Interesting article from Fox Sports Houston this morning, regarding the Astros' cutting of payroll, and the direction Easy Eddie is taking the Astros:
Wade:
“It’s critical to have your cornerstone players come from within. You have control of the player for six years once he gets to the big league level. Certainly (during spring training) Jason Castro was a very visible sign of the things we were trying to do. We were able to bring guys in like TJ Steele and some of our other young guys into big league games in spring training. Fans were able to see why we’re so excited about what may be on the near horizon.”
Drayton, on potentially adding payroll:
“I think you’ve seen almost every year, before the trade deadline, if we were competitive and we had a chance to win, we’ve invested.”
Wade, on that possibility:
“I want to get there. I hope we’re in that position. Drayton has always shown a willingness to listen to what his General Manager has to say at critical moments. And if there’s a piece out there at that point in time that we think makes sense from a baseball standpoint, I’m sure he’ll be a more than just an at tentative listener for us.”
I think if the Astros add payroll in July, it would certainly be at the expense of the younger players, which is in direct opposition to the philosophy Wade outlined. File this under, "Saying All The Right Things."
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
