Astros Rumors

NL Central Notes: Arnsberg, Lyles, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 17, 2011 at 4:01pm CDT

Links from the NL Central as Brewers fans learn that Manny Parra could miss the start of the regular season with a back issue…

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick examines an unheralded Astros rotation and one of the keys to its success: pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com places Jordan Lyles atop his list of Astros prospects and says the right-hander will arrive in Houston at some point this year, even if he starts off in the minor leagues.
Cincinnati VP Bob Miller told readers at MLB.com that the Reds have one of the deepest rotations he has ever seen. “While some will argue that we don't have a true No. 1 starter, I feel we have the potential for three or four guys to become true No. 1s,” Miller said.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, McClellan, Wallace, Rogers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 10:00pm CDT

Notes from the NL Central as Opening Day draws closer…

Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com hears from Cubs sources that the team isn't talking to the Rangers about Michael Young. The Cubs maintain that they’re comfortable with Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt at second base.
Kyle McClellan solidified his bid to become the Cardinals' fifth starter today. As MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports, the converted setup man pitched five shutout innings against the Braves, which presumably lessens the chances that the Cards look outside of the organization for starting pitching. I took a look at McClellan's role in St. Louis last week.
Brett Wallace collected four hits and drove in seven today, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Astros acquired the first baseman from the Blue Jays last summer after obtaining Anthony Gose from the Phillies in the Roy Oswalt deal. Wallace is vying to become Houston's everyday first baseman.
As MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports, the Brewers optioned pitching prospect Mark Rogers to Triple-A today because they weren't confident his shoulder stiffness would go away in time for the season. Once he's at full strength, Rogers remains a candidate to fill in for Zack Greinke, who is expected to miss a few starts with a fractured rib.

Quick Hits: Cabral, Bourn, Greenberg, Aardsma

By Zachary Links | March 12, 2011 at 4:32pm CDT

On this day in 2004, the Yankees reacquired Orlando Hernandez after trading him away just a year prior. El Duque missed 2003 with rotator cuff surgery but returned to action in July to give the Bombers a 3.30 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 across 15 starts..

The Rays didn't have much use for Cesar Cabral after upgrading their bullpen this winter, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Major League Baseball has now had nine years of labor peace thanks to Commissioner Bud Selig, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
Michael Bourn's career took a major leap when he was dealt to the Astros and moved from right field to center, writes Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
Now that Chuck Greenberg has resigned as CEO of the Rangers, Nolan Ryan is in complete charge of the club, possibly for the first time since he was hired in 2008, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
Mariners skipper Eric Wedge told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (via Twitter) that pitcher David Aardsma should be back by mid-April. The veteran was the subject of trade rumors before undergoing hip surgery in December.
Ultimately, the Athletics addressed most of their holes without making a splashy move this offseason, writes Matthew Carruth of Fangraphs.

Discussion: Could The Angels And Astros Be A Match?

By Zachary Links | March 12, 2011 at 11:40am CDT

Recently, after learning of Jason Castro's season-ending injury, Astros owner Drayton McLane reportedly decided that the club could allocate extra money to find a backstop for 2011. It remains to be seen exactly how much funding the team is willing to put towards the catcher position, especially since Houston doesn't seem poised to contend this season and whoever they acquire will be simply keeping the spot warm for Castro.

There are plenty of catchers on the block, such as Pittsburgh's Ryan Doumit. Doumit could fit the bill as a one-year solution, though he will take in $5.6MM on the year when including the $500K buyout of his remaining years. The Astros' first choice to step in for Castro was Twins catcher Drew Butera, but they were quickly rebuffed. Nationals backstop Jesus Flores reportedly drew interest from GM Ed Wade but the club is said to have cooled on him in recent days. The 26-year-old has appeared healthy in Spring Training but Houston is still wary of his surgically repaired right shoulder.

While it seems that Wade won't take advantage of the Nats' glut at the catcher position, he could look elsewhere to find a club with a backstop to spare. We've yet to hear of the Astros reaching out to the Angels about one of their catchers, but it would make an awful lot of sense for them to make an inquiry.

While Jeff Mathis is in position to be the club's Opening Day catcher, Bobby Wilson is looking good in Spring Training – both literally and figuratively. The soon-to-be 28-year-old dropped 33 pounds at the behest of manager Mike Scioscia and seems likely to take the No. 2 position on the depth chart, in part because he's out-of-options. With youngster Hank Conger waiting in the wings, it would make sense for the Halos to clear a path for the up-and-coming prospect by dealing from a position of strength. Wilson could obviously be had for less than Mathis, but both catchers have affordable contracts and it's unlikely that either one would be termed "untouchable".

