Bill Hall Released
by StrosSouth on Jun 4, 2011 12:23 AM CDT
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Manager Brad Mills just announced tha Bill "Auotmatic Out" Hall has been given an unconditional release. the open spot will be filled by Jason Bourgeios as he returns from an injury rehab. We all saw this coming and the only question that I have along with everyone else is what the hell took them so long to make this move. At least Ed Wade has realized that signing "Auto" was a mistake and he and the Astros have cut their losses nad saved a little money in this case.
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You called it. Not bad.
What’s done is done. I still don’t agree with the fact that it was a bad signing from Ed Wade. Based on his performance last year there was reason to see the Bill Hall signing as a decent move. Had it panned out then people would have been saying that Ed Wade was a genious, but that’s not the case. Plus he was given more opportunities or a longer rope than most would have liked because to be honest who was the better option while Kepp and Bourgeois were injured. Sanchez has been in his own tailspin as well. I would say Matt Downs, but it seems like Mills likes him in the utility role and is against giving him regular playing time. Therefore Hall was our guy for better or worse, unfortunately it turned out to be the worse outcome that ended up happening.
by conroestro on Jun 4, 2011 7:31 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Overdue...
Guys like him really don’t need to be on a team like this…
Someone will get desperate and sign him before the year ends.
Why?
I don’t totally understand why Hall was given his release. Yes, I know he’s struggled at the plate, and he’s no defensive whiz either, but seems like he’d be a nice player to have on the bench because he can play a lot of different positions and can hit with a bit of power too. I mean, if the Astros are already paying the guy, why not keep him on as a super sub and let Keppinger take over permanently at 2B?
To follow up that question, are the Astros essentially saying Hall has no trade value? That seems extremely hard to believe, especially with the kind of season he had with Boston last year.
I’m just really perplexed by this move.
I guy that strikes out 55 times in 147 ABs
has no trade value.
by Neil Leininger on Jun 4, 2011 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Agreed. That's an ugly figure...
However, dude hit 18 bombs last year in limited time in the AL East. And he can play all over the field. Seems a bit premature to me, especially on a team that’s really not competing for anything.
I think he has trade value if you take a player of comparable salary in return. Otherwise, the Astros probably have to pay most of Hall’s salary to get anything in return. Because of his salary, Hall can clear waivers and become available at no cost (or actually with the Astros paying his salary in excess of minimum). Given that, if teams expect him to be released, it’s hard to trade him. I had thought about the idea of a trade to the Red Sox for Dan Wheeler. The Red Sox didn’t want to let him go but did so because he wanted to start full time.
Do you really think we would have out right released him if there was any interest? Some team will probably pick him up but he has been dead wieght on the Astros since day one. I am tired of hearing about what he did last year and that the sample size is to small. In less AB’s Michaels, Bougeois, Downs, Sanchez, Kepp all have been better all around ball players so please get off this guys band wagon
Did you read my comment? It comes down to money. If the Astros want to trade him, they either have to eat most of his salary or find a trade for a player with a similar salary. Those are obstacles, even if there is trade interest, particularly if other teams believe he will clear waivers. At Baseball Think Factory’s thread on Hall’s release, there was speculation that the Yankees will pick him up because they wanted to sign him in the off-season but he refused a higher salary with the Yanks in order to get a shot at a starting position. There were a number of comments from Boston Red Sox fans who wished their team had attempted to trade for Hall. Mills said the Astros arranged an outright release in order to give Hall a chance at selecting a team which will give him a starting opportunity. I doubt that he will find a starting opportunity, but that may explain why the Astros didn’t go to the trouble of trying to arrange a difficult trade.
I think Hall would have made sense on an Astros team that played like it did from July-September 2010 — a much better Wandy, Myers, C Johnson, etc.. Hall would be a clubhouse guy, give us a little more power, and help us be a .500 team.
At 23-35, the Astros are just plain bad. The team hasn’t spent a day over .500 in almost two years. Why play somebody with the worst offensive stats on the team instead of spreading out at bats for younger players — Kepp and esp. Bourgeois?
Maybe if the team were 12 games under .500 in June, and Hall had some better numbers, Wade could have gotten a C-level minor league prospect. I’m sure he tried, but there were no takers, unlike last year when we got that reliever for P Feliz.
by Exiled in St. Louis on Jun 4, 2011 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions
That is like cutting 5 bill halls. Too much money is earned to just throw him away
Firesale! Everyone must go!
by astrosfan1989 on Jun 4, 2011 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions
The money difference is more like 10 Bill Halls. Lee is owed about $35 million. That is not a decision that anyone but the new owner can make, and he isn’t the owner yet. It’s much easier to make that decision next year if he gets off to a terrible start to the season.
Yea I wasnt really thinking when I put only 5
Firesale! Everyone must go!
by astrosfan1989 on Jun 4, 2011 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Lee had a solid May hitting .313
shame he can’t walk, his power’s gone, he’s lazy in the field, can’t run the bases.
Apart from that, dandy.
HE is y the NL needs DH
Firesale! Everyone must go!
by astrosfan1989 on Jun 4, 2011 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
You can go watch commercialized baseball elsewhere.
I’ll stick with the real thing.
Super Bowl XLV Champions, the Green Bay Packers!
by mike_o on Jun 4, 2011 7:43 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Had to throw my 2 cents in.
I am very surprised and I bet that Mills had something to do with this more that Ed Wade. I am glad that the Astros finally wised up and cut the dead weight and I know that Carlos Lee has been hitting better this month. But it is time for him to be moved back in the order or to be sat a little bit more to see if maybe if he rests his legs he can find his power. The only way we get rid of him is if he starts hitting for power and some XBH
I was happy when we signed Hall. While $3M isn’t chump change, it was a 1 year deal for a player who could’ve realistically provided 20+ HR and solid defense at 2B. It didn’t work out, and I’m glad they released him instead of demoting Downs/Sanchez/Bourgeois, but I don’t fault Ed Wade for signing him. Nobody wins every deal. Of the 2 moves he made, the Hall signing didn’t work, but the Barmes deal looks like a good one.
by Snake Diggity on Jun 6, 2011 10:29 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Well said.
Worth the gamble, and they cut the cord in a timely fashion. I must say that I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with the Barmes deal, although Paulino has been pitching well in the Royals rotation. That being said, I don’t know if he would have had a spot in the Astros rotation, and he struggles in the bullpen.
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