HOUSTON -- Astros manager A.J. Hinch pulled double duty at Tony Sipp's wedding recently. While celebrating the nuptials of the left-handed reliever, he was also making a pitch of his own -- a sales pitch of sorts to then free-agent reliever Joe Smith.
Negotiations between the Astros and the veteran sidearmer were already underway, and Hinch had been needling general manager Jeff Luhnow to "hurry" up the negotiating process.
"I was ready to sign him at Tony Sipp's wedding," Hinch said. "It was nice of Sipp to get married so we could start the recruiting process.