Nick Cafardo seems to think the Rangers are a fit for Bud Norris

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, in his Sunday column, mentions that Bud Norris continues to build his trade value with two strong starts (particularly his Opening Night start on National Television - likely the last nationally televised game of the season for Houston), and that he should "bring a good haul" for Houston.

"One veteran NL adviser" says that the Rangers "might be his landing point."

Look, we clearly know that Luhnow is willing to deal within the division, but do you think he would trade the staff ace (debatable) to the Rangers?

"About a half-dozen teams" have asked on Norris

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo tweeted this morning that "about a half-dozen" teams have inquired about the availability of Bud Norris, but that the Astros are not involved in any serious negotiations.

The Cardinals have been linked to interest in one of Norris/Harrell. The Yankees might be interested in Norris if only because he isn't held together with chicken wire.

Nick Cafardo's Sunday post

In Nick Cafardo's Sunday post, he ranks all 30 MLB managers. Wherefore art thou, Brad Mills?

#27. We all know Mills from Boston and know how organized he was as Francona’s right-hand man for so long. This is much too low a rating for him, but it’s hard to put him higher after a 106-loss season.

SOMEONE IS INTERESTED IN BRETT MYERS

It's not as exciting as someone being interested in Carlos Lee, but the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo just tweeted:

Houston has fielded interest by a few teams on Brett Myers but need to pick up some money.

Red Sox have asked about Wandy

Hey, here's a report from the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo:

The Astros are getting more and more inquiries about his availability. The Red Sox are one of the teams that have asked.

Wouldn't it be interesting to face Wandy and the Red Sox in 2013? Meanwhile, Cafardo has another note on our old pal Brad Mills:

Mills, GM Ed Wade, and many scouts and organizational people in Houston are awaiting their fate now that Jim Crane has taken over as owner. It was thought that there would be no changes organizationally until next season, but most staffers are on pins and needles.

I think we can all safely say that "pins and needles" is a fine place to be right about now...

The Astros were SHOCKED in the lack of interest in Myers

According to Nick Cafardo, the Astros:

1) Would trade Wandy if a team claimed him on waivers, but also feel like they could trade him in the off-season.

2) Were shocked - SHOCKED - in the lack of interest in Brett Myers.

Which would lead one to wonder why that was the case. He's giving up a full 1.2 hits/9 more than 2010, and his homerun rate has doubled. If the Astros were to be shocked at any point in Brett Myers' run with the Astros, it should have been last year.

Now the Astros are holding on to Pence

Nick Cafardo's Sunday column has a quick note about Hunter Pence:

Checked again with an Astros source and the word again was, “We’re going to hold on to him." All bets might be off in the offseason when there’s new ownership and possibly a new GM in place, but for now the outfielder most perfectly suited for the Red Sox won’t be out there.

So there you have it - for now, at least.

Also, on Brett Myers:
Surprisingly, little activity on him. “We’ve had a couple of bites from National League teams, but not much else,’’ said an Astros official. The Myers market may heat up closer to the deadline, but so far it’s slow for a guy who has pitched in the tough Philly market and could help a team at the back of the rotation or in the bullpen.

Also, Cafardo mentions Red Sox Assistant GM Ben Cherington as a possibility for Houston if Ed Wade gets the pink slip.

Will Crane go along simply not to piss off the owners?

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo has an article on realignment, and it's looking inevitable that the Astros aren't going to get what they want - simply to stay in the same league they've been in for XX years (XX if you count next season, which would likely be the last NL season for the Astros, according to Cafardo).

Check comments for clarification

Cafardo:
But the consensus among owners appears to be that the Astros would need to move from the NL Central to the AL West. The Astros are opposed to this, believing moving into a different time zone would wreak havoc with their TV broadcasts, and also not fully buying into the notion that they have a natural rivalry with the Rangers.

One Astros Official:
“We have no more of a rivalry with the Rangers than we do with the Cardinals or the Reds or the Cubs."

