Mike Florio reacts to Deshaun Watson's lawyer aggressively firing back at Tony Buzbee

WATSON WATCH

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reacts to Tony Buzbee and Rusty Hardin firing verbal shots at one another on Thursday, and tries to read between the lines and lay out what's really going on from a legal perspective.

Florio believes that Hardin has a good reason for their unusual request to have the financial terms of possible settlement disclosed to the public. Typically, a lawyer in Hardin's position would not want the terms of the settlement to become public. In many cases, people find out about big payouts and want to get a piece of the action by filing their own lawsuits whether their claims are legitimate or not.

So Watson's camp must not be worried about that becoming a problem. Which makes Florio think the payouts being discussed with these cases must not be as much as many people anticipated, which could cause the public to view Deshaun in a more favorable light. The thought being, what he did must not have been that bad because Watson's accusers are willing to take such a small amount of money. Therefore, Watson's side wants people to know he didn't pay out big money.

And conversely if that information is kept quiet, people will assume big checks are being scratched by Watson to protect his image. Quite the move by Rusty Hardin if you think about it. Rusty Hardin's bold strategy has Florio thinking Watson's camp is very confident about their case. Despite claims on Thursday that neither side is looking to settle, Florio believes a settlement is coming at some point.

Be sure to check out the video above for the full breakdown.

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Should the Astros sign Blake Snell? Composite Getty Image.

Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy made a lot of fans nervous on Friday when he exited his spring training start after just 43 pitches. Elbow pain reportedly was what cut his start short. Urquidy was then sent back to Houston for further evaluation.

Astros manager Joe Espada gave an injury update on Monday. According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Urquidy is dealing with a forearm muscle strain and will likely begin the season on IL.

Houston had already been reported to have interest in signing free agent pitcher Blake Snell in recent days, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome.

But USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported over the weekend the Astros now appear to be a “long-shot” to sign him. He's looking for a 2-year, $66 million deal and with a player option for year two.

A contract like this would put the Astros over the second tax-threshold. Not to mention he turned down the Padres qualifying offer as did closer Josh Hader. Which means the Astros would have to send two draft picks to San Diego if they sign Snell.

But if owner Jim Crane decides to pass on Snell, we're looking at a starting rotation of Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, JP France, Ronel Blanco, and possibly Brandon Bielak if they opt for a 6-man rotation.

So what should the Astros do? Throw caution to the wind and sign Snell, or hope they get their guys back healthy sooner rather than later?

It's important to keep in perspective that the Yankees have several injuries to their rotation as well. Opening Day will be a matchup between Nestor Cortes and Framber Valdez. Not Gerrit Cole vs.Justin Verlander, like we once expected.

Be sure to watch the video above as we break down the rotation, all the Astros other options, and much more!

Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) every Monday on YouTube.

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