The Pallilog
Padres signing of Machado could impact Astros and Correa
Feb 22, 2019, 6:46 am
The Pallilog
P.T. Barnum of circus fame is generally credited with saying "There's a sucker born every minute."
Behold the San Diego Padres. They "won" the Manny Machado sweepstakes with a 10 year $300 million dollar offer. For the second consecutive off season the small market small budget Padres sign the most ridiculous free agent deal. At least until we see what Bryce Harper winds up getting. Last year the Padres laughably overpaid a little better than average first baseman Eric Hosmer to the tune of eight years $144 million.
The Astros have to take notice of Machado's deal. No doubt Carlos Correa is taking notice. It's not a pressing crisis, but Correa becomes eligible for free agency after the 2021 season. Correa and Machado are very comparable players. Except Correa has never proven to be a serial culprit of lack of hustle.
Unless he signs a multi-year contract beforehand, Correa will hit the market just a few months older than Machado was when he did. The chief questions about Correa (hundreds of millions of dollar questions) are his recovery from last season's back problem, and his overall durability. If Correa's back is healthy and causes no further problems going forward and he resumes what had been a presumed path to superstardom, what Correa commands will be through Minute Maid Park's retractable roof. The Astros should hope to have to deal with the issue. It would mean Correa has produced hugely in the meantime.
Machado has been an excellent player who should be in the heart of his prime. But with all due respect to Justin Verlander and others who'd been grousing about how come Machado and Harper hadn't had their wishes fulfilled yet, 10 years guaranteed is stupid. Machado can opt out of the contract after five years. What if he turns out to be a guy who happened to have his best season just in time in free agency? What if his sense of professionalism doesn't improve and he's not a great teammate/role model for the Padres' trove of prospects? The Padres have no opt out, they'd be on the hook thru 2028.
If Correa fulfills his potential and is a 30 million dollar per year player come 2022, will the Astros pay the freight while paying Jose Altuve 29 million per through 2024? Alex Bregman can become a free agent after the 2022 season.
The Texans have until March 5 to use the franchise tag on Jadeveon Clowney. The only time the Texans have used the tag was on cornerback Dunta Robinson. That didn't work out very well. But using the tag on Clowney is an easy decision if they can't first reach a longer term contract agreement, which one would guess they will not. Clowney and his people likely seek money in range of what his 2014 Draft classmates Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack got. Before last season they signed the two biggest defensive player contracts ever. Donald got $87 million dollars guaranteed, Mack topped that with 90. The Texans should laugh and say now let's get serious about a deal. Clowney is a Pro Bowl-level player who has missed only three games over the last three seasons. Clowney also has yet to come remotely close to NFL Defensive Player of the Year status because he simply is not a great pass rusher, as evidenced by his zero 10 sack seasons to date. The franchise tag would pay Clowney 16 mil give or take in 2019, about a three million dollar raise.
The stretch run toward the playoffs is underway in the NBA. The Rockets have all their essential players healthy for the first time since December. And promptly puked up a 19 point second half lead in a bad loss at the Lakers Thursday night. The Rockets sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, closer to the draft lottery than to third. Unless James Harden soon goes down injured it's highly unlikely they sink to lottery depths. Alas, they have zero chance of overtaking Golden State atop the West, and close to zero chance of reeling in second place Denver. Catching third place Oklahoma City is unlikely unless the Rockets can go 19-5 or better vs. their remaining schedule. At this point third would be great. It would mean the Rockets played good ball the rest of the season, and presuming Golden State finishes first the Rockets would avoid the Warriors before the Western Conference Finals should both teams make it that far. Well, should the Rockets make it that far. Not much doubt about the Warriors.
Little reason to think the University of Houston won't make it 26-1 for the season and a 33 game homecourt winning streak as it plays host to South Florida Saturday. The Cougars should be 29-1 when they play at Cincinnati in the regular season finale March 10.
1. Thank goodness the most boring sports week until baseball All Star Game week is out of the way. 2. Marv Albert makes many more mistakes than he used to, but remains the best voice to hear calling an NBA game. 3. Whiniest on court Rockets: Bronze-Chris Paul Silver-P.J. Tucker Gold-Eric Gordon
Though they have plenty of work to do, the Houston Texans are feeling good about their 2-0 start after dropping their first two games last season.
The Texans scored just three points after halftime Sunday night, but a smothering defensive performance allowed them to hold on for a 19-13 win over the Bears. The victory has them in early control in the AFC South after the Colts, Titans and Jaguars have all opened the season 0-2.
It’s the first time since 2016 that Houston has won its first two games.
“I definitely know that Texans football was not what we put on the field (Sunday), at least in the second half,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “We’ll definitely be better, for sure."
Stroud threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, but the Texans punted on five of their seven possessions in the second half and fumbled on another drive. Their only points after halftime came on a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
“Second half we were just flat,” Stroud said. “Just needed a big play or just needed (to) stack plays really. We just couldn’t find our rhythm.”
One thing that slowed the Texans on Sunday was their inability to run the ball effectively. Houston managed just 75 yards rushing against the Bears after leading the NFL with 213 yards in Week 1.
“They had a lot of penetration,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We weren’t able to have the lanes that we had the previous weeks. Something we have to clean up on the offensive side and make sure we just continue to get a head on the hat no matter what they show us.”
The running game was slowed because of an ankle injury to Joe Mixon, who had 159 yards rushing in the opener. He was injured early in the third quarter and returned near the end of the period, but had just two carries for 5 yards the rest of the game as he dealt with the injury. He finished with nine carries for 25 yards.
Ryans said that Mixon got “rolled up” and that it’s too early to know if he’ll play next week.
The Texans were relentless in their pressure on rookie quarterback Caleb Williams Sunday night. Houston pressured Williams, the top overall pick in the draft, on 36 of his 37 pass attempts, according to NextGenStats.
Defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combined for 17 pressures and the Texans piled up seven sacks, which is tied for the second most in franchise history.
Houston had six different players with a sack Sunday night and the team’s nine sacks through two games ranks second in the NFL behind Minnesota’s 11 entering Monday.
The Texans must get their running game back on track next week, which will be a tough task if Mixon can’t play. They could be without their top two running backs Sunday with Dameon Pierce dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the game against Chicago.
K Ka′imi Fairbairn has been great this season, with Ryans crediting him for Sunday night’s win. He was 4-for-4 against the Bears, making kicks of 59, 56, 53 and 47 yards. He also made three field goals of 50-plus yards in Week 1 to become the first kicker in NFL history to make five or more field goals of 50 yards or longer in a two-game span.
His 59-yard field goal on Sunday night was the second-longest in franchise history behind a 61-yard kick he made in 2021.
“He’s been consistent,” Ryans said. “He’s on it. He’s the reason why we’re standing here. We talk a lot about offense and defense (but) the kicking game is the reason why we won this game.”
RB Cam Akers. Pushed into action because of injuries, Akers fumbled on the Chicago 4 with about 6½ minutes left Sunday. The Bears recovered the ball and it led to a field goal that got them within a score with less than three minutes left.
Mixon and Pierce are the main injuries the team is dealing with this week.
252 — Entering Monday, wide receiver Nico Collins leads the NFL with 252 yards receiving, which is the second most in franchise history in the first two games of a season. Collins, who had a career-high 1,297 yards receiving last season, had 135 yards receiving and a touchdown Sunday night for the seventh 100-yard game of his career.
Stroud and Houston’s offense will look to clean up their play and move the ball more effectively when they face an early test in a visit to the Minnesota Vikings, who are also 2-0, on Sunday.