He’s going to be a backup to Dewitt, (probably) Blake and Hu knows for 1.9 mill.
The Astros have let both Loretta and Newhan go and have signed ex-Diamondback Matt Kata, the very definition of a AAAA guy. Their explanation is that they want someone who can play second AND short, to allow Tejada to have days off. You know, like Burke was there to give Biggio a day off here and there.
It is true that Kata is signed to a cheaper minor league contract, saving around a mill. Isn’t that special. But the guy played 9 games at SS on 07, 1 game in 05, 1 game in 04 and 6 games in 03. HARDLY what I’d call a guy who can “play short.” His bat isn’t even up to Newhan’s – the guy the Astros chose to keep off the 40 man for fear they might could have to pay him an extra hundred thou.
Kata spent 08 in AAA for the Pirates, who had a lineup FULL of topnotch .300 hitting infielders. And his OPS there was .680. His last stint in the majors was in 07, in which he had 70 AB for the Rangers and 88 for the Pirates with an OPS of .602. Oh WHERE is Brad Ausmus’ mighty bat when you really NEED it?
Seriously, the guys ML line reads .242/.296/.381/.667 – and that is because 288 of his 645 ABs came in 2003, his first year, in which he had a .725 OPS. His very top OPS was .629, 4 years ago.
A SS who can back up Tejada – my butt.
Oh yeah – and forget an Adam Everett comeback – he just signed with the Tigers.
We’d better pray Maysonnet can manage to hit. Tommy Manzella hit AAA pitching worse than Adam Everett did.
Oh yeah – the only decent, cheap FA catcher signed with the Braves. Will be interesting to see who Fast Eddie manages to pick up because from all indications, Towles is finished as an Astro.
Tags: Houston Astros
What do you think about a possible deal for Julio Lugo if the money is mostly taken care of?
lugo is a terrible fielder and he can’t hit any more. i’d rather move tejada to third (if wiggy is gone) and play manzella. it’s not like we are gonna win anything with lugo/tejada
lisa
I agree with you on that suggestion, I think that would be a very logical and good move, also probably improving the defense at both positions considerably.
Lugo sux.
and plays hard, but he’s an average to slightly above average 3B and we can get more for him than he’s worth. And we NEED young prospects under control.
Wade should definitely move Wiggy; there’s no way Wiggy has as big a year next year as he did in 2008, and he’ll certainly never have a year like the month he had after Lee broke his finger.
Wiggy’s value is sky high, there’s a strong market for 3B, and we should move him while he’s got value and snag ML-ready (or within a year ready) starting pitchers, or perhaps a catcher.
I like Wiggy, he’s scrappy (right, Lisa?
And we should definitely dump Tejada if we can find someone to take at least half his salary and give us even on decent prospect.
I have NO trouble moving either wiggy or tejada. i just don’t wanna sign some suckulous guy like jose castillo to replace em.
thig is that these days, you can’t get much in the way of prospects from vets unless you eat a lot of the salary. and i can’t see drayton agreeing to pay that much for prospects.
and youbetcha, wiggy is scrapperific
drayton is intent on cutting payroll and he is trying his darndest to trade wiggy and tejada. wonder who is supposed to be the 5th starter?
I didn’t care all that much for the original Wheels for Wigs deal when it happened. We’re trading a decent scrappy reliever who’s going through a rough patch for a well-traveled, unspectacular 2B/3B no-name.
Then, as a Devil Ray Wheeler resumed his blowup, and Wiggy continued his unspectacularity with us. But 2008 came, and, maybe because he finally felt as though he belonged somewhere, Wiggy stepped up. When he replaced Lee, for example, it was hard to notice any decrease in production.
All over the place I am hearing that he had a once-in-a-career year, but no one provides any substantiation. Who can say that this 31 year-old isn’t entering the prime years of his career and is set to build on his nice numbers from 2008?
So what if he’s about to cost more? You got anyone better available?
you make a pretty valid point and obsevation wags.
I tend to agree with you.
wags,
the wheels for wiggy trade was done because they wanted an excuse to just use lamb as a PH.
i have no objection to keeping him THIS year. and even if he matched his career numbers, that would be fine with me.
trouble is that unca draytie is ordering fast eddie to cut payroll and SOMEone who earns more than minimum HAS to go.
lee has made it MORE than clear that he will refuse any trade and he has said so on the record.
lance will only agree to go to therangers (and, i think, cincy) roy would be traded for a bigger conttract and a whole LOT of teams would luuuvvv him, but we have absolutely NO ONE to replace him. heck, we don’t have anyone to replace backe.
so that leaves wiggy, tejada and valverde.
we have absolutely NO ONE to replace valverde and you can’t have any sort of team with no closer. and hawkins is NOT a closer.
tejada can’t really be traded straight up unless he is a straight out salary dump in which we get some nobody who won’t go nowheres, just to have a trade.
so that leaves wiggy.
me i’d rather trade tejada, play mansella and his weak bat and great glove and keep wiggy.
but i suppose if we get rid of wiggy, we’d have to take blum offn the bench and play him full time. and his bat + glove is the very definition of “replacement level.” of course, he doesn’t walk or K looking, so the fans won’t hate him like they did mo ensberg.
i hear tell that saccomanna’s glove makes lamb look like rolen, so he isn’t gonna be playing there. and chris johnson just finished AA, and he ain’t no ryan braun.
i suppose they just gonna sign some crappy guy offn the scrap heap who is cheap to play.
sigh
“i suppose they just gonna sign some crappy guy offn the scrap heap who is cheap to play.”
Like Ensberg, huh?
LIKE him.
NOT him