We’re all aware by now that the Astros aren’t exactly flush with cash this offseason, at least according to the reports. It wasn’t an unexpected development as the club’s payroll is already projected to exceed the first tax threshold — $237 million — following the signing of Victor Caratini. Only once has Jim Crane exceeded the first threshold and paid the tax, well, he was until MLB didn’t collect on those payments due to the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. Otherwise, Crane has shied away from exceeding any of the thresholds laid out in the CBA. Combine this historical reluctance along with lessened revenue from broadcast rights fees, it ought not to have been a surprise that the Astros have operated with more financial restraint than the organization did last offseason.
In The Not-So-Distant Future: The Upcoming Ryan Pressly-Bryan Abreu Decision
