<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Astros essentially admit wrong paying off $1.5m to Jacob Nix. So why does MLB not punish them? Still Stros paid $1.5m to unsigned draftees</p>— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) <a href="https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/544971747070447617">December 16, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gammons is so old! I don't think the $ value was revealed, and I highly doubt the Astros are paying the entire bonus value as the settlement. Secondly, the Astros should only be punished if they signed Nix (without signing Aiken) as they would then be over their allowed amount. Lastly, Gammons is so old... doesn't he know its not en-vogue to be bashing the Astros anymore?
Twitter has damaged my respect for Peter Gammons more than anyone else I follow. Before twitter, I thought he was a smart, respectable baseball man. After twitter, I think he's an insufferable, dumb biased, blowhard. I really have grown to dislike the man.
sounds like Gammons is unaware the astros were in communication with the league during the whole process. if anybody "dropped the ball", it's the league. astros simply paid 1.5 to make it go away.
Agree completely. He always paints them to be morons and unable to listen outside of the organization: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Astros loss of David Post to Padres is great for SD, bad for Houston given he is/was their most respected scout. If they'd listened...</p>— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) <a href="https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/510708645399896066">September 13, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> There are other examples but... work and stuff... don't have the time to dig more.
I can see both sides of it. I don't think it is bashing the Astros as much as bashing major league baseball for allowing the Astros to skirt the rules. I am an Astros fan and obviously glad the Astros will not lose any draft picks. However, I can see where allowing the Astros to settle the matter financially without facing and MLB penalties would upset other teams. Gammons is in his 80's and he has an idea of how baseball should be played, and how trades, evaluations, etc should be handled and that is not how the Astros operate under Luhnow.
I'm not sure other teams are too upset. If the Astros were able to sign Nix, they would be upset. I highly doubt MLB teams want verbal offers to be binding as both parties can have different versions on what was agreed on as in this case.
LMFAO I guess I am the only one that isn't overly pissed with what Gammons said...... I must be wrong.... this board cannot agree on anything except that Old Man Gammons needs to take his meds and shut his toothless food hole.
He is upset that the Astros didn't get punished for his own personal satisfaction. I've accepted that Gammons hates the Astros so I tend to ignore his criticism, but can totally see why other fans would react poorly to anything he says.
I never quite understood what the big deal was. They never signed him to an actual contract. Anyone can pull out of a deal anytime. There have been times that players have backed out and gone to college. Do the teams file a grievance with the draftee? No. Until it's on paper, I don't think there's any issue.
