Friday Morning Link Dump

It's 108 days until Opening Day

*Jed Lowrie feels as though Minute Maid Park is "tailor-made" for him, what with that seven-foot tall right field wall. 

*Jeff Luhnow, on 3B:

Matt Dominguez has a chance to be a very good player. Two years ago he proved that. Last year, he slid back a little bit. We're going to give him every opportunity to win that job, but we also have to protect ourselves as an organization. Marwin is still with us, and Marwin could end up being our third baseman.

*Jose Altuve is one of the Washington Post's Breakout Stars of 2014.

*The Astros Caravan will be from January 20-23 with stops in Houston, Brownsville, Austin, and Corpus, and FanFest is on January 24. 

*Rough day to be a former Astros pitcher in the A's organization: Fernando Rodriguez was DFA'd and Jorge De Leon was released.

*They started cleaning The Astrodome.

Fernando Rodriguez has torn UCL (maybe)

We all knew Fernando Rodriguez wasn't right. Whether that was because of Teh Suck, or because he was actually injured was up for debate. Looking at his monthly splits from last season, he had a Terrible June/July, but rebounded in August/September.

Well, MLB.com's Jane Lee tweeted this afternoon:

Fernando Rodriguez tore his UCL but is getting a second opinion before committing to Tommy John surgery.

Jose de Jesus Ortiz responded to one of our tweets by saying Rodriguez sounded fine last month:
@AstrosCounty He actually sounded good when I spoke to him last month in Arizona. He was feeling good.

That's obviously not good for the A's, who acquired F-Rod with Jed Lowrie. F-Rod threw in consecutive games 16 times in 2012, and on one day of rest an additional 25 times. Maybe the A's should send any bills to the Cleveland Indians, c/o Brad Mills.

Let the piling on commence

Yesterday the Astros traded a shortstop who has never played more than 97 games in a season, and has a career 6.1 WAR. In his career, the shortstop has missed time due to:

Wrist surgery (2009)
Sprained shoulder (2010)
Nerve damage in shoulder (2010)
Mononucleosis (2011)
Sprained right ankle (2012)
Peroneal nerve damage (2012)


In addition to this 28-year old shortstop who, in five seasons, has played in a total of 353 games, the Astros traded a 28-year old reliever who was 2-10 in 2012 with a 5.37 ERA/1.45 WHIP, and a 4.22 FIP who walked 4.35 batters per nine innings, and had a 7.31 ERA on the road. From June to August 2012, this reliever - who can throw it hard, but not accurately - had a 6.94 ERA and blew four saves.

In return for a 28-year old injury prone shortstop, and a 28-year old shaky reliever, the Astros received:
25-year old RHP Brad Peacock, the A's #4 prospect by John Sickels, and Baseball America's #2 A's prospect.
26-year old 1B/DH Chris Carter, their #9 prospect, who hit 16 homers in 260 PAs for the A's in 2012.
21-year old catcher Max Stassi, who is coming off of 2011 shoulder surgery, but signed with the A's for a 1st Round bonus.

But, given the reaction, you would think that the Astros just traded Jeff Bagwell to the Red Sox for Larry Andersen.

Ken Rosenthal spilled his turnip blood yet again last night, wringing his hands over the Astros' payroll. Rosenthal:
And as the Astros continue their teardown, it's certainly fair to ask how low can they go, how many games can they lose before they become an embarrassment to Major League Baseball.

(As an aside, last night's column looks an awful lot like Rosenthal's November column on the Astros' payroll - right down to the rhetorical question about surviving the AL West.)

Yahoo's Jeff Passan - who by all accounts is a very stand-up guy - took to Twitter last night, doing a pretty good Darren Rovell impression about the Astros payroll (minus the Twitter Polls and random instances of ALL CAPS). Even Buster Olney got in on it, blabbering about combined executive salaries totaling more than the Astros' payroll (or something like that). He also pointed out that Bud Norris, who is Chief Rainmaker now, will make as much in 2013 as Zack Greinke will in three weeks.

What would The Media say if the Astros had signed Josh Hamilton? Or Zack Greinke? "What are they DOING? Why won't they rebuild?" Oh, but that's just what Rosenthal has been pushing for going on four years now.

