Astros Want Bagwell to Retire

[BigbadB]

Word out of Houston is that the Astros are planning to file an insurance claim and have told Bagwell he is not welcome at Spring Training.

 

I don't have a link, but a friend in Houston is telling me it's being reported on the radio. I'll try to confirm when I can.

 

Insurance fraud???

 

This could get interesting!

[USSoccer]

Word out of Houston is that the Astros are planning to file an insurance claim and have told Bagwell he is not welcome at Spring Training.

 

I don't have a link, but a friend in Houston is telling me it's being reported on the radio. I'll try to confirm when I can.

 

Insurance fraud???

 

This could get interesting!

 

What a classless move. Way to crap on the face of your franchise.

[TruffleShuffle]

What a classless move. Way to crap on the face of your franchise.

 

If this is true, and if there's any such thing as karma, the Astros should have a bad 2006 season.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Here's the latest on the Bagwell situation.

 

It appears that the Astros are prepared to file the insurance claim.

 

 

 

The problem is timing. The deadline for filing the insurance claim is Jan. 31. McLane's attorneys have told him that if Bagwell so much as steps on the field in spring training, the Astros probably can't collect a dime of the insurance money.

 

Once the disability claim is filed — and McLane said it will be filed — Bagwell will be examined by an insurance company's doctors. He might even be asked to go onto a playing field and show whether he can throw.

 

McLane defines "disabled" as Bagwell not being able to throw. Whether the insurance experts agree is another matter.

 

 

Basically, Bagwell has no say. The doctors will make the determination. There's discrepancies as to whether Bagwell could file a grievance through the PA.

 

Also, my source in Houston believes that once the claim is filed, the Astros have plans to make a move to acquire a "big" bat. He has no idea right now who that bat might be. He is thinking something at SS.

[sweetpeteman]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2302547

[frostwyrm]

Can't they just talk him into accepting a trade to the AL? He knows his throwing arm is in awful shape. How can he be so stupid to want to stay in the NL?

[SouthSideRyan]

Can't they just talk him into accepting a trade to the AL? He knows his throwing arm is in awful shape. How can he be so stupid to want to stay in the NL?

 

I'd imagine there isn't much demand for him. I'd imagine they'd have to eat at least 10M to get anything back at all.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Bagwell lashes back at the Astros.

 

Link.

 

“It probably will never be fixed between me and the Astros,” Bagwell said Tuesday morning in his first public comments since general manager Tim Purpura declared Monday that Bagwell “from a technical point of view right now he is a disabled player. He can’t play professional baseball -- certainly not at the National League at this point.”

 

 

Bagwell has some scathing comments for the team.

 

 

“To me more than anything else, it’s just amazing how bad they don’t want me to play,” said the Astros’ all-time leader in home runs and RBIs. “Anything else said it’s just not the truth. They just want to collect their money. It’s an awkward situation. It’s just amazing to me how much they don’t want me to play.”

 

 

 

And it looks like Bagwell still intends to report to spring training.

 

Although the Astros may not be able to recoup on the insurance if Bagwell practices this spring, Bagwell is committed to going to spring training. He adamantly plans to be at Osceola County Stadium next month with his teammates.

 

“I sure do,” he says. “Formalities or whatever, the thing to me is I am a under contract for 2006. No matter whatever is said or not, it should be no matter. I know I have a bad shoulder. I know I’m coming off surgery. I just want to have an opportunity to see if I can play.”

 

[Balsa]

http://www.progressiveboink.com/dugout/archive/jon12.htm

[CubinNY]

http://www.progressiveboink.com/dugout/archive/jon12.htm

 

That is fantastic

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

The claim has been filed.

 

Link

 

On a more pressing front, the Astros filed their insurance claim with Lloyd's of London to recoup $15.6 million of the $17 million Bagwell is set to earn this year.

 

The Astros had until Jan. 31 to file their claim, but they took care of it Friday.

 

"This is just part of the legal responsibility," McLane said. "If we didn't file a claim by the end of the month we would void the (insurance) contract. This doesn't determine anything.

 

"We hope to sit down and negotiate something with the insurance company. The next step is with the insurance company."

 

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

More on Bagwell's quandry from Buster Olney's blog.

 

Here's some interesting thoughts that have been said here and other places:

 

There really is no way to settle this. In theory, Bagwell could pursue a negotiated settlement of his $17 million salary to give the Astros enough financial relief to make the situation more palpable to the team. But under longstanding union rules, this is not permitted; contract values cannot be renegotiated downward, a principle acknowledged and honored by Major League Baseball (this is why the A-Rod-to-Boston deal fell apart a couple of years ago).

 

 

So, it's unlikely a settlement that allows Bagwell to play will exist.

 

And the Astros can't release him either...

 

The Astros cannot protect themselves by releasing Bagwell, because they have to assume that some other team would be willing to give Bagwell a minimum-salary deal and a chance to prove he can still play -- and that would effectively gut their insurance claim (If Bagwell, a model citizen, was released and not offered any job for minimum salary, Axelrod would have a heck of a case for collusion).

 

And a note on this silly policy...

