i'd be happy with that with the hope that Castro is able to come on next year, maybe with a 1-more-year-Towles edit: given that Hall is gone, the other options suck, and no one else is out there right now
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6313575.html KISSIMMEE, Fla. — In a move that would give the Astros a boost behind the plate, future Hall of Fame catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez appears close to signing with the club. After initially shying away from Rodriguez because of economics, the Astros have been in intense negotiations lately with Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras. It's extremely unlikely the deal will be finalized today because Rodriguez would have to take and pass a physical for anything to be finalized, but the chances look bright for the Astros because money is not an issue anymore. "We've re-engaged with him," Astros general manager Ed Wade told the Chronicle. "I've had several conversations with (Boras). He's cycled back toward us and there seems like there might be an environment to get something done. We've had several conversations and we're trying to see if there's a fit for us." Rodriguez has been one of Team Puerto Rico's brightest stars in the World Baseball Classic, and his play has drawn raves from top Astros scouts Fred Nelson and Paul Ricciarini. "I've gone back and talked to Fred Nelson and Paul Ricciarini," Wade said. "Their feeling is that there's still a considerable amount left in the tank with Pudge. He still throws very well and is hitting well."
Very nice. Wade's comments are a complete 180 and basically confirm it. I don't expect the world from Pudge, but he is in shape and will have something to prove, so I think a low-to-mid .700s OPS is reasonable. That's league average production for a starting catcher, which is something the Astros haven't had at catcher in a long, long time. It's a huge improvement. With that said, this team still can't compete with black holes at both CF and 3B. But now one of the three black holes has been filled, and maybe you can get lucky at one of the other spots with either Bourn/Blum having a career year, or Johnson/Bogusevic coming in and lighting it up. It's doubtful, sure, but your odds of getting 1 out of 2 (as far as fluke seasons go, by position) are certainly better than getting 2 out of 3, which is the way things looked before this.
he's been a below-average hitter four years running (i can't imagine why his production dropped off suddenly in 2005... no idea WHATSOEVER - it's really confounding...) but even in decline, he's still a pretty significant upgrade, offensively, over our catchers from last year. he's posted a 97, 94, 87 and 85 OPS+ the past four years (down from a 136 in 2004) - even if he continues his slide... ausmus last year posted a 60; quintero a 51; towles a 34... this is pretty much a no brainer, IMO. pencil him in for 100-ish starts - keep him fresh - i think he'll make the team better offensively.
I'll be upset if the Vegas odds go up on # of wins for the Astros.. I'll get them tomorrow night or, more likely, Wed. morning. Hopefully Boras is an idiot and delays the signing for a few days...
well, i've been calling for this since weeks before spring training, so you know i'm happy. study his #'s all you want (which even in his decline are significantly better than our other options), but the biggest intangible that we are getting with him is that he's motivated, out to prove something, and has a chip on his shoulder. and he has a fire and loves to play the game of baseball, which makes guys like him, tejada, and pence easy to root for even through prolonged slumps. this is a fun signing, and sadly, even at this stage in his career, i'm guessing this will be the best catching season in franchise history. i'd say the next offensive no-brainer of a decision would be to cut boone and let chris johnson be our opening day starter or stick tejada at 3rd, followed by having a VERY short leash with bourn to start the season. doubt they will pull the trigger on either of those though.
i don't know if i put much, if any, stock into the motivation card: you can defy the affects of aging so long... BUT i agree he'll be well-received and liked by fans. like tejada, he's a high-energy guy who plays hard all the time. watched him for years in arlington.
