Astros Rumors & News

12 Up "Astros fans, you may want to push your pitching concerns to the back burner. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in a story early on Friday that the Houston Astros are discussing contract extensions with Justin Verlander and Gerrit..." March 22

Houston Chronicle "Alex Bregman is locked up. The Astros and the All-Star third baseman have agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. It will cover his three years of arbitration-eligibility and the first two seasons he could become a free..." March 20

Hardball Talk "Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Brad Peacock is the “leading candidate” to open the regular season as the club’s No. 5 starter, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports. Peacock has registered a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings of work this spring. His..." March 20

Houston Chronicle "The Astros have agreed to a two-year, $17.5 million contract extension with relief pitcher Ryan Pressly. It is believed to be the richest extension in MLB history for a reliever who is not a closer. The deal keeps Pressly under club control through 2021 and has a vesting option for..." March 20

USA Today "It took 11 years, but three players this winter have agreed to contracts larger than the record-setting 10-year, $275 million deal Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees in the fall of 2007. Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout will make $426.5 million over..." March 19

ESPN "Major League Baseball suggested sweeping changes to the minor leagues -- including a significant increase in salaries, a higher standard of living conditions and better transportation -- during an initial collective-bargaining session with the group that oversees the minors, sources familiar..." March 19

Houston Chronicle "The race for Houston’s final bullpen spot is down to two candidates. Lefthander Cionel Perez was among the nine players reassigned to minor league camp on Tuesday, eliminating him from consideration for the opening day bullpen. Because Perez did not start his throwing..." March 19

CBS Sports "Sign-stealing is a hot topic in baseball these days after the Astros were caught monitoring and recording activity in the opposing dugout during the postseason last year. Houston was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, though the incident did bring high-tech sign-stealing into..." March 18

Bleacher Report "Dallas Keuchel won the American League Cy Young Award in 2015. He's earned four Gold Gloves and made a pair of All-Star appearances. He eclipsed 200 innings for the third time in his seven-year MLB career in 2018.  In head-scratchingly related news,..." March 18

Houston Chronicle "Major League Baseball issued Astros manager A.J. Hinch a one-game suspension and undisclosed fine for his actions for his fiery argument and post-game criticism of umpire Angel Hernandez. "I'm very passionate about our players and our team, but on Friday night I made some..." March 17

Houston Chronicle "Astros manager A.J. Hinch was ejected one pitch into the bottom of the first inning against the Cardinals on Friday and turned the situation into a spectacle. After the first pitch from Cardinals starter Daniel Ponce de León, George Springer stepped out of the box and Hinch..." March 16

Philly.com "Jake Arrieta was asked last week if he had any insight into the challenges that await free-agent pitcher Dallas Keuchel once he signs with a team after missing most of spring training. Arrieta, better than most, would know. It was just last year that Arrieta was the former Cy Young..." March 15

Houston Chronicle "The boost Justin Verlander gave the 2017 Astros — nine wins, a 1.66 ERA, 81 strikeouts and 0.74 WHIP in 10 starts spanning early September to October — were essential to the franchise’s only World Series title. In the wake of Major League Baseball’s..." March 15

Larry Brown Sports "Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to numerous changes that will take effect this season or next, but it sounds like the union was very reluctant on at least one of the new rules. One major change that will be implemented beginning in 2020 is a three-batter..." March 14

Hardball Talk "Astros pitcher Collin McHugh hasn’t been shy of sharing his point of view on the various issues surrounding Major League Baseball. He expressed solidarity with New Era workers last month, and has consistently been on top of the leagues’ service time manipulation issue...." March 14

ESPN "A single trade deadline, an All-Star Game election day and a million-dollar bonus for the Home Run Derby winner will be implemented in 2019 -- while a three-batter minimum for pitchers and roster expansion will happen in 2020 -- as part of a deal Major League Baseball and the MLB Players..." March 14

NESN "Nathan Eovaldi now knows where he isn’t wanted. The Boston Red Sox pitcher told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford on Thursday the Houston Astros made no genuine effort to sign him last offseason. Having played an instrumental role in the Red Sox’s 2018 World Series..." March 14

The Score "Baseball's trade season is about to get a major facelift. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have agreed to eliminate the August waiver trade period in favor of a single non-waiver trade deadline day for all transactions on July 31, sources told Ken..." March 13

Hardball Talk "Jon Heyman reports that the Washington Nationals have signed reliever Tony Sipp. It’s a big league deal that will pay Sipp $1 million in 2019 a $2.5 million mutual option or $250,00 buyout in 2020. For what it’s worth, he’s coming off of a three-year, $18 million contract..." March 13

Houston Chronicle "At this same spring training complex inside the same clubhouse around this very time last year, Kyle Tucker took the nickname to which he is linked for the foreseeable future. Astros veterans recalled the day their franchise drafted this lanky high school outfielder from Florida with..." March 13

Houston Chronicle "For the second straight spring training, the path of a promising Astros righthander was derailed. Pitcher Francis Martes was suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for Clomiphene, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday. In a statement, the Astros said they..." March 12

MLB.com "All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman told MLB.com Monday he was disappointed after having his contract renewed by the Astros at a salary of $640,500 for the 2019 season, a figure which represents a $41,500 raise from last year but which he feels is less than fair compensation. Bregman,..." March 11

Yardbarker "The Kansas City Royals have their catcher for the 2019 season. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Royals have agreed to terms with catcher Martin Maldonado on a one-year, $2.5 million deal, where he will serve as the starting catcher as Salvador Perez recovers from Tommy..." March 09

Houston Chronicle "The expected is now official. Justin Verlander will start the Astros’ Opening Day game against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 28. Manager A.J. Hinch made the announcement in a team meeting prior to Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.   " March 08

