The Houston Astros are in search of another starting pitcher after Justin Verlander and now, it appears, Jose Urquidy will not be ready for Opening Day.
Urquidy is back in Houston undergoing tests to see what exactly is ailing his right elbow after exiting an MLB Spring Training game on Friday after 43 pitches.
As soon as Urquidy took his exit, reports began to surface that the Astros were in hot pursuit of two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, the top free agent remaining on the market.
However, according to USA Today, while Snell is open to a short-term deal, something Houston would likely require, the Astros are balking at his asking price of a reported $66 million over two years.
Now, Snell is a Scott Boras client, an agent known for getting the most out of teams for his players. But in recent years the asking prices have begun to get so exorbitant that many teams, not just Houston, are balking at the money.
This offseason has been a particularly poor winter for Boras clients as two of his top four clients had to settle for what are essentially one-year deals after Cody Bellinger signed back with the Chicago Cubs and Matt Chapman signed with the San Francisco Giants.
His two other clients, Snell and Jordan Montgomery, remain unsigned as Opening Day looms.
Snell has a place on the Astros' roster, it will just come down to whether or not Snell and Boras are willing to come down on the asking price.
It also remains to be seen who Snell's other suitors are at this point. It appears the New York Yankees have no interest in meeting Snell's price tag despite Gerrit Cole going down for one to two months.
Something will have to give.
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