Quick Hits: Chipper, Nix, Trout, Rockies

By Mark Polishuk | March 11, 2011 at 11:01pm CDT

Here's a potpourri of news items as we head into the weekend…

Chipper Jones talks to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince about his recovery from knee surgery and his future in baseball. Jones was thinking of retirement last summer before, as Castrovince writes, "he started to hit like Chipper Jones again….And where the knee injury might have been the straw that broke the camel's back in June, in August, it served as a motivating factor to keep going."
Laynce Nix has the been the subject of trade rumors, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Nix has a .251/.293/.445 career slash line against right-handed pitching and the Astros are reportedly in the market for a left-handed bench bat. Nix is currently in the Nationals' Spring Training camp on a minor league contract.
Star prospect Mike Trout is turning heads at the Angels' Spring Training camp, reports MLB.com's Lyle Spencer.
The Rockies will look internally to replace the injured Aaron Cook, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Already suffering from shoulder inflammation, Cook will be out until at least May due to a broken finger on his throwing hand.
Tyler Kepner of the New York Times looks at the Rangers' offseason and how the team had a more-than-adequate "plan B" (Adrian Beltre) in mind when they failed to re-sign Cliff Lee.
Jake Odorizzi might end up being the most important piece of the trade package the Royals received for Zack Greinke, says MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge has brought a number of former Indians coaches and players with him to Seattle, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Brandon Wood has struggled this spring, while Mark Trumbo has had a big camp for the Angels. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks Trumbo's emergence means that the out-of-options Wood's "days in an Angels uniform appear to be numbered."
It was almost a year ago that Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland underwent life-threatening brain surgery. Today, MLB.com's Evan Drellich writes that "doctors have already been amazed at the speed of his recovery" as Westmoreland is trying hard to regain both his basic motor skills and his baseball abilities.

Astros Wanted Drew Butera

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 11, 2011 at 10:12am CDT

Twins catcher Drew Butera was the Astros' first choice to replace the injured Jason Castro, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). However, the Twins won't trade Butera, according to Gammons.

Butera appeared in 49 games as a rookie last year. The 27-year-old caught 16 of 37 would-be base stealers (43%) but hit just .197/.237/.296 in 155 Major League plate apperances. In the five minor league seasons since the Mets selected him in the fifth round of the 2005 draft, Butera has a .214/.296/.317 line.

The Astros are on the lookout for catching help and though they were initially interested in Nationals backstop Jesus Flores, they have tempered their pursuit of him. Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested earlier today that Francisco Cervelli could become a trade chip midseason, depending on how the Yankees' catching situation develops.

Quick Hits: Maine, Lerner, Foltynewicz

By Dan Mennella | March 10, 2011 at 10:57pm CDT

A few stray items of note coming out of the National League as Thursday winds down …

Rockies right-hander John Maine can opt out of his contract with Colorado if he's not on the 25-man roster on June 1, tweets Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Maine, who signed a minor league deal with the Rox this offseason, has missed the better part of each of the past two seasons with the Mets due to right arm trouble.
The Nationals grabbed headlines this offseason by signing Jayson Werth to a hefty $126MM contract, and though it was widely regarded as a questionable baseball decision, owner Ted Lerner has no shortage of cash, writes Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo! Sports. Lerner, as Kaduk explains, ranks No. 376 on Forbes' list of wealthiest people in the world, and is presently the wealthiest majority owner in baseball.
Astros pitching prospect Mike Foltynewicz is looking to build upon the strong professional debut he made in 2010, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. Astros assistant GM/director of scouting Bobby Heck said that the right-hander probably has the highest ceiling of any Astros minor leaguer. Interestingly, Foltynewicz told Goff that he probably would have gone to the Red Sox at No. 20 overall in last year's First-Year Player Draft had the Astros not nabbed him at No. 19.

Astros Tempering Pursuit Of Nationals’ Flores

By Dan Mennella | March 10, 2011 at 7:40pm CDT

The Astros are cooling their pursuit of a potential trade for Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Reports of Houston's interest in obtaining Flores surfaced on Monday, but the interest is waning because of concerns over Flores' surgically repaired right shoulder. The Astros were looking at Flores as a project and were not interested in surrendering a lot to get him, according to Ladson.

The Astros are a bit thin at backstop between J.R. Towles, Humberto Quintero and Brian Esposito, while the Nationals are considered pretty deep at the position with Ivan Rodriguez, Wilson Ramos and prospect Derek Norris.

Flores, whom the Nats acquired from the Mets in 2006 as a Rule 5 Draft selection, has missed the majority of the past two seasons due to right shoulder ailments, but he was becoming a solid everyday catcher with Washington prior to the injury.

Astros Sign Robinson Cancel

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 8, 2011 at 3:07pm CDT

Thin behind the plate after Jason Castro's injury, the Astros added a former big league catcher to the organization today. They signed Robinson Cancel to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). He'll report to minor league camp, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter).

The 34-year-old native of Puerto Rico last appeared in the majors in 2009 as a member of the Mets. In 102 career MLB plate appearances, the right-handed hitter has a .213/.260/.287 line. Cancel's minor league resume is extensive, as he has played in 1134 minor league games since the Brewers selected him in the 16th round of the 1994 draft. He has a .263/.327/.376 line in 16 minor league seasons.

Astros Interested In Jesus Flores

By Tim Dierkes | March 7, 2011 at 1:00pm CDT

The Astros are looking at the Nationals' Jesus Flores as a possible replacement for Jason Castro, reports Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com. The two teams face off today, so hopefully the Nationals will get Flores into the game for the Astros scouts on hand. The Astros are concerned about the condition of Flores' shoulder, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Flores, 26, was signed by the Mets out of Venezuela nine years ago. Coming off a solid age 21 season in Low-A ball, Nationals GM Jim Bowden took Flores in the 2006 Rule 5 draft. Flores served his time in the Majors in '07 as Brian Schneider's backup, and by June of '08 he'd won the team's starting catcher job. In May of '09, a foul tip off the bat of Chris Young set in motion a major shoulder problem. The injury went from being labeled a bruise to a stress fracture to a torn labrum, resulting in September '09 surgery.

During Flores' long recovery, the Nationals signed Ivan Rodriguez, traded for Wilson Ramos, and saw major development from prospect Derek Norris. Now expendable for Washington, Flores is a great fit for an Astros club that can give him consistent at-bats with Castro out for the season with a torn ACL.

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