Kuzul

Now that the initial shock is over from the news that Jason Castro will be out for almost the entire 2011 season with a torn ACL, the Houston Astros need to go into damage control and figure out what they want to do with the catcher situation.

They could head into the season relying on their current catchers, Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles, but they have hit a combined .221 in their major league careers.

There are still some interesting options at the catcher position available as free agents, the biggest name being Bengie Molina. The problem with Molina is that his skills at the plate have rapidly declined over the past few years and he has almost no speed on the base paths.

If the Astros are not comfortable with either of the two situations above, they could also acquire a catcher via trade. The team that makes the most sense to try and work a trade out with is the New York Yankees, as they have a number of quality catchers and are looking for help in their starting rotation.

The Yankees have two top prospects at the catcher position in Jesus Montero, who was rated the third-best prospect in the minor league system by Baseball America, and Austin Romine, who just made the list at 98th. The scouting report on Romine is that he is the better defensive catcher of the two, but still needs to improve his plate discipline.

Romine was picked in the second round of the 2007 draft, but Russell Martin, Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli (who broke his foot and may be out for all of April) and Montero are all ahead of him in the Yankees’ system, so Romine has a very slim chance of seeing the major leagues any time soon.

So it would make sense for the Yankees to contact the Astros to gauge their interest in possibly swinging a trade that would send lefty Wandy Rodriguez to them for Romine. The Astros are pretty deep in pitching this year and are now extremely weak at the catcher position with Castro going down.

Now, the question is if the Astros would consider a trade like this. I believe it doesn’t make sense for them right now. The problem with Romine is that some believe he isn’t ready for The Show, and if that’s the case, he won’t be able to help the Astros.

If the Astros don’t believe that Castro can come back 100 percent or handle the full-time duties in 2012, then I would offer Rodriguez for Romine.

However, I think it may be a little early to count out Castro, and while going through 2011 with J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero is not a great option, it is the best option.

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The Astros are about two weeks into spring training and played their first game yesterday. I am sure no one wanted to start off the 2011 season like they did, falling to the Atlanta Braves 13-3.

However, after only nine innings of real baseball and a handful of practices, here are 10 things that we have already learned about this team.

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Even though it has been less than a week that the full squad has been at spring training, it is never too early to start looking at what the Houston Astros may look like on Opening Day.

Entering 2011, the Astros are a young team, as they are in the middle of a rebuilding process, but the lineup is pretty much set for this season.

Looking at the roster, there are really only two spots that are still up for grabs, and those are the last spot in the rotation and the backup outfield spot. With that said, here is what I see being the Opening Day roster for the Houston Astros.

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Now that Lance Berkman is gone and Carlos Lee is coming off a down year, the race is wide open for who will lead the Houston Astros in home runs in 2011. They no longer have that one player who can be expected to hit 30 to 35 home runs in a season.

When looking at the current Astros roster, there are three players who jump out that could lead this team in home runs this season. Right fielder Hunter Pence, left fielder Carlos Lee and third baseman Chris Johnson have the best chance.

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After the Houston Astros traded Roy Oswalt last summer, there has been a glaring need for a true ace, someone who can anchor the top of the rotation and set an example for the rest of the pitchers. Brett Myers pitched well down the stretch for them last year but does not have the talent to be that true ace the Astros need.

Cliff Lee is a great example of the difference a true ace can have on a team. The Texas Rangers played very well after they traded with Seattle for Lee. He set a great example for the rest of the young pitchers like CJ Wilson and Tommy Hunter. The Astros need this kind of leadership with young pitchers like J.A. Happ and Bud Norris being relied on to play key roles this year. 

Here are 10 trade ideas that would allow the Astros to acquire that top-of-the-line pitcher. Some of these pitchers may not be considered true aces right now but have the potential to become that true ace.

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The New York Yankees were probably very disappointed this week to hear that Andy Pettitte has decided to retire instead of return for another season with the Bronx Bombers. Now heading into spring training this leaves two big holes in their starting rotation that will most likely be filled by either Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre, Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia.

As the season progresses, the Yankees may start looking outside the organization to fill these pitcher spots if the pitchers struggle. One pitcher they may consider is Brett Myers of the Houston Astros. Myers had a strong year in 2010 for the Astros and was the best pitcher on that staff after Oswalt was traded. If the Astros start off slow and fall out of the race early, Brett Myers may be a player that they look to move in 2011 and the Yankees make sense to be a team that Myers ends up with.

