Surprise, surprise, I have a couple of concerns with this but I will try and remain rational and keep the hyperbole to a minimum.

I am concerned with the reporting being done surrounding these deals. We are all accustomed to seeing “So and So is in town to sign with such and such team pending the results of a physical.” I have no problem with this. My concern arises that these don’t seem to be concerns that would cause the Astros to balk on signing but that they can find something innocuous to allow them to pay less. Now, I don’t have any idea what they saw that caused them to lower their offer but not simply pulling the offer implies that they didn’t think the issue was so egregious that he couldn’t still play for the team. Either they were using it as a very shady bargaining chip and they didn’t have any major concerns, they did have concerns but they were extremely minor (in which case the lowering of the deal seems petty) or they didn’t want to sign him and they felt like this would get it done without causing fan ire. Of course, the reality could also be that this is all a lie and the Astros acted in good faith and the story itself is a fabrication.

What I don’t like is the implication that the Astros are operating in bad faith. I don’t know if this is an issue with an overzealous reporter fabricating a story or perhaps a leak to the press that a deal is done and in place prior to the reality but the end result is a pattern being put in place that the Astros will try and lowball you after they get you in town. With the draft, and the inability to have a medical exam beforehand, I am somewhat willing to give the Astros a pass on Aiken but this obviously changed the course of Brady Aiken’s life. Will it derail anything significant for him? Probably not. But it certainly changed his immediate future. The deal with Vogelsong didn’t do anything to affect his future but what if he had missed out on an opportunity and damages could be proven regarding the Astros shady negotiating practice? If this becomes a pattern (and is true) then this could very well happen to a free agent and the repercussions could be severe.

As for the PR hit, that ship has already sailed. The fact that the hard core astros fans could even believe this is a possibility shows the lack of trust in our front office and leadership. If I worked for an organization that I believed operated in this fashion I would be gone. I would not spend any longer at that place than it took me to find a new job. The level of what will be put up with is much higher for athletes as the compensation is much harder to walk away from but if the reputation is shared by players around the league then, when presented with a choice between Team A and the Astros, why would anyone choose the Astros?

Last Edited By: proark Mar 11 15 2:58 PM. Edited 1 times.