Loretta Mark Loretta will sign with the Houston Astros on Thursday, his agent said. The agreed-to deal is for one year at $2.5 million, but could be worth as much as $3.5 million with incentives, said Loretta's agent, Bob Garber. The free-agent second baseman had multiple offers, including ones from the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds. While the Rangers offered more money, Garber said Houston was a better opportunity. Craig Biggio has long been entrenched as the starting second baseman for the Astros. But Garber said Loretta, who has also played first, third and shortstop during his career, will play "all over the infield" for Houston. "We wanted to wait until the second-base market got better. The market is great for everyone but second basemen," Garber said. Loretta, a 12-year veteran, played for the Boston Red Sox last season, hitting .285 in 155 games. He has previously played for the Brewers, Astros and Padres and has a career .299 average and .987 career fielding percentage. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2719795
Wow! That's a great signing by the Astros. He can play all infield spots and be our new Billy Spiers...again. If this is true, great move by Purpura.
This makes no sense to me. Surely Loretta is still worthy of a starting 2B spot somewhere in MLB, isn't he? He's been fairly productive at the plate over the last few seasons, at least from an OBP standpoint.
I LOVE THIS SIGNING!! This is big news guys....Loretta is rock solid with the glove and will hit .300... Way to go Timmy!!! This is the best move of the offseason for the Stros. I predict Loretta will see most of the action at 2b after Bidge gets 3,000, but he's a ncie fallback option if Ensberg goes in the crapper.
So great to get some Astros news. Loved Loretta when he was here the first time; thrilled he's back. I'm asking the tooth faerie for a freaking pitcher, since Santa and Baby New Year both let me down. If the tooth faerie and Lucky the Leprechaun let me down, it'll be up to the Easter Bunny.
We probably should have never let him go in the first place... this is definitely a QUALITY signing... kinda reminds me of Hun picking Mike Lamb for cheap. Good job Fatty Tim.
Wow, I didnt see this one coming...great signing for sure. He'll do some good things to that team batting average.
This is great news.....this guy can hit... i see this move as a precursor to a trade of some sort....theres no way they are gonna let this guy's bat sit on the bench (not to mention...hes a decent fielder too) this guy can make a difference if we get him 400 + ABs
Certainly an interesting move. He's the perfect insurance player for all our what-ifs. If Scott/Lane sucks, Berkman can move to RF and Loretta plays 1st. If Ensberg sucks, Loretta plays 3rd. If Biggio sucks or gets to 3000, Loretta can play some 2nd. If the offense needs a jolt and Everett is normal Everett, Loretta can play SS. All in all, gives the team a whole lot more flexibility if he's willing to play that type of do-whatever-it-takes role.
Doubtful he gets 400+ AB's. He is what he is... a solid hitter who is now 35, and has seen his numbers decline in three consecutive seasons. I don't think there has to be a trade... this guy will serve a similiar role to what Mike Lamb has done. A guy who can fill in at his position without fail, can hit well, and brings a veteran presence. The article says he'll play all over the infield... its a good thing to have, especially if the offense goes into another huge tailspin (which we can afford even less now), and thus he can spell Everett/Biggio/Ensberg (whoever is sucking more).
A nice signing......let's hope Biggio gets out to his usual hot start and gets his 3000th hit by end of June, giving the Astros much more flexibility going through the rest of the season. DD
Nice Move, I have hated just about everything the Stros have done this offseason but this one makes sense. We must have guys who can step in at second and short and not be sure outs. I say we go to battle with Biggio, Ensberg and Everrett but with Lamb, Loretta and Bruntlett we have guys who can step in when the other guys slump. This is a proactive move and I like it. We still have zero team speed but we now have an above average pitching staff (not great) but above average. Avg def (infield above avg, outfield below) and avg lineup but a great hitter in Berkman and a top flight power guy in Lee could make this above avg (we will see) I see a 85 win team with potential for 90 wins. We need to make a move or have everything break right to win 95 and the NL central.
Eh. Loretta isn't a good hitter anymore and his defense at 2nd is pretty bad. He catches what he gets to but he doesn't get to much. As a backup player he's fine I guess but he's nothing to get excited about anymore.
Great insurance against Biggio or Ensberg crashing and burning this season. Question: Are we looking to move Ensberg now for a back of the rotation starter?
He wasn't signed to be a savior... if we didn't sign Lee, and this was our only "offensive upgrade", then maybe we can criticize the move. This team has the ability to do a lot of things well... maybe not spectacularly, but I won't have a fear of the offense being downright mediocre. Starting pitching is solid... not amazing, but solid... and you could pretty much make that conclusion if it was just Oswalt and 4 stiffs (I believe that much in Roy). But, Jennings, Woody, and Nieve/Sampson/Albers will give you some quality starts as well. Bullpen is solid... and has a chance to be spectacular if Lidge's off-season recuperation is going like it should. Lineup is solid... and has a chance to be even better if just one of the following guys has a bustout season: Ensberg, Scott, Burke.
Didn't Loretta play SS for us the last time around? I suspect that this move will make Burke our CF for all 162 games, thus, the avoiding the Lane experiment in CF.
Great Pickup. After Biggio gets his 3000 hit, Loretta should be everyday 2B. He can also play SS, 3B. Can't believe the Timmy could do something like this.
Fantastic. But I'm pissed at McLane. He's being a cheapskate. He should have offered more money like the Rangers did. Cheap...cheap....cheap. More hometown deals, Mr. McLane?? More trying to be a winner, today, Mr. McLane?? What a joke.
