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[Official] Astros Off-Season Thread

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by Castor27, Oct 31, 2019.

  1. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    The sports world remains shut down, but Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, runner-up in the 2019 American League MVP voting, is changing agents because of … LeBron James?

    The answer is yes, according to four sources with knowledge of Bregman’s thinking.

    The involvement of James’ media platform Uninterrupted in a new docuseries on the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal was perhaps not the only reason Bregman left Brodie Scoffield, whose company last month became the baseball arm of James’ agency, Klutch Sports. But the sources said it was an overriding factor — at the very least, the last straw.

    Uninterrupted, part of James’ budding media empire, is a separate entity from Klutch. One source, however, said Bregman felt angry and betrayed Scoffield put him in a position in which a fellow Klutch client — the biggest star in the NBA — would help develop a series focusing on the darkest moment of his career.

    James created Uninterrupted as an athlete empowerment brand with his longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter. The company is partnering with The Cinemart to produce the Astros’ series, tentatively titled, “Sign Language,” on Quibi, a short-form content platform.

    Bregman, whose move first was reported on Twitter by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, is in the process of interviewing other agencies. He might end up selecting a company that represents players who were critical of the Astros for illegally stealing signs during the 2017 and ’18 seasons — just as James was critical of the team in February:

    Bregman, 26, did not respond to requests for comment.

    The Astros’ illegal sign stealing, first reported by The Athletic, led to a nine-page report by baseball commissioner Rob Manfred confirming violations by the club in both 2017 and ’18. Manfred suspended general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch through the 2020 postseason, stripped the Astros of four high draft picks and fined the team $5 million.

    The Astros fired Luhnow and Hinch on the same day Manfred released his report in January. Two other managers, the Red Sox’s Alex Cora and Mets’ Carlos Beltrán, also lost their jobs after Manfred identified them as key players in the scandal. Manfred later suspended Cora through the 2020 postseason as well.

    No Astros player was penalized; the league offered the players immunity in exchange for their honest testimony. The players issued apologies, including formal statements by Bregman and second baseman José Altuve on the first day of spring training in February. National League MVP Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers criticized the apologies as “weak,” and a number of other players also were harsh in their public assessments.

    Rarely does a player change agents for only one reason. Often the decision results from a buildup of grievances. Bregman’s dissatisfaction with Scoffield’s guidance during the fallout might have been one factor in his decision to pursue new representation, sources said. But team officials and others also were advising him at that time.

    Bregman also might have been upset that Scoffield aligned with Klutch less than two years after leaving TLA Worldwide, which later became GSE Worldwide, to form his own company, Tidal Sports Group. The five-year, $100 million extension Bregman signed in February 2019 might have been another source of frustration, though Bregman said he was happy with the deal at the time.

    The contract, which covered Bregman’s three years of arbitration and first two years of free agency, was typical of many signed by young players, an exchange of potentially higher year-to-year income for long-term security. The deal, however, had an unusual structure. Bregman received a $10 million bonus for 2019, a figure believed to be unprecedented for a player not yet eligible for arbitration. But his five-year term did not officially begin until 2020 and included an escalator based upon MVP finishes that did not begin until ’21.

    Similar escalators in other long-term deals generally apply in every year of the contract. But because Bregman had no escalators in 2019, his second-place MVP finish did not lead to any future salary increases.

    One rival agent described the oversight as a “very, very bad miss.” Others with knowledge of Bregman’s thinking offered conflicting accounts on whether the contract played a role in the player’s decision to leave Scoffield. One source said Bregman was intent on getting $100 million, and eager to sign once the Astros hit the number.

    “I wanted to play here,” Bregman said at the time. “I didn’t want to play anywhere else.”

    In the end, the bigger issue for Bregman was his former agent aligning with a company whose most famous client is preparing to shine new light on the Astros’ shame.

    LeBron James’ influence extends beyond his own sport.
     
    mikol13 and RayRay10 like this.
  2. SuraGotMadHops

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    Attaboy Alex! Someone remind Lebron of his preachy hypocritical lecture he tried to give Darryl Morey "free speech has consequences, you gotta think of the consequences"
     
    joshuaao, cmoak1982, RayRay10 and 2 others like this.
  3. lnchan

    lnchan Sugar Land Leonard

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    If anyone deserves its own thread...
     
