ummm...no offense, but this is a pretty ignorant post. I amazes me how little people understand about how much a catcher can influence a game, especially one like Ausmus. I agree that his offense is terrible, but he's one of the best in the game at understanding how to use pitchers, and how to handle hitters. His arm isn't quite what it used to be, but he's still one of the best at blocking behind the plate. Let me guess, you think we should keep Everette on the bench when he's healthy, right?
i'm accusing you of either lying, or being a naive fool with no capacity for common sense. don't worry about what i think of you though. nobody here respects my opinion anyway.
Also, for those that are somewhat rational here (not rocketfat) you have to keep in mind that Ensberg's value plummeted this year. While he greatly struggled over the last few months of 2006, he was coming off consecutive seasons of a .950 OPS and a .860 OPS. That, in itself, carried some value, and so the Astros weren't just offering to give him away. But this year... his OPS has been in the .600s for most of the year, and for a third baseman, that's horrible. Obviously, the asking price was greatly reduced, but then the incentive to take him on with his current contract wasn't as high because his perceived chance for a rebound was diminished. That's why the DFA. Maybe they'll get lucky and get a couple of lower prospects for him in the 10-day period, but I'd be surprised... we'll see.
Then you probably shouldn't read or listen to any Astros content from any media on any level, because if you believe that, then everybody's a naive fool with no capacity for common sense.
So let's say that Ensberg has been playing for the Rangers for the past five years. What Astro(s) would you be willing to give up to get him?
Although I hate to see him leave (and still think he can return to most of his 2005 form), but I'm with you. Sometimes guys just need a change of scenery. I just hope he doesn't pull a Richard Hidalgo.
Who would you rather have? Player A Career Average: .267 avg/.326 obp/.448 slug%/1K every 5 abs Player B Career Average: .266 avg/.367 obp/.475 slug%/1K every 5.2 abs Player A 2006 season: .275 avg/.330 obp/.498 slug%/1k every 4.5 abs Player B 2006 season: .235 avg/.396 obp/.463 slug%/1k every 4 abs In my opinion Player B is a more valuable player than Player A, but if he is not better is is almost a virtual wash. Player B is obvious Ensberg. So Purpura traded a quality reliever for a guy that is on par for another guy that we jjust released. Purpura is ruining this team right in front of our eyes.
The Astros have a wait and wait and don't trade approach. Lidge and Ensberg were both really good then they both really sucked. So the Astros wait and wait because they believe they can get back to where they were and don't want to sell short. Well, Lidge gets back and now he's a valuable asset that they don't want to trade. Ensberg doesn't get back and there's no market for him anymore. I can see the Astros being in trade discussions for a while. The problem was that they still believed in MoBerg, overvalued him, and consequently rejected any reasonable offer that may have been made. As time passed, it became clear that the Morgan of old wasn't coming back and all trade possibilities dried up.
Bingo. (Although I'm not being critical of that approach, because everyone here knows I overvalued him as well in this offseason. I was definitely wrong.)
so....they were trying to dump him at all costs, but when they couldnt, and opening day came around, he was suddenly good enough to be their starting 3b????
No, they expected him to do good for this season. Last season he had the bad shoulder or whatever was the excuse.
The Cat, Incidentally, I agree with you and my defense of Moberg can clearly be seen at Astrosdaily. My point is the one you just made. This organization sits on these things too long in general. Branch Rickey once said it was far better to trade someone one year too early than one year too late. I missed the boat on Ensberg as well, but also think he was jacked around. I would have liked to have seen the team give him extended time to see if he could get it back. Trading in baseball is a lot more art than science. You have to be creative and lucky in determining when someone doesn't have it. Hopefully, they guessed right with Wheeler. I don't know if this is an indictment on Pup, but they seem to guess wrong more than the average team.
Designating a player for assignment is like putting a person on hold. That's all it means. It frees up a roster spot immediately. The Astros have 10 days to either trade him, release him, or send him down to the minors. If they send him down to the minors he has to pass thru waivers. This does NOT mean that they are automatically going to release him. This could mean they are working on a trade that just hasn't been finalized yet. This is a SMART move by the Astros. To keep Ensberg on the roster would keep a cloud over Lamb and Loretta's heads. Lamb doesn't want to leave the Astros and I believe all this trade talk has concerned him and effected his play. So making this move ends all that nonsense. For those that did not know this, Purpura said last week in a radio interview that they have been working on getting Loretta a contract extension. So stop whining.
