*Evan Gattis and the Astros avoided arbitration with a possible two-year contract.
2016: $3.3m
2017: $5.2m with team option for a $100,000 buyout.
*BP released their PECOTA projections yesterday, and have the Astros at 88-74 - four games better than the 2nd-place Grand Marniers.
*"This is the best team in the AL West this year. They might hold that title for quite a while."
-Will Leitch
*Colby Rasmus is ready to "go out there and beat some folks, win some ballgames, chest-bump with these guys, and eat some gummy bears." And, oh yeah, he's become a clubhouse leader.
*Carlos Correa shows off Puerto Rico in his piece for The Players Tribune. He also signed an endorsement deal with Adidas.
*McTaggart took a look at the lineup, rotation, and bullpen.
*The Astros will have fun in the mornings, work in the afternoon at Spring Training.
*Jeff Bagwell will be in Kissimmee on A.J. Hinch's invitation over the first weekend in March.
*Thanks to an actually decent record in 2015, the Astros will have $8,062,700 to spend on the June draft and international players in 2016 - about $11m less than the Reds and Phillies. WHEN WILL THEY SPEND!!!1!?/?
*A.J. Hinch went golfing with the Dolphins' new head coach.
*In ESPN's pre-Spring Training Power Rankings, we're used to scrolling down to find the Astros. Today we scroll down so we can see the write-up...at #3.
*The Astros are shifting their scouting plan to accommodate lower draft picks.
*FanGraphs' KATOH system ranks the Astros as the 2nd-best farm system in baseball.
*"How about starting every inning with a runner on first base? How about starting each inning with a different count? Instead of three outs an inning, how about five batters? What if players are required
to steal?"
*Joel Sherman says baseball needs timeouts.
*Former Astros in the Milwaukee Fighting' Stearns organization: Chris Carter, Jonathan Villar, Jacob Nottingham, Domingo Santana, Josh Hader, Brett Phillips...
*The Barves really like what the Astros and Nationals are doing with their Spring Training site.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
