Astros fans will be shocked by team that almost stole Craig Biggio in free agency

Houston Astros fans are likely to be well aware of Craig Biggio's Hall of Fame tenure with the team, even if he usually beat the team's drum under the radar. Across 20 seasons from 1988 to 2007, Biggio racked up 3,060 hits, 668 doubles, 291 home runs, and 414 stolen bases while making seven All-Star teams along the way. Of all the great players to ever wear an Astros uniform, he is in the discussion as one of the absolute best.

However, his time with the Astros came VERY close to being cut short during some contentious contract negotiations. According to Biggio in an interview with Jon Morosi, talks during his free agency after the 1994 season very, very nearly resulted in him signing with the Rockies of all teams.

Craig Biggio was "minutes" from becoming a Rockie before the 1995 season. No, seriously.

In the interview, Biggio indicated that the Astros owner at the time, Drayton McLane Jr., took a hard line in contract talks with him despite his performance on the field and importance to the team. Biggio really wanted to come back, but he also wasn't going to be taken advantage of. So, his agent got to work and they basically had an offer from Colorado in hand. While the present day Rockies are a bit of a joke, they were a force to be contended with in those days, with Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Dante Bichette, and Vinny Castilla leading a legitimately scary offense.

Fortunately, this story had a happy ending. Clearly, Houston's front office under-estimated Biggio's willingness to leave, and once they were confronted with the prospect of losing him, the team finally relented and gave Biggio a four-year deal to his liking. The rest is history, and the Blake Street Bombers lost out on the piece that might've put them over the top in the process.

While it is hard to imagine Astros history without Biggio in it, relations between Biggio and McLane remained fraught. Biggio's request for a contract extension in 2003 required a late night meeting between the two sides and a last-second deal to keep him around. The present day Astros are fortunate that getting Jose Altuve locked down this past offseason did not involve nearly as much drama.

More Astros News from Climbing Tal's Hill