In terms of the money, the Astros still have plenty to work with, even with their recent aggression. He did receive and reject a qualifying offer, however, meaning the Astros would forfeit their second highest pick in the upcoming draft and $500K of their international bonus pool if they did end up signing him. Though Crane didn’t like the deadline deal, Contreras is now a free agent, making it more straightforward to attain him at this point. Vázquez is now a free agent, so Houston once again will need a catcher to pair with Maldonado.Ĭrane has subsequently dispatched general manager James Click and now seems to be running the baseball operations for the club, with a new general manager unlikely to be hired until the new year. Instead, the Astros pivoted to Christian Vázquez, acquiring him from the Red Sox. However, Crane reportedly stepped in and put the kibosh on the deal. His defense isn’t rated as strongly, but that could make him a yin to the yang that is Martín Maldonado, who generally hits at a below average level but is stronger on the other side of the ball.Ĭontreras almost became an Astro months ago, as the club apparently agreed to acquire him from the Cubs in exchange for pitcher José Urquidy. His production has always been above average, but this year’s wRC+ of 132 was a career high. This year, he hit 22 home runs and slashed. Their interest is perfectly understandable, given that Contreras is one of the better catchers in the league, particularly at the plate. In relation to the catching side of their pursuits, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the club plans to meet with Willson Contreras at the Winter Meetings, which go from this Sunday, December 4, to Wednesday, December 7. “We have to look at the catching, maybe another outfielder, and you can never have enough pitching,” Crane said, per Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle. Yesterday, the Astros introduced their new signee José Abreu and owner Jim Crane took some questions from the media.
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