CASH GRAB
Utilityman Mauricio Dubón goes to salary arbitration with Houston Astros
Feb 6, 2024, 9:01 am
CASH GRAB
Houston utilityman Mauricio Dubón and New York Mets right-hander Phil Bickford went to salary arbitration hearings Monday.
Dubón asked for a raise from $1.4 million to $3.5 million and the Astros argued for $3 million in a case heard by John Woods, Jeanne Charles and Janice Johnston.
Bickford requested an increase from $740,000 to $900,000, and the Mets said he should be paid $815,000 in a case heard by Robert Herzog, Margaret Brogan and Stephen Raymond.
Decisions are expected Tuesday in those cases along with those of Baltimore outfielder Austin Hays and right-hander Jacob Webb and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, which were argued last week.
The 29-year-old Dubón hit .278 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs in his first full season with Houston, which acquired him from San Francisco in May 2022.
Bickford, a 28-year-old reliever, was 5-5 with a 4.95 ERA in 61 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Mets, who acquired him on Aug. 1.
Teams won the first two decisions of the year, beating Miami outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. ($2,625,000 vs. $2.9 million) and Angels left-hander José Suarez ($925,000 instead of $1.35 million).
Eleven more players are scheduled for hearings, which run through Feb. 16.
Toronto star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the most high-profile case, asking for $19.9 million as the Blue Jays offered $18.05 million. If the case doesn’t settle, it would be the highest salary awarded in arbitration win or lose, topping the $14 million Seattle outfielder Teoscar Hernández received after he lost his hearing last year.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!