And in what may be the final post of the morning in which I catch up on what happened yesterday, the Astros signed catcher Kevin Cash to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. That sound you hear is the weeping and gnashing of J.R. Towles' teeth.
Cash is 32, and has spent parts of seven seasons in the Majors, with the Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees (and the AL-Easting of the Astros continues...). I wonder how many players have played for four teams in one division before?
His most productive season came in 2008 with the Red Sox (he spent 2009 in the Yankees organization), when he hit .225/.309/.338 in 61 games/162 PAs.
So what's the point in signing Cash? My initial thought was that he might challenge Towles and Quintero for the C2 spot. But now I'm thinking that, with both of them likely opening the season in Houston, the Astros wanted to have an experienced catcher with Major-League experience in Round Rock to give Jason Castro some tips on Major-League life.
Anyone else?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
