You, too, can take a shot at Ed Wade!

I'm a fan of Rob Neyer, and was insanely jealous when he spurned writing for Astros County to join SB Nation. But today, he has a post in which he reference Justice's post on the Brandon Lyon signing last December.

Justice:
All heck broke loose when Astros GM Ed Wade gave Brandon Lyon a 3-year, $15-million contract in December 2009. They said Ed got taken to the cleaners. They said Ed would end up looking real bad. Let's just say I'm real glad I was on Ed's side.

Neyer, today:
I don't remember all heck breaking loose, if only because it's real hard to look real bad when you're committing only $15 million over three years...

...We might expect Lyon to wind up giving the Astros around $10 million in value, for their $15 million. Was three years and $15 million an overpay? Absolutely. But Ed Wade has done far, far sillier things since taking over in Houston.

That's interesting. On the day of the signing David Cameron wrote:
Ed Wade is the GM equivalent of a bad SNL sketch. The first time he overpaid a middle reliever, we figured out that he didn’t really know how to build a roster. Now, when he gives Brandon Lyon a 3 year, $15 million deal, we just shrug our shoulders and say, “Yeah, that’s Ed Wade for ya.”...

...They don’t have any money to spend to fix the rest of their bad, old roster, but they can commit $5 million a year to Brandon Lyon through 2012. Moves like this are why the team isn’t good, and won’t be good any time soon. This move is just the latest act in a joke that’s gone on far too long.

Neyer, referencing Cameron, on Dec 10, 2009:
I'm glad Cameron said it instead of me ... but, yeah...

...The No. 1 argument against Ed Wade's competence is not this ridiculous contract. The Astros should be able to blow $5 million per season on freely available talent like Brandon Lyon and still win. The No. 1 argument against Wade's competence is that the Astros have been outscored by 232 over the last four seasons, and there's no reason for optimism about 2010 or beyond.

It's not hell breaking loose, and Neyer was somewhat consistent from December 2009 to today, but at what point is Wade allowed some slack? We're just one year into a three-year deal. Lindstrom was expendable - and traded - because Lyon was solid, more solid than Lindstrom, and brought in two prospects. Was Lyon lucky in 2010? Apparently that's what giving up two home runs in 2010 means. Neyer quotes FanGraphs as saying that Lyon was worth approximately $4m in 2010. If he does as well in 2011 as he did in 2010, the Astros will have gotten out of him almost what they put in.

Lindstrom explains the source of his back problems

Matt Lindstrom explained the source of his back problems last year while with Houston. Hint: It was because of a rented bed. A rented. Bed.

"I had a day and a half from the time we broke spring training to get into a place. I didn't know the Houston area. I was going to a new team and I didn't really know anyone on the club as well. It was pretty much my fault. I needed a bed. It was about me being stubborn and seriously blockheaded. I didn't think my back was going to give out on me in July."

In other news you already knew

The Astros traded Matt Lindstrom, in a further effort to shed payroll - which is like throwing deck chairs off the Queen Mary - and to restock Eddie's Farm.

Jonathan Mayo says...

On Wes Musick:
Musick will be 24 for the 2011 season, and he's a southpaw with a reputation as a strike-thrower. He throws his fastball in the 88-90-mph range with a good curveball. He does have the ability to get hitters to swing and miss. Whether he's able to remain a starter will depend on his ability to develop his changeup, something the Rockies had him working on this past year.

On Jonnathan Aristil:
With a 90-mph fastball and decent secondary stuff, Aristil profiles as a long reliever or a spot starter. He's willing to soak up innings and he's not afraid to take the ball in any situation.

Baseball America:

On Aristil:
Aristil finished his season with two scoreless innings in Triple-A with Colorado Springs, but the converted infielder had an unimpressive season. Our scouting report also isn't terribly impressive. He's got an upper-80s fastball that touches the low 90s, an average changeup that he relies on significantly, and a below-average curveball.

On Musick:
Musick has an easy scouting report as a classic lefthander with excellent secondary stuff and a fringy fastball. He has a long medical history, as he had both knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and Tommy John surgery when he was in college at Houston. Musick was drafted three times—out of high school by the Astros in 2005, as well as '08 and '09—because of his feel for a curveball and an excellent changeups, which scouts rate as a plus pitch.

