Jimmy Butler and his advisors clearly manipulated their situation. Tim Warner/Getty Images
Here is a public service announcement for all Rockets fans as you await the start of the regular season. No matter how many times you read a "breaking news" trade rumor about your team, don't believe it unless you see it in an official press release. With cut down day approaching and teams being forced to release players that are veterans or have value across the NBA, you are going to hear tons of rumored trades and moves and almost all of them are untrue. Agents and general managers use writers, bloggers and social media as an effective tool in doing their job. If they get enough people talking about the tidbits and tips that they "secretly" give out, the fire storm that ensuses will create a towering inferno of results for their clients and teams.
You see, every agent has a few "go-to" writers, bloggers and media members that they have built a relationship with, that they will strategically slip secrets, information and leads to. General Managers have their allies as well and they use them as they see fit. Some of these media contacts are rewarded with exclusive interviews and access to the team and players if they play along and publish the information supplied to them. It's fast becoming one of the most lucrative moves in sports because of the results it can create and the positive outcomes that can be tied directly to the breaking news that started the entire chain of events.
Take the Jimmy Butler situation as an example. We all know by now what transpired late last week and how Butler's dramatic return to the team and his first practice sent NBA fans across the country reeling. Did it ever cross your mind that it was all a set up and carefully scripted plan to get Jimmy out of Minny and to another destination in the league that he no doubt wants to play for? Well take it for what it's worth, but if you thought it was purely coincidence that ESPN and Rachel Nichols just happened to be in Minneapolis for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Butler, I have some swamp land I'd like to sell you in Florida. On top of that, do you think the interview would have been must see TV and stir up as much conversation, if he had just put his head down, worked his butt off and finished practice without incident? No way! The whole thing was a ploy by Butler's camp to force the issue and get their client out of a bad situation. Since he still has a year left on his contract and risked losing money if he continued his hold out and stayed away from the team, he made an educated decision and carried out a plan to get the ball rolling on his mission to get shipped out of town.
As the week went on, we saw more rumors about the Timberwolves re-engaging the Rockets in talks, a possible Pat Riley profanity-laced conversation with Tom Thibodeau and more. This is what's known as a counter strike, where management tips off hand-selected members of the media to get the word out and create a story that will have traction and create publicity and conversation across the basketball world. In the process, it will also sound the alarm to the teams that were in deep trade discussions for Butler in the last week or so, that they will not be getting the franchise player that they had coveted. In most cases, the reaction to the hot, new rumor is a quick call to see if the shunned teams can make a last ditch, final offer that no doubt includes sweetening the pot from what was originally offered.
The take away for you is that you should never get too excited until a deal is official and reported as "done." Until then, the game of Cat and Mouse will continue and those of you that read or hear the rumors and take the time to spread the news are merely pawns in a bigger chess game being played by agents and front offices everywhere. So just sit back, relax and realize your team is ready to run it back as they pursue the always elusive Larry O'Brien trophy and it's a long season ahead. Rumors will continue to fly all the way to the trade deadline, so be cautious and be prepared.
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After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or eight games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after a 4-8 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez. A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.