At least there are rumors and whispers about which we can talk:
*Jon Morosi started it off by noting that the Astros are showing "continued interest" in free agent pitcher (and Alvin native, don't forget that. No one will let you forget that he is from Alvin) Nate Eovaldi. Among the teams also showing interest: pretty much every team that thinks they might win 85 games next year.
MLB.com's Matt Kelly: How Houston could unlock more of Eovaldi's weapons, a la Gerrit Cole.
*Tomorrow is the deadline for the Astros to offer contracts to 11 arbitration-eligible players. Those players:
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, Chris Devenski, Will Harris, Chris Herrmann, Jake Marisnick, Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh, Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock, Ryan Pressly.
*Jayson Stark told an Arizona radio station that he thinks Paul Goldschmidt will be traded. Stark:
If I were a betting man, I would say that Goldschmidt ends up in Houston. I think that's the fit.
*Former Astros Great Brian McCann said that he should have gotten knee surgery in November 2017. McCann:
Last year...I was stuck behind the eight-ball from Day 1. I should've gotten the surgery after the World Series. I still have a lot left. Two years ago, I almost hit 20 homers and had a productive year. That's where I feel like I'm going to be. I feel like I'm going to be more back to 2017, if not better, this year.
*SI's Emma Baccillieri has the moves Arlington, Anaheim, Oakland, and Seattle need to make in order to make a run at the Astros in 2019.
*From Ken Rosenthal's Notes column:
-Expect Patrick Corbin to receive a 6yr offer worth more than Darvish's $126m deal last year.
-Does Tyler Bauer's desire to not sign an extension mean that he's on the trading block?
*From Eno Sarris and Emily Waldon: How Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Daz Cameron compare their tools to their respective dads' tools.
*FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan: Acquiring Madison Bumgarner actually wouldn't cost that much.
*Want to be a Major-League Hitting Coach? You don't have to have played in the Majors, notes Tom Verducci.
*Oakland's new proposed stadium - the Kyler Murray Dome Which Is Not Actually A Dome - looks sweet.
*Outside Magazine: Murder on a Mountain Bike.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