Ed Wade:
In a perfect world you can keep everybody around and be even stronger but, the reality at this point and time, we felt we had protection on the back end of the bullpen. With the ability to go out and add two more young arms to create more depth in the system and balance the payroll, this was a sensible deal for us to make.

It makes perfect sense to make this trade (although why Lindstrom wasn't included in the Paulino trade is unclear). The Astros have already committed to Brandon Lyon for $5m+, and Lindstrom was probably going to get $2-3m in arbitration. For a team that would feel lucky to finish .500, you don't really need to commit $7-8m to the last two innings.

I liked Lindstrom, but his back problems and the presence of Brandon Lyon made him expendable. Of course, had the Astros traded Lyon, it would have made further payroll sense, but I digress. Ultimately, good move by Wade, and there's one less 30-year old on the roster.

Wade apparently happy with bullpen

Brian McTaggart says Ed Wade is quite pleased with how the bullpen is shaping up.

Wade:
"You can never have enough arms, but we realize as we sit here now that if we had to go to Spring Training and start it up tomorrow, we've got the components in place to be able to put a good bullpen together."

Who will close?
"That's the beauty of where we are. We had two guys last year who had 20 or more saves and we've got Wilton, who we think has closer capability. I think we go into Spring Training in the same mindset we had a year ago before Lyon fell behind because of having the cyst aspirated in his shoulder.

"If you've got more than one guy with the ability to go out there and handle the job, you can mix and match, use the hot hand or use it in a matchup situation, depending on the hitters coming up in the ninth or which pitcher had success against those hitters. Hopefully, everybody is healthy and competing and they show they have the capability and deserve to get the ball at the back end of games."

Koby still = Brandon Inge

Nick Cafardo's Sunday column gives a little update on Koby Clemens:

Nobody took him in the Rule 5 draft, but that wasn’t surprising. The 24-year-old Clemens hit 26 homers and knocked in 85 runs while hitting .241 at Double A, but he struck out 143 times in 452 at-bats. Astros manager Brad Mills raved about him, though. “I saw him hit a home run through this incredibly stiff wind during an intrasquad game at spring training last year,’’ Mills said. “He’s got power.’’ Clemens played first base last season for the first time after being used as catcher/third baseman. The Astros still believe he can be a Brandon Inge type of player and he will get to play at Triple A in 2011.

And on Matt Lindstrom:
Another reliever who could be traded this winter. Lindstrom had a good first half but exploded in the second half. The Astros would love to dump his salary, which was $1.65 million last season and will rise in arbitration. Lindstrom was Houston’s closer, but another team could use him in middle relief.

The Rockies could be interested in Lindstrom

The Denver Post's Troy E. Renck just posted that the Rockies would have interest in Lindstrom, but aren't sure if there's a match in a trade.

How about Felipe Paulino?

Keppinger and Lindstrom are available, if anyone wants them

According to a front office source, FanHouse's Ed Price says the Astros are making Keppinger and Lindstrom available in an effort to further cut payroll.

McTaggart says payroll will be around $70 million, down from over $90 million last year. Why is it being trimmed further? According to Price, because of the impending sale of the franchise.

Yeah, the $4-5 million that Lindstrom and Keppinger will make combined is the problem with the payroll...

UPDATE: There may be a better reason out there. As AstroBrit and 77340fan have pointed out, coming on the heels of the "Astros interested in Hardy" note, dealing Keppinger could move Barmes to second, and sign Hardy. Excellent point. One to keep an eye on...

Non-Tender Deadline recap

So here's the awesome part about being sick. I was asleep at 6:45 last night. So we totally missed the news about whom the Astros offered contracts, and whom they did not.

The Astros tendered offers to Wandy Rodriguez, Matt Lindstrom, Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence, Clint Barmes, and Jeff Keppinger.

Who does that leave out? Sammy Gervacio, whom the Astros would still like to bring back. Wade:

“We want Sammy to be part of our club, but we wanted the protection from having to keep him on our major league DL. We were prepared to tender everyone else on the roster.”

More Wade:
"It's really a move of economics more than anything because of the uncertainty of his status going into Spring Training. Had he been injured coming into Spring Training and unable to perform, we would have had to carry him on the Major League disabled list. While we're protecting ourselves with respect to the tender, we still want Sammy to be part of our picture going forward."