  4. awc713

    awc713 Member

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    Casual reminder:
     
  5. Joe Joe

    Joe Joe Go Stros!
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    For a dugout celebration, I suggest Bregman reenact this beauty.

     
    RayRay10 likes this.
  6. PhiSlammaJamma

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    It would be cool if the Astros just shocked us all by launching a virtual world right now. Just boom. Here it is. Explore. Enjoy. You want to win people back. Do something they've never seen before in a time when they need to see it.
     
  7. awc713

    awc713 Member

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    Y’all see Judge’s girlfriend was arrested for DWI and dropped the “do you know who my boyfriend is” line?

    An Astros wife/girlfriend would never.
     
    raining threes and RayRay10 like this.
  8. Ariza4MVP

    Ariza4MVP Member

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    The cop only watches the world series, so he didn't know who Aaron Judge is.
     
  9. RKREBORN

    RKREBORN Member

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    Kate Upton does it all....remember those fappening pics...
     
  10. msn

    msn Member

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    Quoted for awesomeness.
     
  11. donkeypunch

    donkeypunch Contributing Member

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    Fox is replaying game 2 of the '05 series and I really hated watching it but Pettitte pitched a typical Pettitte game- allow 2 runners on and then get out of a jam. Dan Wheeler comes in and loads them up with a bullshit hbp call. jeebuz man. **** konerko. I turned it off after that. I remember a rally from us but I also remember the series result.
     
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  12. leroy

    leroy Contributing Member

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    Been thinking about the advantage the Astros would have with a shortened season. No reason to worry about rest for Verlander, Grienke, or McCullers. They should be able to go full bore.
     
  13. htwnbandit

    htwnbandit Member

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    If the season is really going to be shortened that much and there's going to be an asterisk for this year's winner no matter what, just cancel the ****ing thing lmao
     
  14. PhiSlammaJamma

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    When asked about the upcoming season, several Astros said they have no idea what is coming. Silence. And more dead silence.
     
    msn likes this.
  15. leroy

    leroy Contributing Member

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    Feeling more and more like there's not going to be a season. I get what both sides are trying to do...but it seems like neither is looking at the bigger picture. Taking a full year off will cause way more damage than I think they realize. The last season of Brockmire could end up being a real look at the future of (or lack thereof) baseball.
     
  16. Nick

    Nick Contributing Member

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    The owners don’t feel that way. And the players aren’t going to take on all the risks/headaches for less than what they agreed to at the start of all of this.

    If there is baseball again, the players’ contracts are likely to rebound if there’s still TV watchers, internet streamers, and playoffs... as it eventually rebounded after 94. The owners apparently have done the math and figure their net worths of their franchises will be consistent regardless of what happens this year. Whichever facet is at most risk of hurting the respective side most in the short term is what will drive a resolution... but as of now, the players don’t have much reason to worry about being able to be replaced or fired, and the owners can’t make money without games including the players. Some owners can withstand that, others can’t (the ones that are basically unqualified to be an owner)... and at no point are the owners going to be as unified as the players.
     
    raining threes likes this.
  17. awc713

    awc713 Member

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    Athletic posted an article... a “would you rather have” on Altuve vs. Whit Merifield. What a joke. I unsubscribed from the publication. I understand that they have to come up with content...but they’ve really gone downhill over the past 2 years. What a joke of a comparison. Altuve is a bonafide HOFer, on track to have the most hits ever. Merifield is a good player...but cmon.
     
  18. BigM

    BigM Contributing Member

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    I had to google who Whit Merrifield is. To be fair that’s more of a knock on my ignorance to other baseball players but also to be fair, who the **** watches Royals baseball outside of KC?
     
  19. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    If Altuve averages 200 hits a year for the next 13 years, he will be 42+ and still not the all time hit leader.
     
  20. msn

    msn Member

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    What's this did l dust-up on Twitter about a Hunter Adkins? I can't find any news stories, only lots of hate and comparisons to Mike Fiers. And Bregman telling him he's no longer welcome in the clubhouse. Is dude a pedophile?
     

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