Wednesday Morning Hot Links

First: RIP Valentin Jalomo.

*Toronto was able to surpass the Mets' bid (6yrs/$120-$125m) and ink George Springer to a 6yr/$150m deal last night. Never mind that I said in the Chronicle back in October that 6yrs/$150m would get a deal done with Springer, though it was believed earlier this month that he was looking for a deal in the $175m range. The Astros were apparently never really engaged in bringing back Springer. It was just last Friday that "GM" James Click said, regarding Springer and Brantley, "we're gonna go where the market dictates sometimes and sometimes we are gonna push the market and make it come to us." Apparently the market dictated that the Astros were going to go the Extreme Shift route and play with a one-man outfield. The Astros do not spend in free agency, that's just a fact. 

So what have the Astros lost, besides the spark plug for the best lineup in franchise history? 

*At 26.6 fWAR, Springer was 0.2 fWAR behind Terry Puhl for the 5th-highest fWAR for an outfielder in franchise history. 

*His 174 home runs are 3rd-most for an Astros outfielder, and 5th-highest for an Astro.

*His 134 wRC+ is 2nd in franchise history for an Astros outfielder who played more than 500 games for the team. 

*His .491 SLG and .852 OPS are both 6th all-time in franchise history.

*His 39 leadoff home runs are 2nd in franchise history, 14 behind Hall of Famer Craig Biggio which Springer could have passed by, I don't know, May? 

*His 19 postseason home runs are most all-time, and his 2017 World Series Game 5 home run that came minutes after his diving misplay in centerfield remains my favorite home run of all time. 

Despite me being mentally prepared for Springer's departure back in early November, the Astros also lost a whole lot of their heart and soul. It's entirely possible that Springer just didn't want to play in Houston, and I can get it. I'd been hearing whispers that Springer wanted to be closer to home in Connecticut and now he can live in Toronto, play in Boston and New York 20-ish times a year. Obviously summers in Toronto are preferable to summers in Houston (if you're from Connecticut). 

And let's not discount how fans around baseball have signed a personal services contract with Amnesia when it comes to badass members of the 2017 Astros coming to their team. Not getting booed everywhere has some non-monetary advantages, I would imagine. 

*Oh, and it's entirely possible that Michael Brantley follows Springer to Toronto. This is Drake's fault.

*Since the Astros gave Springer a qualifying offer, they'll get an extra pick after the 4th Round of the 2021 Draft, if that's something that matters to you. 

*Chandler Rome: A face and voice of the Astros' golden era is gone.

*Toronto is scheduled to play at Minute Maid Park May 7-9. 

*At some point soon I'll take a look at possible replacements, but not today.

*Former Astros Great Chris Devenski signed a deal with the Diamondbacks.

*Astros prospect Freudis Nova is trying to get to Houston this year.

*Former Astros Great Joe Musgrove is ready to bring a World Series to his hometown team.

*I read Maria Konnikova's book "The Biggest Bluff" last month and enjoyed it immensely. Here in Wired, she talks about poker and the psychology of uncertainty.

*Outside: A Nepali team just made the first winter summit of K2.

*I wrote about a fake plot to kidnap nuns and force them into sex slavery, Samuel Morse, the "Harper" in "Harper Collins Publishing," an inspiration for Scorsese's "Bill the Butcher," and the 1856 elections, if that's something you're interested in.

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

*The biggest news of January 2nd wasn't what the Astros got, but what they lost - specifically, Will Harris, to the Nationals for 3yrs/$24m.

So let's recap what the Astros lost this offseason (with 2019 fWAR in parentheses):

Gerrit Cole - 212.1IP (7.4 fWAR)
Wade Miley - 167.1IP (2.0 fWAR)
Collin McHugh - 74.2IP (0.5 fWAR)
Hector Rondon - 60.2IP (-0.2 fWAR)
Will Harris - 60IP (1.1 fWAR)

Not only is that 575IP that has to be replaced, that's right at 10.8 fWAR from a pitching staff that won 107 games. The total Astros' pitching fWAR was 23.7 in 2019, so that's 45.6% of their "value." Obviously most of this - the innings and the fWAR - are due to the departure of Gerrit Cole to the greener pastures of north Manhattan and shaved heads, track suits, gold chains, and getting booed when he doesn't win the World Series in April. And don't get me wrong, combining McHugh and Rondon (135.1IP and an aggregate 0.3 fWAR) is mainly an exercise in counting innings. But that's a lot of attrition to a pitching staff that lost 500IP after 2018 with the departures of Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton, and the injury to Lance McCullers.

Of course McCullers is coming back in 2020. Forrest Whitley might actually have his head on straight this time around. But let's not forget that, in five seasons, Will Harris threw 297IP, allowed 221H/78ER, 315K:72BB, a 2.36 ERA / 0.99 WHIP. In 2019 Harris posted a 1.50 ERA / 0.93 WHIP. He made 68 appearances and threw a clean outing in 32 of them. The opponent did not score a run in 60 of those outings. When he did allow a run, he only allowed more than one run in two of his 68 appearances.

Harris, on watching the Nationals receive their World Series rings:
Will it be awkward for a second or two? More than likely, but that stuff fades and it's about playing baseball. I've done my homework, and the guys they have that I know who have played there and been there, everybody has told me I'm going to love it.

Now, it would be remiss to...miss that Harris pitched in 2015 ALDS G4. He allowed a run in Games 6 & 7 of the World Series, including Howie Kendrick's Fing Miracle Home Run. But in between 2015 ALDS G4 and 2019 WS G6 he threw 14IP in the postseason, allowing 12H/2ER, 14K:3BB.

But hey, the Astros didn't have to add $8m to a currently-projected payroll of $216m. Adding Harris at $8m per year would have resulted in the Astros paying a penalty of [squints] $3.2m instead of the $1.6m they're already projected to pay (assuming Josh Reddick is still an Astro in 2020). As a Jim Crane Bottom-Line Lover, this is fiiiiiiiine. [I know full well that Crane opened up for Verlander, Greinke, Altuve, Bregman, etc. and deserves credit for that].

Chandler Rome writes that replacing Harris may be impossible.

Other stuff:

*Robinson Chirinos is "close" to making a decision on where to play in 2020.

*Jake Kaplan writes in The Athletic about the Astros "questionable" rotation depth and who can be the 5th starter behind Verlander, Greinke, McCullers, and presumably Game 4 Hero Jose Urquidy.

*MLB Pipeline says Jeremy Pena (3rd Round - 2018) is set to break out in 2020.

*Baseball America has the Astros' Top 10 prospects in 2020:

1. Forrest Whitley
2. Game 4 Hero Jose Urquidy
3. Jeremy Pena
4. Freudis Nova
5. Bryan Abreu
6. Abraham Toro
7. Korey Lee
8. Cristian Javier
9. Hunter Brown
10. Grae Kessinger

Let the record show that I LOVE Cristian Javier, who will be 23 in 2020 and struck out 170 batters in 113.2IP for Fayetteville, Corpus, and Round Rock.

*Why would Yankees pitcher Domingo German not appeal his 81-game suspension for domestic violence?

*Rich Roll is the guru of reinvention.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

I spent the weekend in Galveston for work and took a couple of days off from the blog. Someone broke into the Work Car and stole all of our backpacks, it was fantastic. Let's see what has happened over the last couple of days...

*Josh Reddick had an apparently successful surgery on his AC joint in his shoulder. The Astros said he'd be ready for Spring Training.

*From Friday: Tom Verducci notes that MLB has already interviewed "15 to 20" Astros personnel, including A.J. Hinch - "Some more than once." One "official:"
I don't know if MLB wants to turn over every rock, because this is the culmination of where the game is going. Whatever comes out of this has to be good for the game. This gives MLB ample opportunity in this day and age to do whatever they want with protocols. You can reshape where technology is in our game. You have a golden opportunity to restructure some processes in baseball.

*From Friday: Jeff Passan reports that MLB officials are asking questions about the Astros' efforts to steal signs. Key paragraph:
Players have been asked about "buzzing," via the use of Band-Aid-like wearable stickers; furtive earpieces; pitch-picking algorithms; and other potential methods of sign-stealing, the sources said. Accusations about the extent of the alleged wrongdoing have streamed into commissioner Rob Manfred's office from officials of other teams, the sources said. MLB officials are endeavoring to separate fact from fiction, the sources told ESPN, and the league has not concluded whether any such methods actually have been used. 

So it's open-season on the Astros from basically anyone who has a score to settle (i.e, "officials of other teams.") Got screwed in a trade? Call Manfred and tell him that the Astros keistered electrode-addled tampons for an extra edge in knowing if the pitch coming in is breaking.

Next key paragraph:
Players who might have violated league rules have been told by MLB officials they can expect leniency in exchange for answering questions truthfully. But members of the Astros' front office and coaching staff could face significant punishment upon the investigation's conclusion if they're found to have cheated, the sources said. The league has requested to search the phones of certain members of the Astros' front office, the sources said. 

What Manfred wants (again, this is my opinion with absolutely no one in the organization talking to me, because Active MLB Investigation) is to get enough guys to flip so he can go after Luhnow. Passsan notes that "multiple players no longer in baseball" are refusing to cooperate with the investigation. I'm gonna go out on a really thick limb and guess that McCann and Gattis have told Manfred to shove it.

Evan Drellich had an update on Thursday in which Manfred promises they're chasing down every lead in regards to sign-stealing across baseball. But Manfred was clear in noting that the sign-stealing thing wasn't, but also was, related to the Taubman thing:
Started separately, ended up as one big thing. It's hard to separate them out. I hope at the end of this undertaking, I'll put both of those issues to bed at one time.

So that's it. MLB wants to tie one issue that is ongoing and apparently league-wide to the other issue that resulted in a firing. Cool.

*Baseball Prospectus' Rob Arthur (remember he's the one who isolated the audio and found evidence of trash can banging) notes that the Astros' transformation into a Murderers' Row-esque offense coincides with the sound of banging on trash cans. The close:
New details are bound to come out, but in the meantime we can tentatively conclude that their sign stealing probably had a major impact on the team's plate discipline numbers. This was not innocent cheating that barely affected the game; according to the available data, it may have yielded an unprecedented improvement in the Astros' ability to make contact and lay off outside pitches, helping to turn a talented lineup into one of the best-hitting teams of all time.

*Yahoo's Tim Brown giddily works through some consequences.

*Jon Heyman knows some scouts and, of the dudes he asked about the emails who had Some Concerns regarding the sign-detection from the dugout, one got fired and one got promoted by a different team. Heyman loves Teh Scouts.

*In the wake of the trades for Verlander, Cole, and Greinke, Jim Callis tackles the strength of the Astros' farm system. Callis:
All the graduations and trades have left the Astros system thinner than it has been since it was one of the game's worst at the beginning of the decade. Unlike then, they aren't about to string together a slew of last-place finishes. Their lone Top 100 Prospect, Forrest Whitley, should be ready for the big leagues in 2020, but they lack other impact talents who can make a difference in the next couple of seasons...That said, Houston has excelled at using analytics and technology to create pitching prospects out of unheralded signees, with Bryan Abreu, Cristian Javier, and World Series hero Jose Urquidy three prime examples currently looking to stick in the big leagues.

Callis' Top 5 Astros Prospects:
Whitley
Freudis Nova
Korey Lee
Bryan Abreu
Abraham Toro

This is a really thorough look at what the Astros have in the pipeline. Click the link.

*David Schoenfield: Which free agent pitcher could be the next Gerrit Cole? We were so blessed to watch two full seasons of Gerrit Cole.

*The Mariners signed a Double-A guy to a 6yr/$24m deal. Reminder that in September 2013 the Astros apparently offered George Springer a 7yr/$23m deal. He obviously declined it.

Astros offer, 2014-2020: $23m
Springer earnings, 2014-19: $28,935,300

He's about to blow that $23m out of the water.

*Jomboy got what he wanted. It's really cool that The Athletic basically accepted as gospel the narrative Jomboy provided for his "rise to legitimacy" and published it on a reputable platform. Very cool.

*Peter Gammons: How do teams restore pitching after a period of historic offense?

*Ken Davidoff: Labor talks between MLB and MLBPA don't seem to be going very well.

*Texas Monthly: From Rick Perry to Kenneth Starr, here are the Texans involved in the impeachment hearings.

*NY Times: Viking treasure could have made them a fortune. Instead, they sold it.

*Tuna...Cartel?

*Leeds United 2 Luton 1. LUFC take the 2nd automatic promotion spot (with so much more to come)  by 3 points clear....

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Good morning. Pitchers and Catcher(s) report in eleven days. It is 22 days until the first Spring Training game, and 54 days until Opening Day.

*I'm 39 today. Last year of my 30s, and IT IS NOT GOING VERY WELL.

At Age 39 Barry Bonds (2004) hit .362/.609/.812 (for a career-high 1.422 OPS) with 120 intentional walks. The 2018 Astros were intentionally walked 19 times...combined. 75 of Bonds' 135 hits in 2004 were for extra-bases. He struck out 41 times and walked 232 times...in one season. I'mma Barry Bonds this year. 

*Wade Miley was introduced at a press conference yesterday to officially announce his 1yr/$4.5m deal (with an additional $500K in incentive possibilities). What are those incentives? Ken Rosenthal has them:
$100,000 for each of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 starts OR $100,000 for each of 15, 30, 45, 55, and 60 appearances in relief.

*Chandler Rome notes that A.J. Hinch was Arizona's farm director when they drafted Wade Miley.

FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan writes that the Astros signed the "poor man's Dallas Keuchel." Speaking of Keuchel, Jay Jaffe projects him to sign with the Angels.

*Jake Kaplan has ten thoughts on the Astros' rotation, following the Miley Cyning.

*We won't know the result of Correa's arbitration hearing until Tuesday, apparently.

*Shortstop Freudis Nova, who has drawn comparisons to Edgar Renteria and Hanley Ramirez, is the Astros' prospect who just missed the Top 100.

*Luke Hagerty was the Cubs' 1st Round pick in 2002 and was out of baseball by 2007. Now he's back and throwing 99mph.

*Outside: My crazy Kurdistan road trip.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros are the blue kind of "on fire" right now, defeating the Blue Jays 4-1 last night are picking up their 100th win of the season. This set many records. Tags full recap of the game is here, which I will watch and read later because I was unable to catch the game. Please do not stop reading because I am uninformed.

Roberto Osuna agreed to a peace bond today and is no longer facing any criminal charges. Alison Craig, a practicing lawyer in Canada, was on The Usual Suspects yesterday to try and explain the situation and why everything happened the way that it did. (Go to "09/26/2018 The Usual Suspects Hour 3" and fast forward to ~13:45 for the interview. Roughly 9 minutes in length)

Carlos Correa will be back in the lineup today and "feels a lot more comfortable."

A viral post has made its rounds involving an 8 year old girl with DMDD who was told be be quiet for yelling. At a sporting event. I have no doubts the Astros organization will do something very kind for this family.

Ken Giles is not backing down of the comments he made about the Astros organization.

Keep your eye on Freudis Nova in 2019.

The Astros are going with a bullpen day today. Chris Devenski will start.

Charlie Morton will rejoin the Astros in Baltimore and is expected to make a shortened start this weekend.

Geoff Blum talks to The Crawford Boxes about Weird Word Wednesdays.

Playoff Tickets. Friday. Buy them up.

Don't fret: the Astros are going to be in contention for a very long time.

Andrew McCutchen had a night to remember.

The Rangers were cuddling up on the 'ol ball diamond last night.

A rapper was hospitalized because he overdosed on Hot Cheetos.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1954, Yogi Berra played his only game at third base. Mickey Mantle also played shortstop.

In 1965, the Twins won their first pennant since moving to Minnesota.

In 1981, Nolan Ryan threw his 5th career no-hitter, the only pitcher ever to do so.

In 1997, Mike Piazza hit a ball 500 feet.

In 2007, umpire Mike Winters was suspended without pay for the rest of the year after his confrontation with Milton Bradley, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the skirmish.

In 2012, Milo Hamilton called his final game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros won the game 2-0, and Milo said "Holy Toledo" one last time.

Monday Morning Hot Links

Folks, one week from tomorrow we will be pumping playoff baseball straight through our veins. But before then, we gotta take care of business. Framber was cooking once again as the Astros swept the series after being the LA Angels again 6-2. Charlie Morton left very early in the game, but is expected to make his final start this weekend in Baltimore. Full recap is here.

The Burgundy Bros. are off to Canada.

Ken Giles said in an interview that he's enjoying pitching with Toronto more than Houston.

The Astros have given away over 250,000 World Series rings.

The Tampa Bay Rays are 87-68 and are 6.5 back of the second wild card. This record would have them as the second wild card team if they played in the National League. The Mariners would only be 1.5 GB but are 8.5 GB now in the AL.

It seems as if Hector Rondon is still trusted by A.J. Hinch. There's still some time to find that form again before October.

LMJ should pitch either tonight or tomorrow.

These Astros are 16-4 in the month of September and that's quite alright.

Marwin Gonzalez, George Springer, and Carlos Correa are the only three batters to strike out more than 100 times this season.

Today is the first Astros instructional league game against the Marlins. Seth Beer and Freudis Nova headline the big names of the team. Side note, there is no team in sports with better names than the names that can be found in the Houston Astros organization. Thank you, Mr. Luhnow. 

Gerrit Cole and his 16 K masterpiece was picked as the "best Astros game" of the season.

Take the "Country musician or baseball player" quiz. I got a 6/11 which is a failing grade please do not kick me off of the Internet.

Researchers pumped some ecstasy into this octopuses for science.

Uranus, Missouri went on ahead and named their local newspaper The Uranus Examiner.

I found this stock image of a husky and I believe that it is in everyone's best interest for me to share it.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1957, the Dodgers defeated the Pirates 2-0 in the last game the Dodgers played in Brooklyn.

In 1974, Al Kaline picked up his 3000th hit.

In 2004, Pedro Martinez claimed that he was "the Yankees daddy."

In 2014, Phil Hughes fell one out short of receiving a $500,000 bonus due to a rain delay.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros unveiled the AL Pennant and World Series Champion banners last night and it was all emotional. Then they found a way to Astros it up right nice:

No one said unveiling a banner was easy, just ask the Houston Astros pic.twitter.com/ZUgKAFfto1

— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) April 2, 2018

Minutes later Carlos Correa left the game with discomfort in his big toe (he fouled a ball off his foot yesterday). I swear, if this thing is like the 2016 Opening Day Erik Kratz Curse I'll burn everything down. Correa::
The nail was black, and today I tried to play through the pain, and the ground ball that got hit to short I had to react quickly and it hurt it even more. I had to come out of the game. I went out there and could barely move. I was not feeling great.

*But the Astros sent everyone home happy (except for the Orioles) with a 6-1 win. Houston is 4-1.

Charlie Morton threw 6IP, 3H/0ER, 6K:2BB with nine groundouts and two flyouts. 56 of his 91 pitches were thrown for strikes. Morton:
There were a lot of people here that were hoping for a win. It's a big moment for the city. So I'm glad that I did all right.

Brian McCann was 2x2 with a walk; Derek Fisher was 2x3 with a triple and 2RBI; George Springer was 2x5. The Astros are 4-1 despite Bregman starting out the season hitting .158, Reddick (1x2, 2BB) hitting .111, and Marwin (who homered) hitting .176. J.D. Davis is hitting .091. So the first time through the rotation:

Verlander: 6IP, 4H/0ER, 5K:2BB
Keuchel: 6IP, 7H/3ER, 4K:1BB
McCullers: 5.1IP, 4H/2ER, 10K:1BB
Cole: 7IP, 2H/1ER, 11K:3BB
Morton: 6IP, 3H/0ER, 6K:2BB

Rotation: 30.1IP, 20H/6ER, 36K:9BB - 1.78 ERA / 0.96 WHIP

Jake Kaplan writes in The Athletic about how this first turn highlights the Astros' immense potential.