Agreed.

Now here's an interesting point on Jim Crane's involvement:
The new regime - the Jim Crane ownership that is getting set to take over the team from Drayton McLane - likely would not want to rock the boat in its inaugural season and may go along with the proposal simply to keep the peace.

It makes sense for Crane to simply go along, knowing what every writer seems to know - that the other 29 owners kind of hate him. But I, as a fan of a team that seems to have no spine (see: Series, Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park), would love to see Crane embrace this oppositional view and go in and yell and scream, and throw a dead rabbit on the table, fax copies of his butt cheeks to the owners - and Selig - and make a huge fuss. If Jim Crane became an older, less-coked up version of Mark Cuban (even equally coked-up would be fine with me), I would clap with glee.

Your Morning Realignment Roundup

Rather than have six separate posts talking about the same thing, here is your roundup of morning realignment links:

Diamondbacks Team President and CEO Derrick Hall plays suck-up to Bud Selig, saying his team could be interested in moving to the AL:

"If asked, we will look into it if it's in the best interests of baseball. However, we have to balance it against what is in the best interest of our fans."

Curtis Granderson is in favor of teams playing every other team in baseball - regardless of league.

Hunter Pence doesn't give two craps about realignment:
"I like the National League. I like where we're at. I don't focus on those things at all and I really don't want to."

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo offers AL alternatives, but says the Astros may be the most logical move. Why?

This is a franchise in transition anyway, with new ownership, and the team is having a bad season.

Yeah, since the Astros are down, they're that much closer to your foot.

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.

Nick Cafardo's Free Agent Destinations

Nick Cafardo's Sunday column ranks the top free agents and projects a possible destination. We already know that the Astros won't be major players in the free agent market, but Cafardo does see the Astros as a possible destination for:

SP Jon Garland:
He did a terrific job for the Padres eating up innings and lending stability. He could do the same for a number of teams, such as the Nationals, Brewers, Mets, Astros, or Rockies. A return to San Diego also is possible.

We typically discount any rumor that links the Astros to a pitcher, as they're pretty much set there for 2011. Middle infielder? Different story. And Cafardo puts the price tag on Carl Crawford at 6 years/$120m. So don't even look at Carl Crawford. He's the cheerleader you're not allowed to even dream about dating.

Nick Cafardo hands out his Astros awards

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, who is one of the few members of the national media to pay even remote attention to the Astros, handed out his awards, team-by-team. For the Astros:

Best player: Hunter Pence continued to progress, with 25 homers and 91 RBIs.

Best pitcher: Brett Myers went at least six innings in all but one start.

Breakthrough: Third baseman Chris Johnson, son of Sox first base coach Ron Johnson, can hit, hit for power, and defend.

Regressed: Carlos Lee, who has $37 million remaining on his contract, is no longer a dominant player.

Cafardo shares the love for Chris Johnson

Nick Cafardo's Sunday Column has a nice little shout-out to Chris Johnson:

The son of Sox first base coach Ron Johnson is developing into a very good player. With veteran Pedro Feliz on the team, the Astros took a while to commit to Johnson, but since the All-Star break, he has been at or near the top in the NL in OPS, batting average, RBIs, and slugging. “He just keeps throwing out hits and keeps getting big hits, so I bumped him up a little bit to fifth," said manager Brad Mills. “He’s making it tough to leave him in that [sixth] spot."

Except for last night, when he was dropped to 7th.

Trading Deadline Reactions

So naturally everybody has an opinion on what transpired with the Astros over the last 72 hours. Let's find out!

Jayson Stark:
Finally, this team has let itself turn the page. Finally, owner Drayton McLane has signed off on allowing his franchise to "quit holding onto what was and what was not going to be," said one NL executive. The Astros saved themselves $15 million. They got an underrated starter (J.A. Happ) to replace Oswalt, got a big league-ready bopper (Brett Wallace) to replace Berkman, did OK in their prospect haul and started looking at tomorrow. Finally. And it's about time. There's also some speculation this set the stage for McLane to sell the team, but that's another story.