Newark Star-Ledger "Those that fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. One offseason ago, the Yankees were beat to the punch on righty Gerrit Cole by an aggressive Houston Astros front office. Cole went on to have a monster year for Houston for a team that cruised to 103 wins..." March 08

ESPN "Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is attempting to add to his repertoire during spring training by mixing in a changeup to his arsenal. "I saw the reactions I wanted on almost every one I threw," Verlander said after throwing seven of them during a 4-1..." March 08

The Score "The Houston Astros have made both one- and two-year offers to free-agent left-hander Dallas Keuchel sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal adds the offers are not in the range that Keuchel is seeking and that his desired terms are not known. " March 07

Awful Announcing "It’s something of a no-brainer for professional sports leagues to get involved in the burgeoning world of legalized sports gambling. But gambling always comes with strings attached, and sometimes those strings are going to dangle in a way that doesn’t seem quite..." March 07

USA Today "Wes Johnson did not run from the labels. Weirdo. Iconoclast. Voodoo coach. Johnson heard some variation of them all over the past decade, when he first set up shop as the pitching coach of Dallas Baptist University armed with mysterious tracking technology, funny balls and a..." March 07

Sportsnaut "Free agent starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel remains available, and the Houston Astros are reportedly discussing a contract to bring him back. But according to Buster Olney of ESPN, the two sides are “not close to a deal” at this time.

March 07

Hardball Talk "Ted Berg of For the Win has written an excellent story about what it’s like to be a minor league catcher in spring training. About how many of them there are and how much work they do. Of how critically important it is to the big league team and big league players that they are..." March 07

Boston Herald "Good thing the Internet hasn’t been invented yet because if it had been, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred might have some explaining to do upon returning home to his wife, Colleen, mother to the couple’s four children. The marquee name at the Boston College..." March 07

Larry Brown Sports "A new provision as part of Major League Baseball’s new gambling partnership has annoyed at least one manager. Last November, MLB made MGM their “official gaming partner” as sports betting becomes increasingly legal and accepted in the United States. Peter Gammons of..." March 06

Houston Chronicle "Alex Bregman will be withheld from Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals after experiencing back stiffness in the first inning of Wednesday’s 11-5 victory against the Marlins. Bregman, who underwent right elbow surgery in January, departed between..." March 06

Sportsnaut "Justin Verlander is 35 years old right now and will be a free agent after the 2019 MLB season. He also doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. Verlander said he plans “to pitch into my mid 40s” and is willing to bet on himself with a short-term contract next..." March 06

New York Post "Step 1 is to stay in the loop. The Yankees’ heretofore tranquil spring training took a notable turn for the worse Tuesday afternoon when March 06

The Score "Major League Baseball plans to introduce an extra step to All-Star selection this season with a new "election day" to determine the starters at each position, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. Standard online voting would still take place under the new format. Once..." March 06

Hardball Talk "Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports that Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are close to agreeing to expand active rosters to 26 players for the start of the 2020 regular season. This is in exchange for a commitment to discuss larger economic issues after Opening..." March 06

MLB Trade Rumors "Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have spent the winter negotiating over rules changes while publicly bickering over the operation of the player market. The sides now appear to be nearing agreement on a package of new rules, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link),..." March 05

Houston Chronicle "The swing — a short, smooth swat that launched a mislocated pitch into orbit — was the sort so many expect from George Springer. Springer’s first spring home run led off Monday afternoon’s 7-4 Astros loss to the Mets, landing atop a berm in right-center field..." March 05

MLB.com "As high-flying Astros center fielder George Springer searches for some consistency, he only must peer a few lockers down for an example of one of the game’s most consistent performers in new teammate Michael Brantley. Springer, entering his fifth full season in the big leagues,..." March 03

Yardbarker "With MLB Opening Day less than a month away, Dallas Keuchel somehow has not found a job for the 2019 season. That could change now that Bryce Harper is no longer a free agent. Jim Bowden of CBS Sports reports that the San Diego Padres have been in contact with Keuchel’s agent,..." March 02

Bleacher Report "As it turns out, owners haven't slammed shut all of the financial spigots that run to the players. It just depends on which players. Bryce Harper, 26, set a record Thursday for the largest contract ever awarded to a free agent in professional sports, landing with the Philadelphia..." March 01

New York Post "Who’s next? With Manny Machado and Bryce Harper finally off the board, attention will now turn to the free agents who are still left in the class. That list is topped by former Astros Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and veteran closer Craig Kimbrel. The Phillies have..." March 01

The Crawfish Boxes "Should Forrest Whitley be the Astros 5th Starter? As most of you know, it was recently announced that Josh James was the latest victim of “discomfort”. In reality, it was announced that he had strained his quad muscle, and in the best case..." March 01

ESPN "Major League Baseball is prepared to scuttle the implementation of a pitch clock until at least 2022 as part of a wide-ranging proposal to the MLB Players Association that would include the ability to implement a three-batter-minimum rule for pitchers and roster-size changes in 2020, sources..." February 27

Houston Chronicle "The Astros learned a lesson with Hector Rondon. Last season, in their first spring training with the 31-year-old righthanded reliever, the organization accelerated Rondon's workload too fast. He entered the middle of his six-week stay in West Palm Beach "not feeling..." February 26

Sporting News "Dallas Keuchel doesn’t seem worried about his extended stay in free agency. The 2015 Cy Young winner remains unsigned despite spring training starting more than a week ago. Keuchel said he was just focusing on “getting himself ready” when he spoke with Houston..." February 25

MLB.com "Cliff Lee had a mystery team once, and he signed with that mystery team in December 2010. Remember? The Yankees and Rangers pursued Lee the entire offseason, and everybody expected him to choose between the two. But the Phillies engaged Lee’s agent Darek Braunecker during the..." February 24