A surprisingly large dump for you this morning. Wait...
*The Astros still have money left in the checkbook, but it seems as though their big spending this off-season is pretty much over. Within that Chron link, there's a good salary breakdown by position type.
*Even though Venezuelan Winter League club Magallanes tweeted that Jose Altuve would be joining them in a couple of weeks, the Astros have not yet given their approval for him to do so.
*The Astros treated Lowrie "like a goal, not a contingency" this off-season, said Brodie Van Wagenen, Lowrie's agent.
*Keith Law, on Jed Lowrie ($):
It's a deal that underpays him based on expected performance but prices in his injury risk and the probability that he's not able to stay at shortstop for the entire deal.
*Houston signed Dan Johnson to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Johnson has spent just 114 games in the Majors from 2008-2014, but hit a cool homer in the bottom of the 9th during G162 for the Rays that helped them get to the playoffs. So that's what the Astros will be looking for this September: playoff-clinching homers.
*Palm Beach County commissioners approved a deal to seek a land-swap with the city of West Palm Beach on a proposed Astros/Nationals Spring Training facility, but it may not happen. Line of the day comes from Palm Beach County commissioner Steve Abrams, regarding the deal:
It looks like we're trading Giancarlo Stanton for a .200 hitter on the Astros.
*Delino DeShields just wants to help the Rangers, despite being hesitant:
I was hoping I would get selected, but not by the Rangers, of all team, the Texas rival. It's a good opportunity to get my career going...They can move me around a little bit if they want to. I didn't forget how to play second base. It's only been a year. I adjusted to the outfield pretty good. I'm athletic enough to do whatever they tell me to do. Whatever role I have on this team I just want to do whatever I can to help.
*Not sure how I missed this from earlier in the off-season but the Braves not only hired Bo Porter as their 3B coach, they hired former Astros bench coach Dave Trembley as their Director of Player Development and Minor League Field Coordinator. Former Astros catcher Robinson Cancel will manage the Braves' Gulf Coast League team.
*Wesley Wright signed with Baltimore.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