Richard Justice:
Who knows what the results will be? There's no way to know how younger guys will do until they get a chance to go out there and play. But it's the right thing to do.

The Astros weren't going anywhere with the mix of players they began this season with, and now they've decided to change it. There'll be some bumps in the road, but at least there's a future that makes sense.

Jerome Solomon, in a scathing review:
Now explain to me once more, exactly what are Astros fans supposed to be happy about?

The team just traded its two most popular players — one of the franchise's all-time great pitchers and one of the franchise's all-time great hitters — for a bunch of guys who most likely will never be the franchise's all-time great anythings. The Astros make a couple of moves that almost had to be made and some, particularly those who have been calling for the overhaul of the team for years, are optimistic?

Are you serious? Not much has changed.

Nick Cafardo:
The Astros haven’t sold off much over the years because they’ve been contenders, or simply stubborn in keeping some of their aging players. But they finally realized it’s time to retool, and began that process by selling off Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, two mainstays. This wasn’t an easy decision for owner Drayton McLane or CEO Tal Smith. But they not only obtained promising lefthander J.A. Happ from the Phillies, they also did a nice job flipping outfielder Anthony Gose, one of the prospects they obtained from Philadelphia, to Toronto for first baseman Brett Wallace.

Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers:
Only way I see the Berkman trade not working out in favor of the Yankees is if Berkman murders Jeter.

Our take: Had the Astros done nothing, they would have been blasted. Now that they have, they're getting blasted (though it's not widespread.) Whatever the Astros did, someone was going to call Ed Wade an idiot and Drayton McLane a moron. Sometimes, you just can't win.

Big Tal expects talks to heat up tomorrow

Captip to the Crawfish Boxes for linking to Nick Cafardo's Sunday column for the Boston Globe.

Cafardo, talking to Tal Smith:
Smith said he expects to make a deal because there is “considerable interest’’ in Oswalt, with “three or four’’ teams trying to make it happen. Smith felt by tomorrow things should begin to heat up.

Further proof that agent Bob Garber is trying to ensure himself a pretty sweet paycheck:
Those who know Oswalt well have been surprised he’s insisting on the option being picked up, because for their last few seasons he’s put himself in year-to-year mode, almost like Andy Pettitte, though Oswalt is still relatively young.

What about the Yankees?
They have not been linked with Oswalt, but the Yankees usually come out of the blue and make a bid, as they did with Cliff Lee. With Pettitte on the disabled list and Phil Hughes struggling, the Yankees could be a player...

...One Astros official indicated that New York might be too “big time’’ for the quiet Oswalt, and that he may not approve a deal there. But one of his best friends is Pettitte, and according to a baseball friend of Roger Clemens, the Rocket has told Oswalt that New York is a great place to play.

If someone else gets hurt in Boston, the Red Sox might come calling

Nick Cafardo writes on how the Red Sox are approaching the trade deadline. One way? Waiting for half the team to get healthy. But if someone else goes down in the rotation, the Red Sox might start calling Ed Wade.

Cafardo:
A Red Sox team source indicated that if a major injury occurs in the second half, the team would make a trade if it was in a position to win. For example, the team could swing a deal for Roy Oswalt or Dan Haren if a starter went down. The only way we’ll know if this is a probability is if another major Sox player was to be injured.

The Hunt For Roy's October: June 19

Daily round-up of news and rumors surrounding the impending departure of Bulldozer Roy.

Nick Cafardo:
Rangers president Nolan Ryan confirmed the team’s interest in the veteran Astros rigthander. But some in the Houston organization are skeptical that Astros owner Drayton McLane would deal with the other Texas team.

Drayton's got something of a PR problem here. Nobody thinks he's not the one calling the shots, and no matter how hard he backs off the position that he's making decisions, or no matter how often he may be out of the spotlight, Drayton will always be seen as the one screwing up the Astros. Maybe you'll feel sorry for him, but probably not.

