Ken Rosenthal's new column predicts whether teams will offer arbitration to certain players. And one of those certain players is Jose Valverde.
Does Smilin' Ken Rosenthal think the Astros will offer arbitration to JV? He actually, honest-to-God says, "Unclear."
If the Astros offer Valverde arbitration, the worst-case scenario is that he will accept and return as their closer next season for a salary in the $10 million range.
That number might be too high for owner Drayton McLane, even for one year. The Astros, though, lack an obvious replacement for Valverde, who missed six weeks with a right calf strain in the first half but went 17-for-17 in save opportunities with a 1.64 ERA after the All- Star Game.
Of course, McLane does not like paying draft picks either, so maybe he will just pass on an arbitration offer rather than risk having to pay another first-round pick in addition to the No. 8 selection overall next year.
So McLane doesn't like paying big-leaguers and prospects. That makes all the sense in the world. So much sense that I'm now going to stand on my desk and do the can-can.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
