*The New York Daily News is reporting that Giancarlo Stanton would now only accept a trade to the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, or Astros - apparently completely ruling out a trade to the Giants or Cardinals. Two days ago Sirius XM's Craig Mish said the Astros had explored a trade for Stanton, but couldn't really progress on the talks.
Stanton will make $25 million in 2018 and has $295 million left on his contract that includes an opt-out in 2020 and a full no-trade clause. Hell were the Marlins thinking?
*June MVP Mike Fiers has signed a one-year deal with Detroit for $6m. Crasnick, in the 2nd link, notes that the Orioles had offered a two-year deal, but with Fiers eligible for arbitration again following the 2018 season, he may be betting on a better year than 2017. Fiers was projected to make $5.7m in arbitration this year.
It is also more fun to think that the Astros traded Fiers, Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers to Detroit for Justin Verlander and a World Series.
*At the very bottom of this piece on Manny Machado, Noted Astros Lover Jon Heyman amends a statement:
...closer Zach Britton, who was nearly traded to the eventual World Series-champion Houston Astros at the deadline, has also drawn interest. That deal fell through, due to either medical concerns about one of the Astros players returning in the deal or owner Peter Angelos simply getting cold feet.
Heyman wrote on August 3:
The reality is, the Astros didn't help themselves enough. And it's hard to blame it on Angelos or any other rival owner for that.
*Alex Cora went on Boston radio last night and discussed the August 31 outburst at Geoff Blum and A.J. Hinch.
*In the last 36 hours the Seattle Dipotos have traded three of their top ten prospects for Dee Gordon and more Ohtani money. I'm so glad I'm not a Mariners blogger because I would just stay writing transaction pieces.
*Texas Observer: The strange and sudden demise of the Houston Press.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
