporarily it for my association with the Houston Chronicle, through no fault of theirs or mine. And if it doesn't come out on Monday, I'll put it here. Again, thank you for being a witness for my descent into delirium and madness. 

*Brian McTaggart: Five key questions facing the Astros this offseason.

*Chandler Rome: Carlos Correa became a team leader, but is a free agent after the 2021 season. Now the team has to decide on an extension.

*Check out Eno Sarris' deep dive on Charlie Morton's postseason magic.

*The two candidates running to be the governor of Utah made an ad...together.

*Texas Monthly: How one state history textbook erases the stories of Black and Hispanic Texans. Textbooks are for slack-ass teachers. This is my seventh year as a public school history teacher (had a bit of a career change in my early-30s) and I have never used the textbook other than for a mapping activity. Because you really do need to know Where Things Are.

*Aston Villa 0 - Leeds United 3. Hat Trick Patrick Bamford scored all three goals. You can check the highlights here, but it very easily could have been 5-1 Leeds (pay particular attention to Luke Ayling recovering from losing the ball to saving a certain goal.) I never thought I would have said this after 2003 but holy Hannah, Leeds United are responsible for bringing me the greatest soccer joy I have ever experienced. 

*Really looking forward to The Queen's Gambit, on Netflix.

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

*This run of exhibition games at Choad Life Park saw an empty stadium last night, as though "taking a day off" is something that happens in baseball in 2020. It's 1-1 and the off-season barnstorming tour continues tonight.

*Brent Strom talked to Mark Berman about coming back in 2021, Correa, and Dusty, and the stable of pitchers the Astros have. It's a really good interview.

*Gold Glove finalists were released yesterday and Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, and Kyle Tucker are on the list.

*Check McTaggart's Mailbox, on Houston's 2021 outfield options, Osuna, Correa, etc.

*Took a little longer than I expected, but there's a response to Luhnow's Monday Night Interview. The Athletic's Evan Drellich:

People with knowledge of the investigation said that 'there was direct testimony that Luhnow was aware of the sign-stealing scheme.' The league's department of investigations, headed by former federal prosecutors, gathered a combination of direct evidence, circumstantial evidence and testimony that a source said would hold up in a legal forum, despite Luhnow's suggestion to the contrary. 'Luhnow received emails that put him on notice of the activity, but claims he only read parts of the emails even though he responded to the emails,' the person said. 'One witness clearly stated and provided evidence that Luhnow know, and others identified facts indicating that Luhnow knew. The best interpretation of the evidence is that Luhnow either knew exactly what the video room was doing, or knew generally what they were doing and willfully chose to keep himself in the dark.

It's not out of the realm of possibility that you could find someone in MLB's New York office who has committed themselves to burying Luhnow and the Astros at every opportunity. It's also not out of the realm of possibility that the Astros did something wrong and answered MLB's questions far more whole-heartedly than any other team had/has answered them, and they have paid more dearly than any of them. [Ed. Note: I have downloaded Ben Reiter's podcast The Edge, but have not yet listened to it, something I plan on remedying today. Ben Reiter wrote Astroball, so there's reason to believe that what he has to say is worthwhile.]

Apparently I missed that Rob Manfred responded to the Luhnow interview on Tuesday. I have grown weary of this. Manfred:

Whether he exactly knew what was going on or not is really beside the point. I wrote to all the GMs. I put them on notice that it was their obligation to make sure that their organizations were not violating any of the sign-stealing rules...He damaged the game, and as a result, he was disciplined.

This is utterly exhausting. And I'm just a fan. It's a fair question to ask, Why did the Red Sox do the Apple Watch stuff AND the video room stuff and only the film room guy get re-assigned for a year, while the Astros got the worst penalty in sports since SMU? Because MLB likes to do their killin' before breakfast, they're keeping a not-small amount of the findings of their investigation private. Other teams saw what happened to the Astros and shut the hell up. I've just sort of come to terms with the idea that this is/was a league-wide problem, and Manfred decided to let everyone think that it was an Astros-only problem (in the same way that the Mitchell Report scapegoated teams on the coasts). The noisiest opponents have been the Yankees, Dodgers, and Indians, for what it's worth. 

*Mookie Betts or Mike Trout?

*Wired: The case for reviving the Civilian Conservation Corps.

*Ken Paxton fired two of the whistleblowers who accused him of using his office to help out a donor. 

*At least everything is awful. 

*Vice: How a secretive phone company helped the crime world go dark.

*The Ringer: The heartbreaking story behind the Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy."

*A Musical Selection: