Read THIS lil nugget from Brian McTaggart’s latest column in the Houston Chronicle:
“What’s for sure is teams have money to spend, thanks to record attendance, sky-high revenues and increased revenue sharing. Purpura expects a payroll next season in the upper $80 million, lower $90 million range, but likely not topping $100 million as it did last year when Roger Clemens signed in May.”
Yall catch that?
Teams have money to spend. Last year, the Astros, who have the 5th highest ticket prices in the majors according to SI, who had over 3 mill in attendence, are LOWERING the payroll. Last year’s payroll BEFORE Roger deigned to grace us with his 22 starts was approximately 95 mill.
McTaggart did not point this out, and I have not heard it mentioned on TV or radio and I would very much like to know what McLane’s excuse is for lowering payroll. He sure is sneaking that lil tidbit under the radar, hunh???!!!!!!
Look at this now…
“Perhaps Purpura’s biggest headache this offseason is deciding what to do at third base, where Morgan Ensberg, Aubrey Huff and Mike Lamb are in the mix. Ensberg had a miserable, injury-filled 2006, prompting a trade for Huff at midseason. Huff, who is younger and has better credentials than Ensberg, would like to return to the Astros, but at what price? Ensberg is arbitration eligible and figures to draw interest on the trade market.Purpura spoke last week with Seth Levinson, the agent for Huff, about possibly bringing him back in 2007, a move that would almost certainly signal an end to Ensberg’s days in Houston.”
Mo Ensberg was born Aug 26, 1975
Aubrey Huff was born December 20, 1976
We are talking 15 months younger at age 29 and 30, not exactly David Wright/Ryan Zimmerman there, and as a FA, Huff will be considerably more expensive. Non-tendering Mo would be about the stupidest thing Purpura could possibly do.
Besides, on exactly WHAT planet does Huff have “better credentials?” Certainly NOT with the glove – Huff ain’t exactly Aramis Ramirez with the glove, but Mo is an excellent fielder. I know Mo obviously got hurt at the beginning of May, but exactly why are we supposed to conclude he is definitely washed up and downgrade?
Check out Aubrey Huff’s career hitting stats.
Tags: Houston Astros, MLB
Huff used to play in the American League East, where he achieved great fame playing many games each year against Major League Baseball’s two teams, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Morgan Ensberg, by contrast, has spent his time playing against the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates, two teams that compound their major sin of playing in the National League with the unforgivable sin of being located in neither New York nor Boston.
you guys really think ENsberg was miserable last year? Nobody who walks 100 times and puts up a .400 OBP is having a miserable season.
On the lowering payroll front: any chance they’re sandbagging to make up for the drop in revenue that may/should/will result from no Clemens this year? That was always one of the ways they justified Roger’s ransom…
If this news is true, I’m mad that the Padres didn’t try to get Mo down here. Then again, maybe they did and the Astros had just made up their mind recently. I still don’t understand why Mo is considered no good.
Aren’t you glad that the Cubs spent gazillion dollars on Soriano and not the Astros, Lisa?
Eight years is a long way to decline.
This is bad, though, as now Carlos Lee would want to get paid as well. Won’t be no money coming from San Diego for sure. Better used it for something else.