Houston Astros Offseason Review
Summary of offseason transactions for Houston Astros after 2007
The Houston Astros had a very disappointing 2007 season, and to ensure that it's not repeated, have made drastic changes to the roster. Who has arrived and who is gone?
It's been a busy offseason for the Houston Astros, coming off of a disappointing 73-89 season, and now that new GM Ed Wade has stated that he is "moving slower" on the trade front, we can allow the dust to settle and analyze the many major moves Wade has made in his first months in charge.
Since being named the 11th GM in team history on September 20th, Wade has completely changed the identity of the Astros, shipping out 11 players who made at least one appearance for the Astros in 2007, and another player, 3B Mike Costanzo, whom he had just traded for a month prior. Wade has completely revamped the bullpen, decimated the Astros' already-thin minor league system, added tons of speed to the top of the lineup, deleted two offensive black holes from the bottom of the lineup, and created a middle of the lineup that should give opposing managers and pitchers nightmares.
The changes began before the champagne had dried from the visitors locker room at Coors Field, as closer Brad Lidge, along with infielder Eric Bruntlett, were sent to Philadelphia. The prize from that deal was CF Michael Bourn, a speedster with the potential to become a prototypical leadoff hitter, with tons of steals and a high OBP. The addition of Bourn made Josh Anderson expendable, and he too was soon gone to Atlanta for relief pitcher Oscar Villarreal.
The retirement of Craig Biggio and the poor production of Chris Burke made finding a starting second baseman a priority, and Wade's answer to that problem was to give former Colorado Rockie Kaz Matsui a three-year, 16.5 million dollar contract. Matsui posted a solid season for the Rockies in 2007, but his home/away splits have made Astros fans worried. Playing in Denver, Matsui posted an OBP of .381 and an OPS of .863, while his road numbers were a far more pedestrian .304 and .637, numbers that, if repeated in Houston, will quickly make Matsui Public Enemy #1 at the Juice Box.
Despite throwing a big contract at Matsui, Astros management still focused on acquiring the players they needed via trade, and made two big deals before Christmas, first sending five players to Baltimore for former AL MVP Miguel Tejada, including the Astros' top prospect, SP Troy Patton, then turning around and sending three more players to Arizona for 2007 MLB save leader Jose Valverde. Despite being named in the Mitchell Report the day after being traded, Tejada is still expected to be a force in the middle of the lineup. Valverde immediately steps into the role of closer, and it is hoped that he will provide the stability and consistency Houston has not had at that spot Post-Pujols.
The only thing that can be safely said, however, is that if the Astros do not improve in 2008, it won't be because of a lack of effort from management. Houston was the busiest team this offseason, to the point where 1B Lance Berkman felt that "[He had] been traded to the Astros" because of all of the new, unfamiliar faces, but despite all of the ink spent on the team's transaction page, the Astros' biggest hole has still not been filled; starting pitching after Roy Oswalt. Wade made short-term, incentive-laden offers to numerous veterans, including Mark Prior and Jon Lieber, but so far nobody has bit, meaning that somebody already on the team, whether it's Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Backe, Woody Williams, or somebody else, will have to step up if the Astros don't want to find themselves looking up at a lot of 10-8 final scores.
"Astros name Wade general manager". 20 Sept. 2007. 5 Jan 2008.
"Kazuo Matsui Statistics". 5 Jan 2008.
<http://houston.astros.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_splits.jsp?playerID=430565&statType=1>
"Berkman's concerns not universal". 18 Dec 2007. 5 Jan 2008.
"Astros land closer in Valverde". 14 Dec 2007. 5 Jan 2008.
"Astros acquire Tejada from Orioles". 12 Dec 2007. 5 Jan 2008.
"Astros sign Matsui to three-year deal". 2 Dec 2007. 5 Jan 2008.
"Astros acquire Villarreal from Braves". 16 Nov. 2007. 5 Jan. 2008.
"Astros send Lidge, Bruntlett to Phillies". 8 Nov. 2007. 5 Jan. 2008.
