The acquisition period for Major League Baseball has officially begun. Organizations in MLB will focus on acquiring formidable players, with the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros receiving some of the first picks. Subsequently, it was announced by San Diego Padre representatives that they’d finalized their contract with Craig Stammen. This contract will see the middle-aged professional remain with the Padres until 2021 for $9 million. Detailed in this announcement was that a third season upgrade could be held for an additional $12 million.
Craig Stammen became a free agent on December 31st, 2019. Subsequently, he could negotiate his contract. This resulted in the athlete earning $4.5 million for the next two seasons, with the annual performance bonus of $500,000.00. The San Diego Padres are also required to pay Stammen $100,000.00 for every forty to sixty games pitched. This follows after the reliever appeared in seventy-six games in 2019. He maintained a 3.29 ERA, even after a substantial loss against the Washington Capitals. During this matchup he allowed the Capitals to make four consecutive runs by making mistakes. It should be noted he spent several seasons with Washington, making some sports analysts wonder if this had been done purposely by Stammen. It was one of the most talked-about controversies in major league baseball until the Houston Astros were found cheating.
George Spring to the Houston Astros
The second acquisition that was confirmed this week pertained to the Houston Astros, who maintained their 1st round draft pick after being found guilty of cheating. Representatives with the Astros confirmed that George Springer would remain at Houston for a one-year contract. This is costing the organization $21 million, which follows after Springer won the 2017 World Series MVP.
George Springer demanded $22.5 million for salary upgrades from the Houston Astros, with coaching staff offering $17.5 million instead. This prompted Springer to begin negotiations with other unnamed organizations. Houston coaching staff folded their cards and returned with a $21.5 million offer. Subsequently, the Astros retained $1 million in their negotiations, which could be returned to Springer after bonuses. Any team could’ve acquired George after being an All-Star play for three consecutive seasons, with thirty-nine home runs and an RBI of 96.
The 2017 most valuable player led the Houston Astros to the 2017 World Series. During their final game, he struck five home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, it was revealed that he knew the opponents pitching strategy. MLB confirmed that week that the Astros had used camera equipment to determine the pitching strategies of opposing teams, using the technology is more than 100+ games.