The Twins, who desperately need a third baseman who can hit (Nick Punto hits like Everett) signed Mike Lamb, who will join his former teammate steroid-free Good Guy/Bad Bat Adam Everett next year. From Joe Christensen in the Star-Tribune:
“Lamb will make $3.5 million next year and $3 million in 2009. There are performance bonuses and escalators that could make the contract worth up to $12.5 million over three years. I spoke to Lamb. He said, The reality is I’ve been a bench player for 5-6 years now. I realize the Twins are taking a chance on me, and I definitely appreciate it.
We’ll miss the guy. I wish him the best. The Astros were most definitely wrong about no other team wanting either Lamb or Everett as a full time player. Still have NO idea where we’ll find a lefty PH. Or ANY PH for that matter.
I hope.
By the way, check out Aaron Gleeman’s evaluation of Adam Everett’s defense. He provides about every link I’ve ever mentioned over the years about the evaluation of Adam’s sterling reputation with the glove.
Tags: Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, MLB
Lamb had become my favorite Astro, and I’m still mad at the Astros for letting him go. I think he’ll hit close to .300 and hit 15 or 20 HR. I think a lot of people will be surprised by how good his defense is when he plays every day.
It amazes me that the Astros were willing to pay Ensberg over $4 million last year, but they wouldn’t even try to sign Lamb, who is way better.
clutch
I was never a huge Lamb fan, because I like defense and pitching. But, he was a solid hitter, and every bit at good as Wigginton (who they are inexplicably treating like the next Brooks Robinson). Oooohhhhhh, he’s a switch hitter. Everyone stand in awe.
But that’s a rant I won’t go back to. I really hope that all of the players the Astros have traded perform well, and I hope that the Padres, D-Backs, Phillies, Twins and Orioles all go to the playoffs and make the Astros look as stupid as they were last year making that trade to the Rockies.
i am absolutely convinced that the decision to get rid of lamb and scott were STRICTLY based on personality and not performance.
same thing with everett and burke, who were, as i understand, the clubhouse “leaders.”
i am convinced that ed wade just decided to get rid of every single player he could from the astros farm system and that he has made himself popular with the fans JUST by changing out all of the players.
Letting Mike Lamb go in lieu of giving him a multi-year deal makes good business sense IF and only if in the same off season you didn’t sign the perrenial poopsmith Kaz Matsui. Otherwise, you might look pretty stupid.
That being said, Lamb is not an every day player at any position. Doesn’t have great power, never a great on base guy, and was only able to put up such good numbers b/c he was a part-time player, w/ some extra help from a flukishly high BA in ’06. Not to mention that awful, awful ’05 campaign. BTW, Ensberg was NEVER that bad, not even last year. Moreover, Ensberg’s good seasons- ’03,’05, and ’06 (let’s not be stupid, .396 OBP) were FULL SEASONS. And he can catch and throw and has range.
If the Twins are playing Everett and Lamb everyday, they are in big, big trouble.
oh kevin,
i don’t know what you are talking about. matsui runs very fast. therefore he is a great addition. plus he hits great in coors so for 3 games he’ll ROOL. if he isn’t hurt, that is.
people expected ensberg to hit like arod for some reason, from the very beginning. i never understood why he got all the crap thrown at him that he did even in 05.
thing with the twins is that everett and lamb are better than what they had. seriously.
seriously.
and you KNOW pohlad won’t part with a penny of his own billions to get a good player at a high cost even if it is the difference between winning and not winning
Kevin–
Ensberg hit .235 in 06 and .230 in 07. Yes, he draws walks, but a corner IF is expected to swing the bat and drive in runs. I guess you’ve noticed that the Padres didn’t offer him a contract.
yep
but the fans, for the most part are ECSTATIC about the moves. because ed wade has basically changed the team completely and removed almost all traces of purpura’s 10 year tenure with the astros except for wigginton – which really surprises me. but i guess i would say he’s different because he’s not ensberg and not lamb and he’s really not an astro
AND, need less to say, the farm sure as heck has not been improved.
it looks to me as if all these moves were made to make the fans happy thinking it LOOKS as if we are trying to win – although i sure as heck can’t see us even winning the division, let alone the WC, let alone the pennant.
Brian McTaggert published these comments from Lance:
Berkman said he’s worried about clubhouse chemistry after general manager Ed Wade’s drastic makeover of an Astros club that went to the World Series in 2005. Berkman is one of only five players left from that team.
“I feel like I’ve been traded to the Astros,” he said. “It’s a completely different team. It saddens me in a way. All those guys and what we’ve gone through the last couple of years, it creates a tight bond. It’s tough.
“I’ve been in this organization for 11 years and have played in the minor leagues with a lot of these guys and have seen them come up and develop, and we were very comfortable with each other. It’s been a tough offseason for me personally.”
The Astros acquired four-time All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada from Baltimore on Wednesday and All-Star closer Jose Valverde from Arizona on Friday, trading three top pitching prospects in the process.
Fist pumps a problem
Berkman said Valverde’s fist pumps and antics on the mound didn’t sit well with some Astros.
“Valverde had a good year last year, but I am not going to lie,” Berkman said. “I am definitely concerned about his antics. He’s one of the more demonstrative pitchers in the league, and I know that from playing against him that rubs guys the wrong way.
“It reflects poorly on the team and doesn’t do anything but give the opposing team fuel for the next time he goes out. I hope those issues are addressed. This team might take awhile from a chemistry standpoint to get together.
“I may not be right about that. We may get in there and everybody clicks, but I do know we had great chemistry in the clubhouse before, and that’s a question mark going into the season.”
ensberg -
it was MORE than obvious to me and a few others that mo lost his swing completely after he hurt his shoulder in june 06. he lost his timing and he lost his confidence.
but as i remember the fans never really liked him – always thought he didn’t hit enough. no matter WHAT he did it wasn’t enough. except for april 06 of course.
i got NO idea if he will ever get either one back. it will be interesting to see if he gets so much as a NRI or if he has already decided he just can’t play any more and he’s going to work. he’s one of the few guys in the ML who has a genuine college degree from a decent skool.
“Lamb is not an every day player at any position. Doesn
I guess I didn’t even really wrap up my point with all of that rambling. What I’m getting at is, this team is making a lot of moves, but they don’t seem to be getting any better. I agree with what Lisa keeps saying – they seem to making moves just for the sake of making moves. Trades and free agent acquisitions should make your team better, and I really don’t see that this team is any better than they were last year. And, in fact, when you take their pitching into consideration, I see a lot of room for this team to actually be worse than they were last year.
grinning
i had a feeling that this would come up. now all the fans will be saying – trade lance now that we got great guy tejada.
who is “supposed” to be the new “leader” – but lance is not gonna be real too happy about mr roider being named “leader”
“it looks to me as if all these moves were made to make the fans happy thinking it LOOKS as if we are trying to win – although i sure as heck can