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If a team in a rebuilding process is smart and gets the right pieces, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a team could be playoff bound after one to two years of rebuilding. Last year, the Houston Astros felt it was time to start over and traded away Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt and replaced them with young players like Brett Wallace and J.A. Happ. After these trades happened, the Astros actually started to play better and more competitive baseball down the stretch.

When talking about the NL Central, many people will talk about the improved rotation of the Brewers, the Cardinals led by Pujols and Holliday or the NL Central defending champion Cincinnati Reds led by reigning NL MVP Joey Votto.

However, there is one team that people are not giving a chance, and that is the Houston Astros. After the moves they made in 2010 and how they finished the year before, they are ready to turn this three-horse race for the NL Central in 2011 to a four-team battle.

Here are 10 reasons why the Astros will surprise people in 2011.

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The Houston Astros about halfway through last season decided to enter rebuilding mode by trading both Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt.

However, there is one more expensive piece currently on the team that could offer some quality pieces in return to help the rebuilding process, and that is Carlos Lee.

El Caballo does have some things working against him that may make a trade tougher for the Astros. He is getting up there in age and would struggle in the field. He also will be making $19 million this season. He is on the downside of his career and probably wouldn’t be able to bring top talent in return.

However, he could still contribute to a team for another two to three years, playing DH for a team that is looking for a power hitter for the middle of its lineup. Here are 10 trades that would make sense for both teams.

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The Houston Astros decided about halfway through last season that it was time to enter that period that no fan wants to hear, and that is rebuilding. The Astros decided to trade away the only remaining players from that 2005 team that made the World Series.

They decided to finish out the season with a lot of rookies and young players, but if the way the Astros finished last year is any indication of things to come, this team is ready to grow up quick and make some noise in 2011.

Within three days, the Astros traded Roy Oswalt to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and two other players. One of those other players was OF Anthony Gose who they quickly turned around and traded to Toronto for first basemen Brett Wallace.

Two days later, Lance Berkman was traded for two minor league players.  Then players like Chris Johnson, Tommy Manzella, Angel Sanchez and Jason Castro were called up to the big time. Before Astros fans knew what happened, they had almost an entirely different team.

At the start of August last year the Astros had a record of 45-59 and many people thought it would only get worse with the fact they basically had a minor league team wearing a major league uniform.

However, this team showed some talent and grit down the stretch and actually finished the season 32-27 from that point, including a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. The way the season ended gives Astros fans hope for this coming season.

Now at this point they will not be competing for a World Series, but a third place finish in the NL Central with a record above .500 is not out of the question and this a brighter outlook than what many fans thought back at the end of July. It looks like the Astros have found a player that will secure the hot corner for years to come in Chris Johnson, who hit .308 last season with 11 HRs and 52 RBIs in 94 games.

They also have two players with great potential in Brett Wallace and Jason Castro who benefited from the playing time in the majors last season. Add in Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee with Michael Bourn leading off and wreaking havoc on the bath paths and the Astros have the potential for a solid batting lineup

The Astros have also been able to build a solid pitching rotation by adding a couple of young pitchers. They were able to trade for J.A. Happ and called up Bud Norris last year who will be paired in a rotation with veterans Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers.

Bud Norris finished strong last season going 6-3 since August, Wandy was consistent throughout finishing 11-12 with a 3.60 ERA and 178 strikeouts. The real surprise last year was Brett Myers who finished the year 14-8 with a 3.14 ERA and 180 strikeouts. Myers pitched well enough that the Astros rewarded him with a two-year extension.

Now this team has a lot of questions surrounding them.

Will the young players be able to continue to improve and develop while playing at a high level? Will Brett Myers be able to step up and be the ace of this rotation? Will Clint Barmes and Bill Hall be able to be able to hold down that middle of the infield? Can Carlos Lee still play in the outfield?

It is hard to say at this point, however, I think manager Brad Mills has a team that will play hard and compete. I also believe that the future looks much brighter than it did back at the end of July and the dreaded “rebuilding period” may be shorter than first thought for Astros fans.

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