“People want the conclusion to the season. We’ve got to play the games. Do we have a good team? Yes. Are we proud of our team? Yes. Is our rotation elite? Yes. Do we have superstars throughout the team? Yes. What’s that going to add up to? Check back in October.”—AJ Hinch pic.twitter.com/xtjPmrGkHX

— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) April 2, 2018

*Justin Verlander goes tonight on Ring Night against Baltimore's Mike Wright, who hasn't started since 2016.

*Rich Dauer returned to MMP to throw out the first pitch and it was very sweet.

*Brian T. Smith says it's time to appreciate Jeff Luhnow.

*The Astros reminisced to Jerry Crasnick about their favorite 2017 Postseason moments.

*One thing that struck me as MLBTV struggled to give me a clean connection: I was in Arlington for the Friday game (Astros record when I'm in attendance: 0-1; Astros record when I'm not: 4-0) and noticed how prominently all those Rangers' AL West Division Champs years were splashed all over the ballpark - every screen in the stadium trumpeted it to the world. Then I noticed that the Astros took down all the NL Central Division Champs banners in the outfield. Only the 2005 NL Champs and the 2017 World Series Champs banners are displayed. Crane:
We took down all of those banners that weren't World Series banners. We're going to try to get some more of those, and just reposition the other ones. 

*Gurriel is headed to the DL, after all. Hinch:
We just decided o err on the side of caution. There's been no setback, there's not really any issue other than we wanted to give him a couple more days and our only option is to put him on the DL.

Gurriel is eligible to return on April 13 against the Rangers.

*Ken Rosenthal writes in The Athletic that Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are not getting complacent.  And bench coach Joe Espada is helping them get better at turning double plays.

*Marwin said he was ejected from Sunday's game because he kicked a ball out of frustration.

*Jim Crane said he'd like to extend the Astros' lease at Minute Maid Park. If I'm reading this right, the lease doesn't expire until 2030.

*KPRC says the Astros' 2017 postseason run brought $95m to Houston.

*Richard Justice has 30 first impressions from Opening weekend.

*James Hoyt (oblique) could see a minor-league rehab stint this week.

*The Astros and Les Alexander could owe Comcast over $54m.

*Mike Hauschild will get the Opening Day start for Fresno.

*Freudis Nova - the Astros' #5 prospect on MLB.com who has drawn comparisons to Hanley Ramirez and Edgar Renteria - is MLB.com's Astros Breakout Prospect. Farm Director Pete Putila:
He's so explosive. He's a legitimate shortstop with power and contact and speed. He drew walks in the DSL and when he chases, he still barrels the ball. He has a good mindset. He's not distracted, he keeps working.

*SI Guy says there are four teams more watchable than the Astros.

*Old buddy Colin Moran hit a grand slam in his first AB at PNC Park yesterday. But there's weirdness out of Pittsburgh. About an hour after Joe Musgrove told MLB.com that he felt good, the Pirates placed him on the 10-Day DL with a strained muscle in his shoulder.

*From the Smithsonian: When Robert Kennedy broke the news of the assassination of Martin Luther King.

As promised, the new Texas plate! @TxDMV @AudiCentral @astros pic.twitter.com/hEfWoH3H5n

— Jeff Luhnow (@jluhnow) April 2, 2018

Friday Morning Hot Links

*Baseball America released their Top 10 Astros Prospects with a system overview, best tools, and projected 2021 lineup. Click the link for the overview, etc., but here are the Astros' top ten prospects:

1. Forrest Whitley
2. Kyle Tucker
3. Yordan Alvarez
4. J.B. Bukauskas
5. Freudis Nova
6. Jairo Solis
7. Hector Perez
8. Jorge Alcala
9. David Paulino
10. J.D. Davis

Click here for the chat with J.J. Cooper.