Rosenthal, who might very well wear a bow-tie on television this season to benefit the Astros, is now making a pretty severe about-face in regards to the Astros and their rebuilding plans. On June 4, 2012, Rosenthal thought the Astros should explore trading Jose Altuve.

Or how about this Rosenthal nugget, from June 2011, on trading Hunter Pence: They would save money. They would increase their inventory of young talent. They would kick-start a rebuilding process that is long overdue.

How about May 2010, when Rosenthal said the Astros were creatively bankrupt for not dealing Berkman and Oswalt, and asked "How many games must the Astros be behind for owner Drayton McLane to concede?"

Or September 2009, when Rosenthal said: "Frankly, it doesn't matter who the next manager is until the Astros realize they need to tear down and build back up again."

Or another September 2009 column, when Rosenthal wrote: "The Astros' next manager must navigate a tricky balance — the team is starting to infuse youth but also includes a number of declining veterans. McLane refuses to permit a complete overhaul, limiting his franchise's upside."

June 2009: "Trading players such as right-hander Roy Oswalt, shortstop Miguel Tejada and closer Jose Valverde could bring the team desperately needed young talent. Yet, McLane has passed on such opportunities numerous times before."

May 2009: Much as owner Drayton McLane hates to concede, he needs to understand that A) his team is going nowhere and B) his farm system ranks last in the majors, according to Baseball America...Trading closer Jose Valverde, shortstop Miguel Tejada and catcher Ivan Rodriguez would be a start. But Oswalt — even a declining Oswalt — could bring the most significant return.

So for almost four years, Rosenthal has been hammering the Astros about rebuilding. And when they finally do rebuild, he hammers them for being "an embarrassment."

I mentioned one of the above quotes to Rosenthal on Twitter, and he responded with:
There is a difference between what I suggested and completely gutting the team. You can thread the needle, too.

GOOD GOD I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS. No, you can't thread the needle. The Astros tried to thread the needle from 2006-2010 and look where it got them. One season where they almost made the playoffs, and a cumulative record 27 games under .500. Not bad enough to get a Top-Five draft pick. Not good enough to keep Phil Garner, Cecil Cooper, Brad Mills, Tim Purpura, or Ed Wade.

Let's take three teams, shall we? Let's pick three teams and decide which is the embarrassment to baseball:

Team A: Being investigated by the SEC for fraud thanks to its' horrific stadium deal, and roster malpractice. Spent $107m on 2012 payroll, only to finish 24 games under .500, last in their division.
Team B: Can't decide if they actually want to rebuild, and as a result, have a beautiful ballpark to go along with 20 straight seasons under .500.
Team C: Slashed payroll

This is rhetorical, but Team A is obviously the Marlins; Team B is the Pirates; and Team C is, of course, the Astros.

The Astros are looking for a Baseball Operations Analyst. Click the link, and look at the preferred requirements: MBA, experience in economic modeling, investment banking.

I do not regularly look at baseball jobs. I'm happy in my own job (even if I'm going to have to work an extra two hours today to make up for this rant.) But I'm guessing "Baseball Operations" and "Investment Banking" backgrounds do not typically collide.

This has become a mantra about the Astros, but for what will likely not be the last time: This front office does not care what anybody else thinks. They would prefer it if their front office did not think like anybody else.

This is going to be a rough season for the Astros. There are so many Unknowns that the only Knowns are that:

1) Attendance will be down.
2) Losses will abound.
3) 2013 will see a $20m investment in the farm system and another #1 pick.
4) The rebuilding will continue.

Luhnow, quoted by Rosenthal:
“I know it’s frustrating for fans that want immediate results at the big-league level. But this is the best chance we have to accomplish our result as soon as possible. We have to be consistent about that message.”

I'll take a few horrific seasons to return to the days when the Astros were a force in baseball. I'll accept it if it means that the National Media doesn't mail in a column about "OH THEY'RE GONNA BE BAD WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO?" every six weeks. I will not stand by 81 wins to be The Goal, or twenty seasons of half-assing a rebuild.

Would you?

Mega Trade in the Works

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that a five player trade is in the works with Oakland, with Jed Lowrie as the centerpiece. McTaggart notes Astros will get 1B Chris Carter, RHP Brad Peacock and C Max Stassi from the A's.  Fernando Rodriguez will join Lowrie in Oakland.

Carter is a 1B/DH with power. He appeared in 68 games for Oakland last year, and hit .239/.350/.514 with 16 home runs. His OPS+ of 137 would have been tops on the Astros by a country mile. Seems likely the Astros like the idea of Carter as long term DH, with Singleton at 1st. The 1B/DH spot is getting pretty crowded, with Pena, Wallace, Freiman and now Carter. Somethings got to give there.This makes it that much harder for Freiman to stick with the club.

Stassi is a former top prospect who has lost a lot of time, and luster, due to injuries. However, he is still only 21 and has some power, hitting 15 home runs in just 84 games last year. He appears to be known as a good defensive catcher. John Sickels rated him as Oakland's #12 prospect.

Peacock was a part of Oakland's Gio Gonzalez deal last year. Had a pretty miserable 2012, it seems, with a 6.01. His FIP was better at 4.26. He was still ranked as the A's #4 pitching prospect going into the 2013 season by Baseball America, #6 by John Sickels. Projects as a mid rotation starter, best case scenario. Could conceivably make an impact this year.

Luhnow has said he would have to be "blown away" to trade Lowrie. That is a pretty nice haul for an injury prone shortstop and a mediocre reliever. Luhnow has effectively turned Mark Melancon into Kyle Weiland, Brad Peacock, Max Stassi and Chris Carter. I like the way he does business. Need to get to used to Marwin Gonzalez manning shortstop for a while, though.

1st Half Notes, Stats, and "Awards"

Let's go over a few things, now that we have a few welcome days away from the Astros, shall we?

1. Even though we knew this season was going to be rough, losing 62% of the games has been extremely difficult to swallow. That said, and I truly believe this, I still think 2011 was the darkest year in franchise history. This season was never going to be easy to follow, but with every event that passes (June Draft, Trading Deadline, etc), we're that much closer to the implementation of the front office's plan. But yeah, this season still sucks.

2. The Astros are 58-109 (.347) from the 2011 All-Star Break to the 2012 All-Star Break, with a -162 run differential. In their last 162 games, they're 60-102.

3. Houston is 12-30 since the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. They're 10-17 in Day games, and 0-8 in extra-innings.

4. They're on pace to be one of the worst road teams in the history of baseball, having won just nine road games all season. The 2010 Pirates and 1962 and 1963 Mets won 18 road games all season. On the road, they're hitting .241/.297/.359. they're 3-13 in June and July road games, and haven't won since June 14 - the game after Matt Cain's perfect game.

5. Things won't get much better for the Astros after the break. Their first ten games are on the road against NL West teams, against whom the Astros are 7-13 this season. They have a 10-19 record against the teams they'll play until the Trade Deadline.

6. We'll get a taste of 2013 life, when seven of the first ten games after the break don't start until 8pm or later Houston time.

7. 1st Half Astros MVP: Jed Lowrie. That deal - Luhnow's first as GM - even with Weiland on the DL, could not have turned out better for the Astros. Lowrie is 10 games away from setting a career-high in games played. He had 19 career homers coming into 2012, and has 14 homers since. How he isn't an All-Star is totally beyond us. (Honorable Mention: Jose Altuve)

8. 1st Half Astros Cy Young: Wandy Rodriguez. Wandy and Lucas Harrell are the only starters with a winning record, but Wandy also has a 3.38 ERA/1.23 WHIP. It's just another season of Wandy being Wandy. Still, it's not going to be pretty for August-September if the Astros do what most think they will, and trade both Lowrie and Wandy.

9. 1st Half Astros LVP: Jordan Schafer. It's not just that he's been bad. From May to the Break, Schafer has an OPS of .599. And that's with a .310 BABIP. Schafer's OPS, by month: .707, .661, .538, .554.

