As you likely know by now, the Astros and Jed Lowrie agreed on a 3yr/$23m deal with an option that could push it to $28m. So how did the Astros come by Lowrie?
*December 14, 2011: Traded to Houston from Boston with Kyle Weiland for Mark Melancon.
*February 4, 2013: Traded with Fernando Rodriguez to Oakland for Chris Carter, Brad Peacock, and Max Stassi.
*December 15, 2014: Signed with Houston as a free agent
Lowrie posted a 1.8 WAR in 2014 (FanGraphs version), but Astros shortstops as a unit - Petit, Villar, Marwin - posted a 0.9 WAR combined. Lowrie's contract: 2015: $8m; 2016: $7.5m; 2017: $6.5m; 2018: $6m or a $1m buyout.
*The Astros said Carlos Correa is not changing positions, which makes things awkward for Colin Moran and Rio Ruiz.
*Astros, Twins, and Phillies are at 150:1 to win the 2015 World Series.
*Just to continue with this rumor for a little longer, Cole Hamels is from California and, while he may be interested in the West Coast, he just wants to win:
Whatever city is going after winning, that could definitely change every sort of perspective and every desire because that trumps almost everything. Winning.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
