The Future is Near...

If you felt the shockwave of disappointment and righteous indignation ripple through the Astros Nation last night, you're not alone. This Spring has been one of dramatic mood-swings. One minute, a jihad is declared on Jarred Cosart for his lack of tact, then the next morning we're over the moon that Nolan Ryan is coming back into the fold, accompanied by two of our favorite Good Guys, Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt. Weeks later, we're thrilled over getting a peek into the Front Office's first-class analytical system, then summarily dismiss the process in an emotional fury when we're made aware of the Astros' apparently offensive offer of $23m over 7 years to George Springer, who has never had a Major League at-bat, and the subsequent roster-cut of himself, Singleton, Folty, Appel, Correa, and DDJ.





Oh ye of little faith! There is a lesson in all of this, Astros fans: Hold fast, trust the system, and stay positive.





First, the George Springer contract offer. Was it leaked to Ken Rosenthal? By Springer, his agent, or the Astros themselves? It's irrelevant. What is relevant, is that the Astros think enough of George Springer to offer him 23 million dollars, never having an at-bat at Minute Maid Park. That some would find this offer offensive is beyond crazy, because if Springer had accepted it, both parties would have come out huge winners. The Astros would likely have saved millions over the life of the deal, and George Springer, his family, and his children's children would be set for life, even if he folded like a lawn chair and never played a day in the MLB. If a guaranteed paycheck of $23,000,000 is an offensive offer, all of us should quit our jobs today.





He's not offended...

So Springer turned the offer down, got it. He probably has a terrible taste in his mouth, and will leave for the Yankees as soon as he reaches free agency, right? Wrong. This type of emotional response to MLB business as usual is counter-intuitive. If the public was made aware of every negotiation between their favorite player and favorite team, we would probably assume there is no loyalty on either side, players hate their teams, and teams hate their players. There is no evidence of this, so continuing to be offended for our millionaire and future-millionaire baseball heroes doesn't make sense. Springer thinks he can make more-ridiculous money not signing a long-term deal right now. Great, good for you George. I hope you hit 50 home runs into Jim Crane's office window and we have to pay you Albert Pujols money in 6 years. Take care of business.





"Hey, I want Albert Pujols money too."

Finally, to make matters worse, less than 24 hours after Contract-Gate came to light, we get word that the Astros have cut Springer, Singleton, Folty, Appel, DeShields, and Correa from Big League Camp. Why this surprises anyone is bewildering, because there has never been a plan for any of our Big Six to make the team out of Spring Training. Luhnow and the front office have been remarkably clear about this from the beginning. Singleton needs to prove himself at the AAA level, on the field and off the field. Folty, DeShields, and Correa need at least another year of seasoning, and there is no reason to rush Springer when his presence in Houston on April 1st, 2014 adds less value than him gaining confidence in AAA OKC and working on his strikeout problem. No matter how great we all believe Springer will be, and buddy, Houston Bias believes Springer will be Jeff Bagwell-great, his Spring Training line is unimpressive, he's had 219 at-bats in AAA, and struck out 161 times last year. Let's give him some more time.





Spring PA AB 2B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2014 14 39 31 11 .161 .333 .194 .527





At the end of the day, nothing has changed other than some people's perspective. What we thought was going to happen a month ago has actually has happened now. We still have the best farm system in baseball, the best front office in baseball, and are on the cusp that farm system producing a perennial Big League contender. This Spring was never about 2014, it has always been about 2015. Does that mean you should give up on the team, accuse the Astros of "tanking" for the 2015 draft, and not bother watching this train wreck anymore? Absolutely not. Ignore the noise, stay positive, and trust your Astros.



