havent seen this posted yet... btw this is my first new thread http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071120&content_id=2304867&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou HOUSTON -- Astros general manager Ed Wade continued the roster-shaping process Tuesday with the addition of free agent utilityman Geoff Blum to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million plus incentives. The contract includes a club option for a second year. Blum might not be the only former Astros player returning to Houston by way of San Diego, as Wade confirmed the Astros are interested in right-hander Doug Brocail, Blum's teammate with the Padres in 2007. "We're happy to have Geoff back in an Astros uniform," Wade said. "He is a very versatile player who can fill a lot of defensive roles and he swings a very good bat. While his versatility is a big plus, Geoff also has the ability to go out and play one position on a regular basis, giving us a lot of protection on the field. Plus, he's got great makeup and will bring energy to our club." The 34-year-old hit .252 with five home runs and 33 RBIs for San Diego in 2007. In 122 games last season, he appeared at five different positions, including second base (61), third base (13), shortstop (12), left field (9) and first base (1). The majority of his starts were made as a second baseman (55). The switch-hitter spent the last two seasons with San Diego and appeared in four games for the Padres in the 2006 National League Division Series vs. St. Louis. Blum, who spent the 2002-03 seasons with Houston, beat the Astros with a home run for the Chicago White Sox in the 14th inning of Game 3 of the 2005 World Series. Blum owns a .251 career average with 71 home runs and 344 RBIs in 1,022 games since 1999. He has appeared at every position except catcher, pitcher and center field in his career. Additionally, Blum has appeared at all four infield spots in each of the past eight seasons. During his past three seasons, Blum has been an integral utility player on three winning teams, including the World Series club with Chicago and a division championship club with San Diego in 2006. In the past three years, Blum's teams have a combined winning percentage of .567. Brocail, 40, told Houston television station KRIV that he would like to rejoin the Astros, a team he last pitched for in 1996, and that his agent, Barry Meister, had been pursuing that possibility on his behalf. Hot Stove "I would like to be an Astro and pitch here in Houston," Brocail told KRIV. "It's still my home. They know that. We're trying to get there." The 13-year veteran missed the 2001-03 seasons after having multiple surgeries on his right elbow. He also underwent a pair of angioplasties in the spring of 2006 to remove a coronary blockage. Brocail came back big, and in 2007 he went 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 67 games for San Diego. In his last seven seasons, a span of 426 innings, Brocail has allowed just 27 home runs despite facing more than 1,800 batters. He was particularly effective in the seventh inning. Of the 20 times San Diego manager Bud Black summoned Brocail to work the seventh, 17 times the right-hander held the opposition scoreless. The veteran would seem to fit in a young bullpen that recently added right-handers Geoff Geary and Oscar Villarreal to go with right-handed setup man Chad Qualls. Combined with holdovers such as Dave Borkowski, Trever Miller, Dennis Sarfate and Chris Sampson, manager Cecil Cooper will have added depth in the bullpen. In other news, Wade announced that the Astros have purchased the contracts of right-handed pitchers Samuel Gervacio, Brad James and Chad Reineke and added the players to the club's 40-man roster. The team also announced that the Pittsburgh Pirates were awarded the contract of right-hander Jimmy Barthmaier on an irrevocable waiver claim, removing him from the 40-man roster. Gervacio, 22, was 1-3 with a team-high 18 saves and 2.44 ERA, including 80 strikeouts in 39 games for Class A Salem last season. He was named a 2007 Carolina League All-Star. Gervacio finished the season at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he was 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 13 games. James, 23, split the 2007 season between Salem and Corpus Christi and finished the season 1-5 with a 5.17 ERA in nine games -- all starts -- for the Hooks. The Carolina League All-Star played 16 games for Salem and was 9-2 with a league-best 1.98 ERA. Reineke, 25, posted a 4.68 ERA with a 5-5 record in 32 games (16 starts) for the Triple-A Round Rock Express in 2007. Barthmaier, 23, was 2-9 with a 6.20 ERA in 24 games (16 starts) for Corpus Christi last season. The right-hander earned South Atlantic League All-Star and postseason All-Star honors while posting a 2.27 ERA in 2005. The Houston 40-man roster now stands at 34 players. Jim Molony is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
posted in the Blum thread below at the end of it http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=3263150&postcount=47 But hey, a signing could deserve its own thread.. no biggie, first time and all
I suspect he's thinking that he'd like a veteran guy who pitched in 67 games with a 3.05 ERA in 2007.
see other thread.. others have noted his recent stats (and decent career ERA) and willingness to take a hometown discount
Does this mean we aren't signing Loretta? I think Blum is a downgrade from Loretta, so how does this improve the team?
The 13-year veteran missed the 2001-03 seasons after having multiple surgeries on his right elbow. He also underwent a pair of angioplasties in the spring of 2006 to remove a coronary blockage. 40 year old who needed angioplasty? Now that's f*cked up. Astros are not in a win now mode, so I say we pass.
how do we know that yet? we certainly have the meat of the order for it. we have a top of the rotation starter. we hear they're trying to work on more pitchers for the rotation. we've improved at catcher (at least from an offensive standpoint). we've added speed to the top of the lineup. we already added one legit bullpen arm. adding brocail for very little money seems like a fine idea. we're not taking on crazy money to add doug brocail. if this team is able to add some legit starting pitching, i don't know why that can't compete in the NL Central.
40-year-old who came back from needing an angioplasty to post a 3.05 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 67 games. Screwed up!? How about awesome. I'm not predicting he'll do that in '08 (not by any means), but what a remarkable achievement. Kudos to him.
if consensus means, "including MadMax," then no. you have a silver slugger in left...an all-star at first...and a star waiting to happen in right. you have one of the best pitchers in the game at the top of your rotation. that's more than enough to build around and field a playoff team. i'd argue we've seen with teams with far less than that make the playoffs and win while there.
I'm starting to think the whole "win now" thing is poppycock. How many "win now" teams actually won "now"? If by "win now", you mean spend a ton of jack, and sell off your farm to get superstar players or solid-to-above-average players that fill holes, that's not how Boston, St. Louis, or Chicago won it the last three years. Boston just won it with two freaking rookies from their own system. "Win now". Horsecrap. "Build now, win now." How abouts "we" do that instead?
Only problem is the above players lead the Astros to one of the worst records in baseball last year. And we don't have the prospects or starters, that we can replace internally, that would be required to land a top of the order pitcher. The well is dry. I would rather see what our AAA arms can do in The Bigs next year than sign old farts who will not be here in a few years when the Astros are a better team.
we'll see. i think that's why we're adding the guys we've added, including the kid from the padres we picked up. luke scott is available...as is burke.
With the space left on the 40-man, perhaps that's a both/and proposition, rather than an either/or proposition. Besides, to "sign old farts who will not be here in a few years when the Astros are a better team" means that we won't be laden with old fart contracts at that time. Seems good to me.