Levine says the Astros plan to offer Gervacio a deal later in the off-season, but given Gervacio's injury history - which basically started about 15 minutes after the season began - might be trying to fill his spot externally before deciding on bringing him back.

We also learn what most of you probably heard last week - but Astros County was on radio silence - Tim Byrdak and Gustavo Chacin have both opted for free agency, instead of taking the assignment back to Oklahoma City.

...says Bourgeois as he slowly hides his voodoo doll behind his back

The Astros Notebook on MLB.com has a couple of things of note, particularly Jason Bourgeois taking advantage of injuries to Pence and Bourn.

Bourgeois:
"I don't wish that on anybody with injuries. I wish good health for all players. But if the opportunity presents itself like this, it's something I've been preparing for and something I'm ready for. I'm a guy that doesn't have a lot of time, so I want to make my presence felt," he said. "A couple more weeks left is a good time to put good positive [feelings] in the coaches and everybody's heads. Make a lasting impression."
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We also see that Mills isn't all that concerned about Matt Lindstrom, unbelievably:

"He feels strong, his back feels good, his arm feels good, his velocity is very good. His pitches have a lot of crispness."

That crispness may be the sound of the bat politely cracking the ball in half.

Paulino: My bad; Lindstrom: Lucky hits

The two relievers responsible for the Nationals' 7-run 8th inning talked about the inning:

Paulino, on his hanging curve that Pudge bounced off the foul pole:
"I take responsibility for that one. I don't know what I'm thinking at that moment, but I make a really bad pitch in that situation. ... I know I have the pitches to beat this guy. It was a bad pitch to Pudge. ... I make a big, big mistake throwing that curveball. That was a bad pitch at a bad moment. You could see how on my first two pitches, he chased my pitches. The next one, I throw a really bad curveball in a really bad location. You pay for that."

Lindstrom:
"A couple of them were broken bats, but they were able to get the bats on them. We weren't able to stop the inning and they were able to keep it going with some balls that leaked through and some balls that fell in."

From the Office of the County Clerk - G151: Astros @ Nationals

I think we can all agree that Matt Lindstrom isn't helping anybody these days. Astros lose 8-4.

*A day after scoring seven runs in an inning for the first time this season, the Nationals scored seven runs in the 8th inning to go up 8-3.

*Still, the Astros started the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead, dropping their record to 58-5 when leading to start the 8th.

*Happ threw well - 6IP, 3H/0ER, 6K:3BB, lowering his ERA to 2.99. And then it all went to hell. Melancon allowed two consecutive doubles in the 7th to close the Astros lead to 3-1. Then Tim Byrdak walked Adam Dunn and was pulled. Felipe Paulino got Zimmerman and Morse quickly, and then gave up a homer to Pudge, a single to Bernadina, singled, Maxwell walked, Kennedy singled, Espinosa walked. Paulino's day was done with 0.2IP, 3H, 2BB, WP. Lindstrom came in and gave up three singles, scoring three more runs. By the time the inning was over, the Nationals were up 8-3.

*On August 2, Lindstrom had a 2.41 ERA. Since that outing, it's 13.50 in fifteen appearances. Two of his last four appearances have seen him leave the mound without getting an out, and he's allowed three hits in three of his last four appearances.

*Keppinger had a good night, going 1x3 with a walk and an RBI - his first RBI since September 15.

*Jason Bourgeois got two hits from the leadoff spot, his first 2-hit game since August 28 - though this was his 3rd start since Aug 28.

*Chris Johnson hit his 11th homer of the season, and his 5th this month, with 1 out in the 9th inning, and was 3x4 on the night. He's hitting .317 in September. And despite played in about 60 fewer games, he's three doubles behind Bourn, five behind Carlos Lee, and six doubles behind Hunter Pence.

*Jason Michaels hit his first homer since his grand slam against the Brewers on August 1. It's his 57th homer of his career, and 29 of those have come with runners on.

*Pitch Count Hero: Jason Castro (0x3, BB) - 20 pitches in four PAs.

*Pitch Count Punk: Jason Bourgeois (2x4) - 10 pitches in four PAs.

*Man of the Match: Chris Johnson, of course.

