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« J.P. Ricciardi - GM Trade History | Main | Mariners President: No Big Signings »
Wolf Will Consider All Destinations In '09
When Astros lefty Randy Wolf reached free agency after the 2006 season, he made his desire to play closer to home, on the West Coast, well known. He signed with the Dodgers, and managed a little over 100 innings amid shoulder issues. His ERA, 4.73, wasn't too impressive. Yet the Padres, considered before the season to be contenders, decided to take a flier. They signed him to a one-year, $4.75MM deal with a number of incentives.
Back in July, the Astros acquired Wolf in a trade. GM Ed Wade had been fond of the lefty since his days as general manager in Philly. He had even courted Wolf last winter, but the pitcher chose to stay out west. As Wolf once again reaches free agency after this season, he says that geography won't quite play the role it did over the past two off-seasons.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Wolf said. "I played on the East Coast for so long, and you're like, 'I wonder what it would be like [to play closer to home].' I've done it. It didn't change my world."
Wolf says he'll consider the Astros, but his foremost concern is signing with a contender. He has been pitching in the majors since 1999, and hasn't yet made the postseason. Will the Astros sate that desire? Personally, I'm not so sure. Any 'Stros fans out there think that next year could be the one?
Over at ESPN, Rob Neyer writes about how well Wolf has pitched for the Astros, and how he was wrong in his initial judgment of the trade.
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well, since you asked -
I'm an Astros fan and think it's possible for them to be a solid playoffs team if they manage to sign one big name (probably Sheets or Burnett) in addition to another arm like Wolf has been for us this year. Ed Wade admitted that part of his motive behind pursuing Wolf mid-season was to get our "foot in the door" for a potential off-season signing. But then again, I think Houston is also a very streaky team that has been difficult to predict over the recent years. But hey, it's possible. Then again, I'm sure Wolf will get some offers from teams that have a higher odds than Houston to grab a playoffs spot going in to next year.
Posted by: K | September 05, 2008 at 09:41 AM
Astros fan here.
In any other NL division we would have a shot, we dont in the central, in my opinion.
Posted by: Laputian | September 05, 2008 at 10:34 AM
It's hard to get a read on the Astros right now. They're on a huge roll and just swept the Cards and Cubs, and have been one of the best teams in the NL since late June. Had they been playing like this all season, they'd be right in the thick of things, instead of the outside looking in.
That said, I don't actually think they're good enough to compete with the Cubs, even with Carlos Lee healthy, but if they add a top of the line pitcher, they can easily compete with the Brewers for the Wild Card next year.
The thing the Astros need is to make sure Wandy is no more than their #4 starter and find either a league average CF/RF and/or a Catcher. I also think there's a chance Bogusevic is given a shot to compete in ST to be the everyday CF.
Posted by: Darin | September 05, 2008 at 11:13 AM
"In any other NL division we would have a shot, we dont in the central, in my opinion."
I love seeing that after all the jokes made about this division before this year started...
Also, I don't think the Brewers will be competing for anything next year if they lose both Sheets and Sabathia. I think they gotta have one of those two to compete.
Posted by: Aduncaroo | September 05, 2008 at 11:54 AM
"He signed with the Dodgers, and managed a little over 100 innings amid shoulder issues. His ERA, 4.73, wasn't too impressive"
Wolf actually pitched better than his ERA in 2007. Most of the runs he was charged were scored in his later starts, where his shoulder was already hurting.
"The thing the Astros need is to make sure Wandy is no more than their #4 starter and find either a league average CF/RF and/or a Catcher. I also think there's a chance Bogusevic is given a shot to compete in ST to be the everyday CF."
I don't think it is time to give up on Bourn yet. He is an excellent defensive player and has speed, which is the hardest skill to develop. They need to convince him to go back to his approach from the minors, where he was pulling down a ton of walks.
Posted by: AA | September 05, 2008 at 12:22 PM
I really think the Astros will be contenders next year if they get better starting pitching from the get go. They can re-sign Wolf and possibly sign Sheets. The problem is that they have these losing streaks and that puts them out of the race early and they make a run at the end and come up a short. They are EXCITING to watch though!
Posted by: ranholland | September 05, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Huh, I wonder if Wolf signing elsewhere will make Wade look like less of a genius than his propaganda machine at the Houston Chronicle is making him look right now? Don't the Astros need a lot more than one FA pitcher? Who's catching? How much longer will Carlos Lee be able to play OF before he eats his way into an AL DH role? Who is pitching behind Oswalt and a possible FA signing if Wolf leaves? Wandy? Backe? Who?
Posted by: MadmanTX | September 05, 2008 at 02:10 PM