2K24: Houston Astros

[Sour Masher]

Kiley McDaniel tweeted that The Astros may actually end up making a deal with Aiken. I assumed he meant a cash settlement to avoid a grievance, but everyone else has run with his tweet to mean that they may actually sign him (and McDaniel's response to a comment about singing Aiken suggests McDaniel may in fact have meant actually signing Aiken, because he said it was "up to league discretion" to allow a team to sign past the deadline).

I know KS cannot speak to this directly, but perhaps he or someone else with sufficient knowledge of the situation and league rules can speak, hypothetically, about how such a deal would be possible under the current draft rules. I cannot see any special circumstances here that would warrant circumvention on the signing deadline, but maybe there are? I respect McDaniel, so maybe there is something here. Shocking, if so. I'd love to see it happen.

[Kevin Seitzer]

Chris Carter 3-for-4 tonight with two home runs, and the one time he made out was a 105-mph line drive to CF.

[Moonlight J]

Loooooooooooooooooove me some Chris Carter

[Moonlight J]

Chris Carter 1st half: .205/.281/.465 - 33% whiff rate, 8% walk rate
Chris Carter 2nd half: .285/.360/.615 - 29% whiff rate, 11% walk rate

[Bodhizefa]

Chris Carter 1st half: .205/.281/.465 - 33% whiff rate, 8% walk rate
Chris Carter 2nd half: .285/.360/.615 - 29% whiff rate, 11% walk rate

I couldn't give Chris Carter away in my 20-team dynasty league earlier this year, and holy hell am I glad no one would take him. I held onto him even when it looked like dropping him might allow me more roster freedom, and it's made all the difference. He's been a monster.

[Kevin Seitzer]

It's even more dramatic if you split at July 1st.

But in any case, he's shorter to the ball now, and with more of a two-strike approach. Not chasing sliders off the outside corner so much, either.

[Moonlight J]

It's even more dramatic if you split at July 1st.

But in any case, he's shorter to the ball now, and with more of a two-strike approach. Not chasing sliders off the outside corner so much, either.

Can someone talk to Wil Myers? His front him is in the dugout before the ball is half way to the plate these days. Ugh what a mess

[madducks]

Sources in Pittsburgh are saying that Pirates bench coach Jeff Banister will be Houston's next manager. The Astros have interviewed the former University of Houston player twice for their vacant managerial job. Of course the Pirates have to finish their post-season before any announcement can be made.

[Hornsby]

Altuve sitting out the last game of the year to protect the Batting title lead...could still lose it if V-Mart goes 3-3 or if there's a game 163. Teddy Ballgame is not pleased....

[Hornsby]

Altuve said he was told he wasn't playing in a meeting with manager, GM "and three other people I don't know."

Kevin Seitzer, is that you?

[Hornsby]

Apparently Altuve got pissed enough about the situation to talk his way into the lineup...good for you Jose.

[onejayhawk]

Going 2/3 didn't hurt. First Astros batting champ.

J

[madducks]

A.J. Hinch is the new Astros manager. Color me surprised. Thought it was going to be Jeff Banister.

[wannabegriffey]

Hey Seitzer

McHugh and Keuchel. Two pitchers that had awesome 2014 seasons...which came out of left field. Previously, they were mlb horrible. As in "the bottom of the barrel" roto wise. So, is it maturity? A new pitching coach in Houston? Ebb and flow of a pitchers life?

Please disclose and between you and I, who is gonna bust out like that in 2015 ???

[Hornsby]

This is really strange...Keith Law and Peter Gammons are really questioning the deal. Say that the draft pool system probably wouldn't survive a challenge.

The Astros and unsigned draftee Jacob Nix have quietly and confidentially come to a monetary settlement over the team's decision to nix an agreed-upon $1.5-million deal that was negotiated but never signed, following last June's first-year player draft.

By all accounts, Nix and the Astros had an agreement, but in a very unusual case, the Astros decided they couldn't sign the deal with Nix after they failed to sign their No. 1 overall pick, left-hander Brady Aiken. Since the Astros failed to sign Aiken, they no longer had the slot money to sign Nix -- a top right-handed high school pitcher out of the Long Beach, Calif., area.

Under MLB's rules, signing Nix after failing to sign Aiken to Aiken's under-slot deal would have required the Astros to forfeit future top draft choices. So instead, Houston chose to pass on the deal for Nix, a talented fifth-round selection afforded an unusually high bonus designed to get him to pass on a UCLA scholarship.

The financial settlement between the Astros and Nix -- the amount of which isn't known -- was agreed to after the players union, on behalf of Nix and agent Casey Close, filed a grievance citing the unfairness of Nix losing his deal over something that allegedly came up in Aiken's physical. The monetary payout helps the Astros avoid forfeiting the picks, which was a possibility had an arbitrator ruled against them and ordered them to sign Nix. It isn't known whether Nix preferred to pitch for them, anyway, by this point.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24892163/astros-and-nix-a-top-draftee-whose-deal-was-canceled-reach-settlement