*J.D. Davis still can't believe the Astros won the World Series.

*Davis and Astros County Favorite Rogelio Armenteros were honored as the 2017 Hooks Player and Pitcher of the Year last night at the 14th Annual South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet.

*Jim Callis ranked the prospect duo of Kyle Tucker/Forrest Whitley as the 3rd best hitting/pitching tandem in baseball.

*Baseball is going to a pitch clock and limiting mound visits in an attempt to appease casual fans and attract new ones who don't understand why the batter doesn't just hit the pitcher with the top of his helmet.

*Jenny Dial Creech: The Gerrit Cole trade shows the Astros want nothing less than a repeat.

*George Springer is getting married tomorrow, and A.J. Hinch is staying at Dave Roberts' house.

*Reid Ryan got to take the Commissioner's Trophy home to Alvin.

*Delino DeShields remembers that 2014 Rule 5 Draft very well, and the 2017 World Series even better:
It puts a little chip on my shoulder. I want to go out there and take some of the wind out of their sails.

*CC Sabathia knows people hate the Yankees, and he loves it.
Last year we were the team that everybody loved (Ed. Note: [looks around, eyebrows arched, palms half-turned up]) that feel-good story. But getting Giancarlo just brings us back to being that hated team. That's what we like, man, we want to go out there and put the best team on the field and, you know, crush everybody every game.

*The Athletic is after all the beat writers.

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Been a couple of days since I had a chance to do this, so let's pick back up as though nothing ever happened, shall we?

*The Astros got beat by Chris Sale - again. The Masked Marvel has your recap which, quite frankly, is better than any other recap you'll find.

Hinch, on Fister:
They made him work. He wasn't very sharp. I think the five walks hurt him...[103] pitches in under five innings is not his norm. 

*Hinch really wants Tony Sipp to get his crap together:
We have to get Tony going in our bullpen. He's our only lefty. He's had a ton of time off in between outings. He was one of our more reliable guys last year...so it's important for us to figure out whatever adjustment he needs to make to make his pitches with two strikes.

Sipp has allowed hitters to tee off to a .316/.362/.602 line this season and ten of the 14 extra-base hits he has allowed have come with two strikes.

*The Rangers were murdered by the Twins. No, really. The Angels murdered the Red Sox. No, really. The A's beat the Pirates and the Mariners beat the Orioles. So the division now looks like this:

*West Forney: -
*Houston: -8.5
*Seattle: -9.5
*Oakland: -16.5
*Anaheim: -18.5

Houston to WC1: -0.5
Houston to WC2: -0.5

*Jose Altuve is your AL June Player of the Month - the first Astro to win Player of the Month since Berkman did it in May 2008.

*Altuve is Joel Sherman's midseason AL MVP, while Dallas Keuchel was his anti-Cy Young (with Giles getting votes).

*Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Astros were scouting Angels pitcher Hector Santiago. But that's pretty standard this time of year.

*The Astros are among a dozen teams interested in Tampa starter Matt Moore. Texas, of course, is apparently "hot" for Moore.

*Yesterday was the first day teams could sign international free agents, and the Astros landed 12 prospects, including the #8 international free agent SS Freudis Nova. McTaggart:
He has a good arm with soft hands and playable range on defense. He is considered an offensive-minded player who shows good bat speed and features a slight uppercut swing.

This Baseball America July 2 Signing Tracker calls Nova the #5 prospect, while the Astros also got the #11, #40, and #46 prospects, as well.

*Oakland signed now-famous Cuban prospect Lazarito Armenteros.

*One team who didn't sign any international prospects was the Red Sox, who have been banned from doing so for this year and next year.

*The Astros traded recently-DFA'd catcher Alfredo Gonzalez to the White Sox for cash. Gonzalez was DFA'd to make room for A.J. Reed.

*Read about the lawsuit that could change the future of soccer in America.

*Elie Wiesel passed away.