 

Some teams arrange their insurance along a sliding scale that would allow the club to recover a proportional part of the player's salary. In other words, if Player A misses the entire season, the team might recover 90 percent of his salary, and if Player A played a quarter of the games, the team could recover 75 percent of the salary, etc. But that does not appear to be the case with the Astros' insurance on Bagwell: It appears to be an all-or-nothing policy. If he doesn't play, the team gets the money, and if he does play, the team doesn't get their money.

 

So, would the Astros physically prevent Bagwell from showing up in Kissimee?

 

Axelrod doesn't think the conflict will reach the point where the Astros physically prevent Bagwell from stepping onto a practice field in spring training -- "that would open a whole new can of worms," he said -- but he knows there is a good chance that Bagwell's situation will become a point of enormous controversy.

 

 

"Craig Biggio had a great point the other day," said Axelrod, who represents the second baseman, as well. "The only thing that's good for Jeff is that his girls are too young to know what's going on, and they won't have to hear about it in school."

 

Either way, it looks like there's going to be lots of distractions for the Astros this spring. This kind of makes the Sosa distractions look petty.

[stitchface]

Interesting predicament. I saw in one of the articles that Dr. Andrews actually examined Bagwell from his hospital bed - very odd!

[Brian]

so this means that the astros will have a horrible start and about midseason start playing well and win the wild card :x

[wolf stansson]

I just read this thread to see if I still didn't care about Jeff Bagwell. And I don't. Screw Jeff Bagwell.

 

If he stays that's just millions of dollars of dead weight so I'd kind of like to see him stay.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Bagwell's agent says his shoulder is stronger than it's been in a long time.

 

Link

 

"He is in better condition at this stage than he's been in four years," said Bagwell's longtime agent, Barry Axelrod. "He wants to play, and he thinks he can play."

 

McLane's other big problem is that the Astros activated Bagwell in September and for the playoffs, and he's done nothing to aggravate his injury during the winter.

[indifferent]

Bagwell's agent says his shoulder is stronger than it's been in a long time.

 

Link

 

McLane's other big problem is that the Astros activated Bagwell in September and for the playoffs, and he's done nothing to aggravate his injury during the winter.

 

This statement to me is the nail in the coffin for McLane and the Astros. If they don't have evidence he's done anything to aggravate his injury since the playoffs, how are they able to refute the fact they deemed him healthy enough to activate him for the playoffs?

[stitchface]

Bagwell's agent says his shoulder is stronger than it's been in a long time.

 

Link

 

McLane's other big problem is that the Astros activated Bagwell in September and for the playoffs, and he's done nothing to aggravate his injury during the winter.

 

This statement to me is the nail in the coffin for McLane and the Astros. If they don't have evidence he's done anything to aggravate his injury since the playoffs, how are they able to refute the fact they deemed him healthy enough to activate him for the playoffs?

 

He proved in the playoffs he couldn't play? I think they will argue that they activated him to pinch hit but that his contract was to play first base. If he can't throw, he can't play 1b.

[astrosfan34]

Astros fan here.

 

For me, this is really complex. On the one hand, I don't blame McLane for wanting that insurance policy. I actually think the Astros would be better off competitively if Bagwell retired. On the other hand, Bagwell is my favorite all-time player, and this money does not seem like an unreasonable price for Drayton to pay for Bagwell's services over his career. I believe that Bagwell has earned the right to be given a shot for next year.

 

Either way, I don't see this being too huge of a distraction for the Astros. Bagwell will not be a dividing force like Sammy was. I think this will end in Drayton just giving and letting Bagwell stick around.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Astros fan here.

 

Name gave it away. :wink:

[Mike Scott]

I actually think the Astros would be better off competitively if Bagwell retired.

 

If Bagwell can play, the Astros could be a considerably better offensive team. Defensively, if he can throw first to third than I'm all for him coming back. I'd love nothing more than for Bagwell to have a really solid year. He's a class act who you have to chear on. Berkman reports that he has extra mobility since the surgery so he should be able to do a decent job in left. My big concern is Wilson in center. He's much more suited to left with his knees. Regardless, I'm rooting for Bagwell through all of this.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I actually think the Astros would be better off competitively if Bagwell retired.

 

If Bagwell can play, the Astros could be a considerably better offensive team. Defensively, if he can throw first to third than I'm all for him coming back. I'd love nothing more than for Bagwell to have a really solid year. He's a class act who you have to chear on. Berkman reports that he has extra mobility since the surgery so he should be able to do a decent job in left. My big concern is Wilson in center. He's much more suited to left with his knees. Regardless, I'm rooting for Bagwell through all of this.

 

What if he can throw from first to third but it's a rainbow throw?

[SouthSideRyan]

What if he can roll it really fast to 3rd?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

What if he can roll it really fast to 3rd?

 

Works for me.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I actually think the Astros would be better off competitively if Bagwell retired.

 

If Bagwell can play, the Astros could be a considerably better offensive team. Defensively, if he can throw first to third than I'm all for him coming back. I'd love nothing more than for Bagwell to have a really solid year. He's a class act who you have to chear on. Berkman reports that he has extra mobility since the surgery so he should be able to do a decent job in left. My big concern is Wilson in center. He's much more suited to left with his knees. Regardless, I'm rooting for Bagwell through all of this.

 

Who plays instead of Bagwell if he isn't back? When he did play last year he wasn't a very good offensive player, especially poor for a 1B.