The Houston Astros have won the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers after seven games. It is the first title for the franchise, which changed ownership in 2011 and the league in 2013. SPOX describes the Texan’s tough path to the baseball throne, which took a promising turn in the final seconds of August.
“The deal was signed off,”said an MLB representative Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of Houston Astros, late in the evening on the West Coast via mobile phone,”We received a final verification from Verlander at 11:59 and 58 seconds,”the representative continued.
The deal was through, star pitcher Justin Verlander became a member of the Astros. And if this story should be filmed from the first World Series success of the Astros – and given the tragic circumstances of the city after Hurricane Harvey, this blockbuster trade is to be expected on 31 December. August play a central role.
Explanation: The more well-known trade deadline is 31. July. This is the so-called non-waiver trade deadline. After that, however, trades are still possible, as a player passes through the trade waiver list first. The second relevant deadline is then 31. August. Whoever joins an organisation up to this date – via Trade, Free Agency, Waiver Wire or Draft – is entitled to play in the playoffs.
If Verlander, who has a full no trade clause in his contract, had given his okay to trade two seconds later, he would not have been allowed to play in the playoffs for Houston, which would have ruined the trade.
But that’s how the Astros got their Ace and the initial impetus. Until then, the season ran very well in terms of results, the American League West was commandingly led and the AL had the best record, but the squad was decimated by numerous injuries. Question marks around the bullpen also arose. Negotiations were therefore held on the (first) deadline at the end of July, but with the exception of the trained starter Francisco Liriano, who was converted to a lefty specialist in Bullpen, nothing happened.
The disappointment in the Astros team was correspondingly great. Star pitcher Dallas Keuchel made no secret of his frustration:”Disappointment is slightly understated” The young team, which had been built from scratch in recent years, finally saw light at the end of the tunnel, but at least one piece of the puzzle had been missing – until Verlander arrived.
The history of the 2017 title began in 2011, at the end of 2011. The Astros had just finished a season with 106 bankruptcies, and they were already sold. Drayton McLane sold his team to Houston-based entrepreneur Jim Crane for just under $680 million. Not to mention, the Astros also announced a move to the American League (West) after having previously been based in NL Central.
Quasi as a concession of the move to the 2013 season, which brought both leagues to 15 teams, the league then turned a blind eye to the move, while the organisation was probably more aggressive than any other team before it had completely disarmed its squad. The CBA actually says that teams have to put a certain percentage of their income into the team. But the Astros were able to save themselves in a way healthy.
While the payroll in 2009 was still at 108 million dollars, by 2013 it had shrunk to an unbelievable 29 million. Nearly all existing contaminated sites were gone and the team, led by analytics expert Luhnow, concentrated on using draft and international amateur commitments to secure the future.
On the course, this was noticeable with three seasons of over 100 defeats in a row. In 2013, the low point was reached with 111 bankruptcies. But failure also has positive aspects – such as high draftpicks. With an outstanding scouting department, these were used extremely effectively.
The first pick of the Draft 2012 – at the same time the first pick of the “new” Astros ever – was Shortstop Carlos Correa, one of the biggest stars of today’s team. A short time later, in the same draft, pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (41. Pick). Third Baseman Alex Bregman – actually also Shortstop – was the second pick in 2015. World Series MVP George Springer (11. Pick 2011), wheezing (221. Pick 2009) and Jose Altuve (International Signing 2008) were of course there before, but only really developed under Luhnow.
The first fruits of the Astros were harvested in 2015. Before the season, A. J. Hinch, also someone who swears by analytical data, is committed as a manager. And right in its first season, the team reached a wildcard place and thus the playoffs. The Yankees were defeated in the wildcard game, but then the later champion Royals in the ALDS was defeated after five games.
In 2016, something was weakened which is not uncommon for young teams after the first sniff of playoff air. 2017 began with two bigger statements. From the Yankees came the experienced catcher Brian McCann, who played a major role in the success of the young pitchting staff, via trade, and the 2004 Astros playoff hero Carlos Beltran, via Free Agency. The course was set for a playoff run.
What was missing was another top star. The reality is that any economic model containing projections does not approve of a deadline deal. Because you are trading something that could have an enormous future value for something that has a decent current value. Mathematics does not support such a business. So it’s a matter of acting in the best of our judgement.”
The price for Verlander was, of course, high: in addition to three well-known prospects, including the previously untouchable pitcher Franklin Perez, a high monetary price was also awarded. Verlander will earn 28 million annually until the end of the contract in 2019, of which the Detroit Tigers will take over eight million annually. Nevertheless, the deal was a big surprise in the industry, as the impression that the Astros would never give up anything in Trades prevailed across the league. In that case, they did and it paid off.
And how! All the wheels were turning, the Astros could not be stopped. After the almost easy regular season with 101 victories, it became more difficult in the postseason, but the young team played best when the pressure was greatest. In the ALCS it took seven games against the Yankees, but in the World Series it took seven against the Dodgers as well. Even his biggest weakness of the postseason was overlooked – the away games. Only three times overall, Houston won in foreign place, including games 2 and 7 in the Classic!
It was also remarkable how Hinch sailed around the weakest part of his team. The Bullpen was almost a security risk towards the end of the World Series. So what did Hinch do? He changed starters in the important games again and again! Verlander played a decisive role in game 4 of the ALDS against Boston, McCullers dominated with his Curveball orgy in game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees. In the World Series, Brad Peacock shone in Game 3 and Charlie Morton in Game 7 from the Bullpen.
Nowadays, it is certainly not possible to manage more unconventional, but it has led to success and could ultimately lead to imitation. But only in the postseason, when there might be no more tomorrow and all caution can be thrown overboard.
In just five years, the Astros managed to turn their turnaround by choosing similar, albeit more aggressive, means to those of the Cubs, which were successful in 2016. If you add the Royals 2015, there is a clear trend: If you want to be successful in baseball nowadays, you have to start at the bottom of the field – through draft and amateur signings – and build your team from scratch. The old way of building a super troop using expensive Free Agents no longer works.
The Astros have now reached the summit. The question now is what happens next. In terms of personnel, the scaffolding is standing thanks to its careful construction. All top people are still under team control for a longer period of time and receive manageable salaries due to their usually low service time. The assumption is therefore obvious that this group will continue to play at the top of the list for many years to come.
There will also be exits. First and foremost is Carlos Beltran, who is now 40 years old and has got his ring. Whether he’s going to go on at all is in the stars. Otherwise, however, the Big Names stay together. Luhnow’s focus should therefore be on finding suitable “real” relief pitcher.
As far as the possible Hollywood story is concerned, of course, the overarching theme is the catastrophe called Harvey, which the team has undoubtedly welded together even more closely.
“Houston Strong” was a signal to society on the uniforms of the baseball heroes. But in contrast to a Hollywood film, however, it is enough to classify this as a beautiful gesture realistically. The Astros had the will to win a long time before that – otherwise Harvey might have become a burden in the tricky situations.
This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.