*Gonna go out on a limb and say there will be no Hot Links tomorrow or Friday. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and a restful few days. If this is not an easy time for you, I'm sorry. Love, me, Mrs AC, the heiress, Turkey Mike, Turkeyfoot, Turkey Gross, Turkey Tyson, Harry "Beans" Keener, Mitchell Dressing, Frank "Taters" Lary, Manuel "Potato" Cueto, and Pie Traynor.
*The Astros made their first free-agent signing of the season, 32-year old catcher Dustin Garneau to a 1yr/$650K deal with an opportunity for $75K in incentives. He and Garrett Stubbs are the only catchers on the Astros' 40-Man Roster. You can bet the Astros will try to get a more top-line name behind the plate to catch Verlander, Greinke, & Co.
The Astros will be Garneau's fifth team and 2020 will be his 6th year in the Majors. He's a career .207/.290/.343 hitter in 123 MLB games (381 PAs). If Dustin Garneau is the Astros' Opening Day catcher, then something gone awry.
McTaggart runs down the available options at catcher for Houston.
*MLB.com runs down the most attractive trade chip for each AL West team. The Astros? Not exactly looking to deal anyone...
*Aaron Sanchez is the Astros' most-obvious non-tender candidate.
*Lance McCullers stays a good dude.
*Houston Press: If this investigation goes sideways, will the World Series feel tainted?
*The five most thrilling Astros wins of 2019. I am not ready to read this yet.
*The Athletic: Ranking the best and worst high-profile Astros trades of the 2010s.
*Jayson Stark's Best of the Decade column.
*For the time being, Leeds United are top of the table.
*A Musical Selection, since it's gray and chilly where I currently sit:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith