Six Years, $100 Million

There has been a lot of talk in the major sports outlets about what a bad signing this was, but I disagree. This is exactly the kind of player the Astros needed in their terrible lineup, and I am never against a team identifying a need they have and working to fill it. The Astros needed a corner outfield bat with power to take advantage of the Little League distance short porch in left field and they acquired the best hitter on the market with those qualifications without completely breaking the bank. I don't see how anyone can slam this signing; the Astros lineup will be siginificantly better with Lee next year than it was this year. Remember, the Astros were very close to catching the Cardinals during the last week of the season, if the Astros can address the holes in their rotation they will be a trendy pick to win the NL Central next year. I just wish all of the big name guys would stop signing with the Cardinals' main rivals in the Central. Go to the West Coast or something, why would anyone want to sign with the Cubs or Astros??

What I find most interesting about this deal was the fact that the Giants also offered Lee a six year deal rumored to be worth even more than the Astros $100 million offer. This is significant because the Giants would have had no use for Mr. Barry Bonds if Lee had accepted the offer. There are many questions that are raised when we try to understand the motives behind the Giants bold offer to Lee. Are the Giants getting used to the idea of life without Barry? Are there any teams on the free agent market that are willing to take the months of steroid talk that shadows Barry in exchange for the publicity of a home run record chase and a still potent bat? Will there be collusion among owners to not sign Barry, effectively locking him out of a record chase? I feel that someone should answer these questions for me. I don't think it would be wise for either side to cut ties; for better or for worse Barry Bonds is identified with the Giants and they with him. This debate will only get more intense as Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame candidacy is debated and examined.

It's a huge can of worms and it might be opened very soon.