10. 1st Half Astros Cy Dumb: Fernando Rodriguez. Rodriguez comes into the break with eight losses, one behind J.A. Happ for the team lead. Hardball Talk noted that Rodriguez has the "chance" to be the 8th reliever since 2000 - and the first since 2008 - to record ten losses. In five straight appearances (and eight of his last ten) where Rodriguez has faced 2+ batters, he has left the game with the Astros in worse shape than when he entered.

Astros June Recap

Well, June sucked, huh? The team entered June with a 22-29 record, 6.5 games behind the Reds for the division lead. Over the course of the month, they went 10-17, got Perfect Gamed by Matt Cain, "hit" .238/.307/.402 as a team, left 164 runners on base, and left June 11.5 back of the Reds.

Some more numbers:
*The Astros won two series all month: against the White Sox and Indians, somehow.
*On the road in June, the Astros were 3-10, with a -41 run differential, getting outscored 44-85.
*The Astros were held to two or fewer runs 12 times in June.
*The pitching staff allowed a .274/.333/.437 slash line. Starters allowed a .725 OPS, while the bullpen allowed an .862 OPS and a 7.03 ERA.
*The Astros were shut out five times this month. The last time they were shut out 5+ times in a single calendar month was in July 2010.

Top Performers:
Jason Castro: .302/.367/.453, 12K:6BB in 60 PAs.
Lucas Harrell: .228/.270/.339 allowed, 1.07 WHIP.


Bottom-Feeders:
Jordan Schafer: .176/.288/.250, .538 OPS, 26K in 80 PAs
Wandy Rodriguez: .306/.341/.508 allowed, 17K in 30IP.
Brett Myers: .386/.429/.545 allowed, .395 BABIP.
Fernando Rodriguez: .229/.333/.486, 11.17 ERA / 1.45 WHIP.

Paredes among latest round of cuts, moved to 2B

This morning Zachary Levine reported that the Astros sent six more players down to minor league camp. Jimmy Paredes may have been the most surprising, as some considered him the favorite for the starting third base position after he came into this year as the incumbent. That job will likely fall to Chris Johnson to start the season, although Brett Wallace is still in the mix. Additionally, it was announced that Paredes would move back to second base, which had been his primary position before last season.

Also sent down were outfielders Fernando Martinez and Brad Snyder and pitchers Aneury Rodriguez, Xavier Cedeno, and Jose Valdez.

Hopefully Fernando Rodriguez can foretell some wins

Fernando Rodriguez had himself a premonition that he would get called up:

"I've been telling everybody, and it's kind of weird, but I had kind of a premonition. I don't want to sound cocky, but it's one of those things."

Elsewhere in McTaggart's notebook, we learn that Jason Bourgeois isn't close to returning:
"When I'm going out there and running pregame, that's when I feel it. I haven't swung a bat or tried to pick up one yet, but I feel it more when I run."

Typical Astros. One of the few guys who looks like he hustles, and he gets hurt. Somewhere Carlos Lee is saying, "See? That's what happens when you hustle."

Abad sent down, Rodriguez up

On the heels of our earlier Fernando Abad post, he got sent down to OKC, and the Astros have brought up Fernando Rodriguez, who has a 1.29 ERA/1.05 WHIP in 13 games (21IP) for the RedHawks. He also has 29K:11BB, with 5IP.

With that, Sergio Escalona is your lone lefty reliever.

Lyles out, Figueroa likely in as SP5

Big news out of Kissimmee this morning, as the Astros have sent Jordan Lyles to minor-league camp, meaning that Nelson Figueroa is your de facto SP5 to open 2011.

Six other Astros were re-assigned to minor-league camp:

Patrick Urckfitz
Fernando Rodriguez
Casey Fien
Drew Locke
T.J. Steele

And Sergio Escalona was optioned to Oklahoma City (after coming to the Astros in the Albert Cartwright trade with Philadelphia), he can't just be sent down.

Some interesting things to see here: no catchers were moved today. Meaning that not only are Quintero and Towles still in major-league camp, but so are Carlos Corporan and Brian Esposito.

Also in camp are Rule 5 picks Lance Pendleton and Aneury Rodriguez, though the Astros are probably going to let it come down to the wire before making a decision to add them to the 25-Man roster or send them back to the Yankees/Rays, respectively.