i would have traded hildago.....his contract is alot more then ward's, and plus, not alot of left handed power hitters come along. . . .and wtf....how the hell u gonna trade ward for an A/AA pitcher.......thats just bogus. . . . watch, he's gonna turn out to be an awesome player like every other astro player that leaves the team.
I'm sure the Astros would have loved to move Hidalgo, but if you were another team would you take on a player who was shot and has as big a contract as Hidalgo's? And yeah, you're right, every player that has left the Astros has turned into an awesome player...Castilla (lowest OPS of all qualifying NL players last year), Lima (remember him), Alou (he sure was awesome last year ), Cedeno (only 4 spots higher than Castilla in OPS in 2002), Hampton (6.15 ERA last year - worst among qualifying NL pitchers), Astacio (4.79 ERA, 5th worst among NL qualifiers). The all-time list would go on and on.
Ward may turn out to be a great player, but the way it was looking it wasn't going to happen in Houston. Sometimes players need to be tossed out of their comfort zones and need to be shown that they're not guaranteed to have a spot on a team. See Schilling, Curt.
They took a gamble that Hildalgo would end up being better than Abreu by protecting Hildalgo before Abreu in the expansion draft. The Astros knew they were going to lose a quality player, and tried to hold onto the one they thought would do the best in the long run. Right now Abreu is doing a lot better than Hildalgo - it's pretty much luck of the draw. I would have been about nine when we traded Lofton, and I don't really remember the specifics of the deal. After we traded Gonzo, a hitting coach tweaked his stance and he turned into the badass we all knew he could be. It probably never would have happened here though. I'm not saying that the Astros haven't lost talented players over the years, but every team does. It's part of baseball, like it or not. What I am trying to say is that not every team/situation is for every player.
i want: jose cruz jr. to replace ward. screw hidalgo. he will be reunited with his dad in his hometown
Sounds good. But, how is Hunziker going to pay for him? Ward was a salary dump and the 'stros are still over, they claim, their budget, so they say.
how come the astros aren't going for cruz jr or beltran for their center fielder. both would be a hell of a lot better than biggio.
1. they have a glut of outfielders, one of which is a possible/likely hall of famer whom the owners feels some loyalty to re-sign.. 2. they are trying to cut payroll...not add to it
we should play blum backup to kent at 3rd, and keep biggio at 2nd. Then in the centerfield, get cruz jr. Anyone know how much Baltiomore offered him? Beltran would also be a good addition.
Maybe trading Ward for nothing got past everyone in this post...... WE ARE CUTTING PAYROLL!!! Gerry's not even going to deal with a Boras client. Cutting payroll, cutting payroll. Some Points that need to be made>>>> We can't trade Hildalgo. No sense talking about trading him, his value is well below zero - we are talking negative numbers here. Kent is not going to move to third base. Remember when he signed and Gerry said at the press conference that Biggio will be moved to the outfield? He had not even talked to Biggio about moving to the outfield ( a reason Biggio was pissed.) When Kent signed he was adement about playing second. We still need to dump another outfielder, probably Hunter for something like an A player while we pay a portion of Hunter's salary. Lugo's little brother isn't so bad. He has a fastball between 93-95 mph and a sharp curve. The reason the Dodgers gave him to us is because the rest of the league - except the Astros - hates short right-handed pitchers. (LA traded Pedro Martinez!) We take chances on them..aka Oswalt, Redding. Also having Lugo's little brother is nice leverage in contract talks with Julio. Gerry is no fool, he is a very good GM that has major salry cap constraints. Jason Lane is going to be a very good outfielder. This is why... Biggio's adventure in center field will last a month. After it becomes apparent that it is not working out, he will become a Billy Spiers type player for the team. A backup for every position!! Who-ever says the Astros are behind the Cubbies is an idiot. The Cubs find a way to lose...always. The Astros can beat the Cardinals. Their pitching sucks. Oswalt and Miller are going to be the best 1-2 in the league next year. You heard it here first!!!
I think it will be interesting to see what happens if a guy like Lane seriously outperforms Richard Hidalgo in spring training (which would not surprise me in the least). With the offensive production Hidalgo put up last year, and his gunshot injury, I wonder if that would be enough for Jimy Williams to start Lane over Hidalgo. Sure, it would suck to have 8 million dollars on the bench, but you have to go with what works best, and I am thinking that is going to be Lane this season. Of course, that would then put you in a quandary as to who to play in right, because neither Lane nor Berkman have strong arms...but I don't know if that would be enough of a negative to detract from the offensive boost we might get from Hidalgo. I think the best thing that could happen is Hidalgo has slimmed down and gotten his bat speed back so he is at least a decent hitter...then the outfield would be set. That way Hidalgo might actually reaquire some of that lost trade value.
Ward is finishing out his origional contract. He's one of the cheapest players on the team. Trading him saves nothing on payroll. Anyone that replaces him will cost as much or more. What trading him does do is remove him from the roster, so that we can bring in another player. We also get some prospects that could help us in the future. The Astros wouldn't re-sign him next season, so if they wait, we'll loose him to free agency with nothing in return. Why do we need to dump another outfielder? To make room for Lane? With a big question mark over Hildalgo's head? Hunter performed well in his role (Late inning defensive relief) and the Astros will have a hard time finding someone who can fill that role better, without making a trade-off elsewhere.
it does clear payroll...he's the only tradeable OF we have! and we have a glut out there, particularly at the corner spots...we're not trading Biggio or Berkman...Hidalgo is untouchable...past that, Ward makes more money than Merced or Hunter...so it is, as hunsicker said, an attempt to dump some payroll...it's just convenient that we can do so with a player playing at a position we have lots of others capable of playing at. there's still not room for lane...the starting OF is biggio, berkman and hidalgo...lane's on the bench.