Nick Cafardo on Roy's possibilities

Nick Cafardo spends a decent amount of space talking about Roy Oswalt. What does he say?

Oswalt appears to be the prize for teams needing a front-of-the-rotation starter.

Dodgers
What makes more sense is the Dodgers, if they can take on payroll — and it appears they may be able to. Owner Frank McCourt, embroiled in a divorce, tightened the purse springs this offseason, but the Dodgers need a head-of-the-rotation guy and have made inquiries on Oswalt and Cliff Lee.

Cardinals
One team Oswalt would want to play for is St. Louis, but the feeling is the Astros wouldn’t deal him within the division.

White Sox
Astros organizational people feel Oswalt would not want to go to an American League team, but the chance to be reunited with best friend Jake Peavy in Chicago could change that.

And Cafardo stays in pretty close contact with Mills, who had this to say about the struggles of the team:
“Any time you take a job, it’s going to be challenging, and we’re up for those challenges. There were a few challenges that maybe we didn’t expect and that we didn’t see coming. We definitely didn’t see the offense being a challenge, especially from the people who are struggling."

On how he dealt with the news of Oswalt and Berkman wanting out:
“Obviously it’s there and we’re dealing with it. When I heard the comments, I went to both players and asked, ‘Is it the city, the manager, the team? What is it?’ Both guys indicated they’re getting older and they’d like a chance to win soon and they’d like to help the organization out by bringing back some good young players. So I understand where they’re coming from."

Let's get this straight. Mills' job should not be in jeopardy until 2018. This was a train-wreck of a roster that needed everything to go right - and in order - for 2010 not to be a complete cluster (you can finish that), which is exactly what has happened. I did not think the Astros would compete for the whole season, thinking they'd finish around 75 wins. They would have to finish the season 58-54 to hit that. This is not his fault. Sean Berry, however...

Berkman would "fit Boston like a fiddle"

Nick Cafardo's always-worthwhile Sunday column has a quote from a "one Astros organizational person" (which could honestly be the groundskeeper at Round Rock) regarding the possibility of trading Berkman:

There’s still skepticism among some in the Houston organization that Lance Berkman really would leave his beloved Houston. But if he does indeed waive his no trade-clause, said one Astros organizational person, "He’d fit Boston like a fiddle. He’s got natural power to left and left-center. He works the count like they like and has always had a high on-base percentage."

Cafardo mentions Seattle or the White Sox as possibilities, but he's going to have to go on a tear in order to be an attractive candidate.
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And Cafardo, who keeps tabs on Koby Clemens from time to time, has a nice things to say about both Clemens and Jason Castro:

Clemens was hitting only .253 and had 32 strikeouts, but he is making a positive impression in his next step up. A scout who has watched him said, “To think he could make it to the big leagues is a legitimate possibility. Like any hitter, as he moves up he’ll see more off-speed stuff, and how he adjusts to it will determine how quickly he rises. Don’t forget, I’m sure he’s seen a pretty good split from his dad."

And on Castro:

The young phenom has struggled offensively at Triple A Round Rock, but old friend Kevin Cash, recently recalled by the Astros, said, “The thing that’s impressive about him is that he calls a really good game for a guy of his age and his experience. When you watch him, you understand the excitement about him because he has a chance to be a very good all-around catcher. The pitchers feel comfortable with him, and that’s a great sign."

Yeah, just ask J.R. Towles.

Francona keeping tabs on Mills

Nick Cafardo says that Terry Francona has been keeping up with Mills. His word of advice? Put down the gun:

Francona has been keeping in constant contact with old friend Brad Mills, whose Astros have struggled mightily since the start of the season. Francona said he was in contact with Mills up to a half-hour before the Astros' game last night.

"Feels like we're playing double-headers," said Francona, referring to the fact he feels for Mills. Otherwise he said he thinks Mills is "doing OK."