*Goat of the Game: Felipe Paulino/Matt Lindstrom. Of course.

Paulino still not 100%

In the Notes Column today, we learn that, not only are the Cubs not making the field available tomorrow for Paulino's simulated game (with no explanation listed. Jerks.), but he's still not 100%.

Paulino:
"I feel all right; not 100 percent. I don't want to hurry up. I want to take it day by day."

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Also, Matt Lindstrom is okay with not being the closer for the rest of 2010:

"Maybe next year. Right now it's not really a goal of mine, considering we only have 25 games left. I just want to be a factor...

...It goes from knowing when you're going to throw to not knowing when you're going to throw, so it's a little bit different. But I just want to keep throwing up zeroes and finish the year strong."

Lindstrom, Paulino doing better; Call-up notice

McTaggart tells us that both Matt Lindstrom and Felipe Paulino are doing better.

Lindstrom:
"I feel 110 percent better than I felt the last couple of days. I'm ready to go get an inning in. I've been doing a lot of stabilization exercises and stuff like that and making good progress, too. Right now I feel like I did the first half of the season. It's just kind of like a big weight off my mind. I've been dealing with this for a long time now."

And Paulino? McTaggart tells us he threw off the mound today, throwing 30 fastballs and he'll throw another mound session with breaking balls on Wednesday.

We also get an update on Alberto Arias:
Right-hander Alberto Arias, who has been out all season after undergoing rotator cuff surgery, has begun throwing off flat ground and hopes to be ready by next season.

How about those call-ups, when the rosters can expand on Wednesday?

Mills:
"I think you'll probably see a couple of guys on Wednesday and a couple of guys later on. The reason is because we can't devastate the [Round Rock] team. They need to have enough guys to finish. Of course, we're going to get Lindstrom off the DL fairly soon, if not on [Wednesday], and Keppinger will be back. We'll get those guys right away. Some of the other guys, we'll have to wait and see, depending on the schedule and so forth."

McTaggart's Notebook: Lindstrom, Bourn, Michaels, and Wallace

Brian McTaggart's Notebook has some information of note:

*Lindstrom had a good outing in a bullpen session today.

Lindstrom:
I'm anticipating an outing with the Double-A team within the next couple of days, so it should be fine. It's a day-to-day thing. Whenever I wake up, I try to see how I feel, but today was a good day."

*Bourn's hamstring is acting up, and he left today's game in the 3rd inning.

Bourn:
"It's all right. It got tight on me earlier in the game, and that's why some balls I couldn't run out. Before it got too bad, I came out. I knew better than to try to keep going in there and to try to run again. You could feel the tightness and it was hot out there. Instead of being dumb, I tried to be smart."

*Jason Michaels, who likely knows that he's only on a one-year deal (with a $900,000 deal for next year, or a $100,000 buyout for 2011), likes Houston:

I like this group here and I love the staff. I think it's worked, personally. I think Houston's a great place to play. I'd definitely love to come back."

*And Wallace had the day off while he's battling The Zeroes.

Mills:
"He seems to be handling it extremely well and really looking at it from a good angle. This kid's got a good head on his shoulders and is really quiet, and observes a lot and listens and pays attention to what's going. I think he's going to be OK. Everybody goes through a tough time, and it's not the first time a young kid is going through issues."

Lindstrom's back still spazzing out

Zach Levine tweeted that Matt Lindstrom's ongoing back spasms have pushed back his bullpen session, rehab appearance, and return tuntil they stop.

Call-up time!

The Astros are discussing just who they're going to bring up on Wednesday, when the rosters expand to 40. We know two things from McTaggart's article: one will be a pitcher, and the other will be a catcher.

Mills:
"Another catcher would be huge, and being able to get a couple of arms, especially with the games we've been in the last week where they've really exhausted our bullpen, would be great."

Wade:
"I've already made up my mind it's going to be less than a handful of moves. We're getting guys back healthy with Lindstrom and Keppinger and still have a chance to get [Felipe] Paulino back. I'm just not a believer in using September as a reward or just stocking up the bench to have 27 moves to make. We have enough depth here."

Personally, and since you read Astros County you get our personal thoughts, I think trying to get Paulino back this season is a big mistake. Just let him heal and bring him back in 2011.

