MLB.com’s Jim Molony tells us that Astros GM Ed Wade has been working the phones to get a feel for the "general lay of the land." After a busy offseason for Wade, most notably adding Miguel Tejada and Jose Valverde, Wade will likely be in the market for pitching upgrades.
The Astros rank 21st in baseball with a team ERA of 4.50, and their rotation is a combined 20-25 with a 4.77 ERA, and a league-worst 65 home runs allowed.
As Wade himself points out though, starting pitching won’t be easy to come by this year. As usual, there are far more clubs looking to add starting pitching than sell it.
Personal speculation here, but with the Padres nearing a fire sale and Randy Wolf going through a particularly strong stretch, he could make sense for Houston and come at a reasonable price. Wolf is 5-4 this season with a 3.83 ERA through 84.2 innings, and has posted a very nice 75:26 K:BB ratio so far. Even more appealing for the home-run prone Astros, Wolf has allowed a sparkling 0.74 HR per nine innings. His numbers away from Petco, however, are far from impressive, having posted a 5.31 ERA through 40.2 innings. Surprisingly, more of his home runs (4) have been allowed at Petco than on the road. Any other possible thoughts?
Posted by Steve Adams
