What the Juan Soto deal means for Houston Astros championship window
A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME
09 December 2024
A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME
Over the weekend, the big domino finally fell with Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million megadeal with the New York Mets. Which means Alex Bregman and the other top free agents on the market should soon follow in short order.
In fact, we're already seeing reports from Rob Bradford of WEEI and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale claiming that the Red Sox and Yankees are “expected” to make a run at Bregman.
Soto heading to the National League certainly feels like a win for Astros fans, but that could change if missing out on Soto causes the Yankees to pry Breggy away from Houston.
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before we get too excited. However, one thing is for sure, all the free agents on the market have to be thrilled about the size of Soto's deal. Not to mention Willy Adames' 7-year, $182 million deal with the Giants that could help Bregman's chances of receiving a more lucrative deal than the Astros reportedly offered him, 6- years, $154 million.
What's really eye-opening about Soto's contract is how it could impact Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, specifically Tucker. It's hard to imagine Tucker won't get an offer of at least $300 million, and at this point $400 million wouldn't surprise us.
Historically, the Astros don't trade their big name free agents before their contracts expire, but perhaps they should rethink that approach with King Tuck. If they won't even entertain a deal approaching $300 million, it might be worth taking a step back this year to replenish the farm system and focus on the team long-term.
Speaking of trades, the Astros are reportedly calling anyone who will listen about the availability of Ryan Pressly.
Don't miss the video above as we react to the Soto deal, share our thoughts on how it could impact the Astros championship window, and much more!
Eric Murray returned one of Justin Herbert's career-high four interceptions for a touchdown, C.J. Stroud threw a TD pass and the Houston Texans rolled past the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in a wild-card playoff game Saturday.
Be sure to watch the video below as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the big win!
It’s the second straight year Stroud and the Texans (11-7) won in the first round after they beat Cleveland last season.
Herbert threw just three interceptions in the regular season and had never thrown more than two in a game before facing a Texans secondary led by AP All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley, who had two INTs. Kamari Lassiter had the other pick.
The Chargers (11-7), who returned to the playoffs under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh, lost in the wild-card round for a second straight time after also losing in the 2022 season to remain without a postseason win since 2018.
Stroud threw for 282 yards with the touchdown pass to Nico Collins and an interception. Collins finished with seven catches for 122 yards. Joe Mixon ran for 106 yards and a score.
Herbert was 14 of 32 for 242 yards with a 40.9 passer rating.