Keppinger and Lindstrom, who will come back at some point towards the beginning of September, will be heading to Corpus for rehab appearances.

Possible pitchers to come up would be Wesley Wright and Chris Sampson, who are already on the 40-man roster. Wright is currently on the 7-Day DL, but his injury wasn't supposed to be considered serious (though he hasn't pitched since August 13). Sampson has a 3.18 ERA (and a .349 BAA) in his last ten games.

For catchers, neither Brian Esposito or Edwin Bellorin are on the 40-man, but McTaggart astutely notes that the Astros could transfer Moehler to the 60-Day DL and free up a roster spot. There's a possibility that Jordan Lyles could come up, as well.

Newly-acquired Matt Downs is on the 40-man, but with the return of Keppinger, I don't see him coming up to Houston. And also personally, I would like to see September call-ups used as a reward. Brian Bogusevic would be a nice choice. He's on the 40-man roster, and he's hitting .283/.371/.425 in 127 games for Round Rock. Drew Locke has played well, too - collecting an .843 OPS in 125 games.

Do you agree or disagree with Wade's September Call-Up philosophy?

Byrdak may need off-season surgery, Lindstrom stubborn

Tim Byrdak is dealing with some abdominal/lower back issues that may need some off-season surgery.

Byrdak (and McTaggart):
"It's nothing I can't handle, but it's a nagging deal. If it's tight [near his lower abdomen], it's pulling at other places. If I could get that to relax, maybe everything else would relax and maybe it takes the focus off that more. I've never had anything like this."

Byrdak, who had cortisone shots in May and then again in early June to help his back, hopes to get an MRI at some point to help diagnose the problem. He said he might have even explore having surgery in the offseason to fix the problem.

"It's responded pretty well, but it's a nagging thing. You want to wake up and feel pretty good. You just want to wake up and not feel anything and be good to go. We're still going to get to that point and making adjustments here and there and doing what I can do."
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We also read that Lindstrom was a little stubborn in addressing his back injury:
"You don't plan on things like this happening. I probably should have tried to get it fixed a little bit earlier, but I've been stubborn. There are certain things you can battle through and certain things you can't, and this is one of those things."

McTaggart notes that Lindstrom was dealing with back problems for "weeks."

Lindstrom to DL, Fernando Abad up

Predictably, and thankfully, the Astros have placed Matt Lindstrom on the DL with a sore back.

Lindstrom:
I don’t want to cost my team any more games. The good news is my arm feels great, and that’s why it is so frustrating for me right now. I can’t get on the same page with my back.”

Fernando Abad has been recalled to take his roster spot.
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We also find out within the linked Notes Column that Jeff Keppinger has a bone in his toe that is SPLIT IN HALF.

"It's a little bone that's split in half (with cartilage in between them), something I was born with."

Cuckoo!

All is not lost for Paulino's rotator cuff

Bernardo Fallas' Notes Column gives us a little more info on what Dr. James Andrews said to Paulino (after, of course, he slipped up and called him "Favre" three times).

Paulino:
"Dr. Andrews conferred with the team diagnosis. He said there is inflammation in the rotator cuff, and he also said there is improvement. I feel good after hearing that. Now it's a matter of continuing the treatment and seeing how it responds, but I have to do it carefully. The rotator cuff is what fuels a pitcher; it's the life of a pitcher."

Mills:
"The prognosis is he's going to need a lot more rest. There's no timetable yet. We're waiting to see how the shoulder responds to the rest and how quickly that strength comes back."

So will he return this season, Mills?
"I don't know about that; we're going to have to wait and see. You don't want to rush anybody back and risk injury, but definitely with him, the way he threw the ball before he got hurt was pretty special."

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And Matt Lindstrom is structurally sound. Just not mechanically:
"(The back) is structurally sound; it's a muscular problem. They put me on some meds, and I'm already feeling much better. It's quite a relief to know that there's really nothing wrong with the spine or anything like that, so I'm just going to keep getting treatment and take it day-to-day."

No timetable for Paulino's return

Felipe Paulino got his second opinion, and it was the same as the first: inflammed rotator cuff, and there's no timetable for his return.

Meanwhile, Brandon Lyon is your new closer, as Matt Lindstrom is day-to-day with his back problems.