Berkman in play with Yankees?

Having apparently lost out on Dunn (maybe to the White Sox, maybe not), the Yankees could be interested in Lance, says Smilin' Ken Rosenthal:

Berkman could be in play for #Yankees under right circumstances. Tight with Pettitte. Likely waive no-trade for NYY. Depends on price. #MLB

http://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/19926855686

Bourn named MVP

How do you win the team's MVP award? Look like hell one year, making everyone question whether or not you should be able to even own a bat, much less swing one, and then turn it on in the second year. This is known as Radiohead Syndrome, in which the jump from first effort ("Pablo Honey") to second effort ("The Bends") makes one wonder if you sold your soul to the devil in between.

Regardless, I think everyone is happy with the progression Bourn showed in 2009, and that was rewarded with being officially named Team MVP by the Houston Chapter of the BBWAA.

Bourn is the first center-fielder to win this honor since...Lance Berkman did it in 2002, and is the fourth CF in franchise history to be Team MVP. Cesar Cedeno and Jimmy Wynn are your other two.

Tal Smith, last September:
"I think he's clearly the best center fielder we've had defensively in a long, long time. Cedeno was really something, but Michael has been absolutely outstanding. He's everything we had hoped for and more. I think he responded quickly in what is really his second full season in the Major Leagues."

Other awards:
-Wandy Rodriguez won the team's Pitcher of the Year
-Jeff Fulchino is your team's Rookie of the Year
-Brian Moehler won the Darryl Kile Good Guy Award
-Lance Berkman won the Russell Achievement Award (?)
-Adam Dunn won the Houston-area Major League Player of the Year award

Houston Press finds something else to be pissed about

The Houston Press finds another reason to get all worked up about how terrible the Astros are. Regard:

Does anybody on the Astros bench pay attention to anything? Last night, in the top of the fifth inning, Washington's Adam Dunn fouled a pitch off of the head of Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge is clearly dazed, but continues on trying to catch. One would think the coaches or trainers would catch this detail, but they don't, and finally Dunn stepped out of the batter's box and motioned to the Astros dugout and suggested someone come out to take a look...

...It's for reasons like this that I just don't think the Astros are a good team, or are worthy of making the playoffs...

...Cecil Cooper never seems to be aware of the injury status of his pitching staff. Third-base coach Dave Clark often seems to at a different game. Carlos Lee sees no need to chase after balls hit down the left field line. The guys are sloppy when running the bases and are often caught in rundowns that should have never existed...

...So maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just as clueless as Cooper and Clark and the rest of the team often appear to be.

Do you think Ed Wade made Adam Dunn face a harsh reality?

Adam Dunn has had an offer on the table from the Nationals since at least January 29. So do you think it's a coincidence that, two days after Easy Eddie said the Astros had no interest in pursuing Adam Dunn, he and the Nationals agreed on a two-year, $20 million deal?

I don't. Anyway, there's no way the Astros approve $10 million (provided it's a split deal) for 2009. I bet Dunn was holding out to see what the Astros would do, and when he found out they were out, signed the deal with the Nationals. Thoughts?

Easy Eddie: "If we had money, we'd sign a pitcher. Not a donkey."

Or something like that. Ed Wade denied Phil Rogers' "whispers" that the Astros could be planning a sneak attack on Adam Dunn, cryogenically freezing him in an Astros jersey and hoping he warms up by April 5.

But this is the actual quote:
"It was never an item of discussion for us. And even if we had greater resources available, we would have continued to be working the starting pitching market."

So three things here: (1) Signing a guy who hits 40+ homers each year never even came up in conversation. I understand the logistics of signing Dunn and the what-are-you-giving-up-defensively question, but at least throw it against the wall. (2) Don't go thinking the Astros have any money left. In fact, please go to your nearest Academy and buy a "Lidge 54" shirt (they're cheap now) so they can pay the clubbie. (3) The rotation obviously stinks, and Easy Eddie knows this. But why reach for the stars when you can settle?

And concerning Bourn: "We have MVP-caliber players in left field and at first base, and we think Michael Bourn deserves the opportunity to play on an everyday basis [in center field]."

Wade also preemptively broke up with Bobby Abreu (even though signing 1990s-era Astros seems to be the fashion):

Wade said he also spoke recently with agent Peter Greenberg and informed him that the Astros are not a candidate to sign Abreu. Wade was general manager in Philadelphia when Abreu was an All-Star right fielder for the Phillies.

Are the Astros secretly pursuing Adam Dunn?

Interesting article from Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune this morning.

The Astros may be secretly pursuing Adam Dunn on a one-year deal, moving Hunter Pence to center field and Michael Bourn to the bench (or to Round Rock).

Rogers makes a good point: the players know what the market is, and they know - unless they're Manny Ramirez, whose agent, Scott Boras, has other issues on the table right now - what their financial options are. So now they're looking for the right fit. And a multi-year offer from Washington doesn't seem to appeal to Big Donkey. So maybe a one-year deal from Houston would be the right fit.

Back in November I shot down the idea that Dunn could fit, but that was dependent on Michael Bourn's presence in center. If that's up for discussion, there could be a fit.

Adam Dunn and the Houston Astros

Well, this is a familiar topic. It seems every off-season Adam Dunn's name comes up as a potential target for the Astros.

Born in Houston and still only 29 (and just turned 29 in the last couple of weeks), The Big Donkey would bring some pop to the lineup. But wait, there's more.

Let's see what this would do to Houston's lineup, because we already have a first-baseman: Future HOFer Lance Berkman. To bring in Dunn, who has played 1B, LF and RF, means moving somebody. So who would it be? If you put him at first base, Berkman moves to right field, which moves Pence to center, which moves Bourn to Round Rock.

If you put Dunn in left field, you put El Caballo in right and Pence in center and Bourn to Round Rock. As much word-play fun as it would be to have a horse and a donkey in the outfield, I can't imagine Easy Eddie being willing to dump Bourn - the main piece of the puzzle in the Lidge trade.

But let's look at some statistics:
Dunn's 79 runs would have put him in third place on the Astros.
122 hits would be fifth
23 doubles would be sixth
40 homers would be first...by 11
265 total bases would be third
100 RBI would be tied for second
164 Ks would be first on the team...by 40 (can you imagine a guy who makes Hunter Pence look like he has the patience of Hank Aaron?)
.236 BA would be 11th among guys who played in 100 games. Hell, Bourn hit .229
However, .386 OBP would be second on the team.
.513 SLG would be fourth
.899 OPS would be third

Dunn has also batted below the league average every single year. Granted, SLG and OPS have been above league average every single year. So there's no doubt that he would be an offensive catalyst, but where do you put him? Not first. Not in left. Not in right. Third? Guy's never played there. He also made $13 million last year. That's not going to sit well with Run-DMc for a guy who could probably command a 3- or 4-year deal at about $40 million or so who would push the franchise player out of his favored position.

No Adam Dunn.