*The Astros will receive the Cardinals' bonus pool money for the extra picks in the 2017 draft. The Astros don't get the Cardinals' 1st Round pick, because they had already forfeited that to the Cubs for signing Dexter Fowler. Still, the Astros will now get to spend a little over $8.6m on the draft, an increase of about $1.8m, which is slightly less than the $2m the Cardinals have to pay the Astros.
*I had some thoughts re: Correa's "lone wolf" status
*Bob Nightengale: The real damage was only done to the "Cardinals' pristine reputation." /gets cramp from making jerk-off motion.
*Tom Verducci says the Cardinals got off easy.
*So does Ken Rosenthal, because - as he says - the Cardinals' figured they'd at least lose their 1st Round pick, so they were able to be more aggressive in targeting free agents. The #19 overall pick (which now belongs to the Cubs for the Fowler signing) is slotted at more than the #56 and #75 picks combined.
*Cards GM John Mozeliak thinks the penalty was "stiff:"
I think the organization, even though we didn't do anything wrong, we understand that the commissioner had to make a decision and that that ruling obviously affects us. I think his message is this can't happen again. And, therefore, the penalty did have to be stiff.
*SI's Ben Reiter notes that just about the only one who is - on the surface - okay with the Cardinals' penalty is the Astros themselves.
*Tim Brown: Nobody in this dumb affair won.
*Phil Garner will spend a week at Spring Training helping A.J. Hinch.
*Colby Rasmus will make $5m in Tampa Bay this year, with up to $2m in incentives.
*The Rangers and Rays have discussed a trade involving Jurickson Profar.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
