Is there a team with more to prove going into 2008 than the Houston Astros, especially coming off a 73-89 season?
What do you do when you need to make big changes to the club that finished 16 games under .500? You bring in a new GM (Ed Wade), a new manager (Cecil Cooper) and get right to work during the offseason to make this team better.
So, with that in mind, new general manager Ed Wade wasted no time in making some jaw dropping moves, trading for SS Miguel Tejada and former Arizona closer Jose Valverde. Both moves, however, have drawn criticism for giving up too much and making a deal for a player who was named just a day later in the Mitchell Report (Tejada).
Arrivals:
2B Kazuo Matsui (free agent)
RHP Doug Brocail (free agent)
RHP Geoff Geary (trade)
RHP Oscar Villarreal (trade)
IF Geoff Blum (free agent)
OF Reggie Abercrombie (waiver)
OF Michael Bourn (trade)
OF Yordany Ramirez (free agent)
LHP Wesley Wright (Rule 5)
SS Miguel Tejada (trade)
RHP Jose Valverde (trade)
RHP Ryan Houston (waiver)
Darin Erstad (free agent)
RHP Chad Paronto (free agent)
RHP Jack Cassel (free agent)
Departures:
LHP Trever Miller
OF Josh Anderson
RHP Brad Lidge
IF Eric Bruntlett
RHP Jason Jennings
OF Orlando Palmeiro
IF Mike Lamb
RHP Brian Moehler
SS Adam Everett
RHP Chad Qualls
2B Chris Burke
RHP Juan Gutierrez
RHP Dennis Sarfate
LHP Troy Patton
OF Luke Scott
3B Mike Costanzo
RHP Matt Albers
Among the additions to the Astros roster are 4 former San Diego Padres. Geoff Blum, Doug Brocail, Yordany Ramirez and Jack Cassell were all signed as free agents this offseason. Though there are new faces to this team, there are a lot of faces that fans had gotten used to seeing that won't be on the field when the 2008 season opens. Chris Burke, Adam Everett, Luke Scott, Mike Lamb, Jason Jennings and Brad Lidge will all be with new teams in 2008, but the one big name missing from the roster is 2nd baseman Craig Biggio who retired after the 2007 season.
The question this team faces is their starting rotation. Leading the rotation is ace Roy Oswalt along with Wandy Rodriguez, Woody Williams and possible Brandon Backe, but are any of those names, with exception to Oswalt and maybe Woody, for sure? I guess we'll see how the younger pitchers fare in spring training.
Prediction Time:
Though the Astros have made a lot of moves, they didn't upgrade their rotation which will end up really hurting this ballclub in the long run. Yes they have a guy who has shown he can shut the door in the 9th (Valverde), but if your rotation can't hand a lead to the bullpen, how many games is he going to be able to close out? Yes, their offense is going to put up runs, especially with guys like Tejada, Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman in the same lineup, but I just don't think it's going to be enough.
Astros - 79-83
What do you do when you need to make big changes to the club that finished 16 games under .500? You bring in a new GM (Ed Wade), a new manager (Cecil Cooper) and get right to work during the offseason to make this team better.
So, with that in mind, new general manager Ed Wade wasted no time in making some jaw dropping moves, trading for SS Miguel Tejada and former Arizona closer Jose Valverde. Both moves, however, have drawn criticism for giving up too much and making a deal for a player who was named just a day later in the Mitchell Report (Tejada).
Arrivals:
2B Kazuo Matsui (free agent)
RHP Doug Brocail (free agent)
RHP Geoff Geary (trade)
RHP Oscar Villarreal (trade)
IF Geoff Blum (free agent)
OF Reggie Abercrombie (waiver)
OF Michael Bourn (trade)
OF Yordany Ramirez (free agent)
LHP Wesley Wright (Rule 5)
SS Miguel Tejada (trade)
RHP Jose Valverde (trade)
RHP Ryan Houston (waiver)
Darin Erstad (free agent)
RHP Chad Paronto (free agent)
RHP Jack Cassel (free agent)
Departures:
LHP Trever Miller
OF Josh Anderson
RHP Brad Lidge
IF Eric Bruntlett
RHP Jason Jennings
OF Orlando Palmeiro
IF Mike Lamb
RHP Brian Moehler
SS Adam Everett
RHP Chad Qualls
2B Chris Burke
RHP Juan Gutierrez
RHP Dennis Sarfate
LHP Troy Patton
OF Luke Scott
3B Mike Costanzo
RHP Matt Albers
Among the additions to the Astros roster are 4 former San Diego Padres. Geoff Blum, Doug Brocail, Yordany Ramirez and Jack Cassell were all signed as free agents this offseason. Though there are new faces to this team, there are a lot of faces that fans had gotten used to seeing that won't be on the field when the 2008 season opens. Chris Burke, Adam Everett, Luke Scott, Mike Lamb, Jason Jennings and Brad Lidge will all be with new teams in 2008, but the one big name missing from the roster is 2nd baseman Craig Biggio who retired after the 2007 season.
The question this team faces is their starting rotation. Leading the rotation is ace Roy Oswalt along with Wandy Rodriguez, Woody Williams and possible Brandon Backe, but are any of those names, with exception to Oswalt and maybe Woody, for sure? I guess we'll see how the younger pitchers fare in spring training.
Prediction Time:
Though the Astros have made a lot of moves, they didn't upgrade their rotation which will end up really hurting this ballclub in the long run. Yes they have a guy who has shown he can shut the door in the 9th (Valverde), but if your rotation can't hand a lead to the bullpen, how many games is he going to be able to close out? Yes, their offense is going to put up runs, especially with guys like Tejada, Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman in the same lineup, but I just don't think it's going to be enough.
Astros - 79-83
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