Alright folks, let me walk you through how I dug into the Kirby Yates and Astros deal details today. Woke up super early, coffee already cold, seeing the headlines everywhere about his new contract. Just says “terms agreed,” nobody actually laying out the numbers. Drives me nuts.
First thing I did was hit the team’s official site. Dead end. Just the usual fluff – “exciting addition,” “bolstering the bullpen.” Zero specifics. Waste of time clicking around.
Started poking around the usual big sports news spots next. Nothing solid. Lots of “sources say” and guesses based on his age and old performance. Somebody mentioned he took less to stay in Houston. Felt like chasing my tail.
Finally remembered this one smaller reporter who’s been weirdly accurate about Astros money stuff before. Found him on a secondary platform. Boom. There it was, right in his feed – not screaming headlines, but the real meat.
Here’s the messy breakdown I pulled together:
- The Base Deal: Straight up one year. Worth less than I thought – only $5.5 million guaranteed. Figured he’d get more, but maybe that injury stuff from before still hangs around?
- Performance Bonuses: This got confusing. Looks like they stacked a bunch of “if he does X, he gets Y” money in there. Based on how much he actually pitches? Like, if he hits like 55 or 60 game appearances? Adds another $1 million maybe?
- Games Finished Bonuses: Specific extra cash tied to actually closing out games. Another cool mil if he finishes 50 games. Makes sense, they want him slamming the door in the 9th.
Took me another hour just to make sure I understood how these bonuses stacked or didn’t stack. Made myself a little chart in my notebook. Kept crossing it out and starting over. Annoying.
Bottom line, from what I pieced together? It feels like a solid “show us you’re still that guy” deal for Yates. The team protects themselves if the health stuff crops up again ($5.5m ain’t huge for a closer), but Kirby gets a legit shot to earn way more if he’s back to full strength and handling the ninth.
That whole “low base with high upside” thing. Took way longer than I wanted just to find scraps. Makes you appreciate when someone actually puts the numbers out there. Still wish teams were just upfront about this junk.
