Kuzul

Much has been said about Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt during the trade frenzy, but not quite as much has been mulled over Houston’s Lance Berkman.

Sure, the Yankees are mentioned anytime someone serves his name into play; And he would be a helluva Designated Hitter, but that is not what this article is about.

What kind of fit would he be for the Cincinnati Reds? Wait, don’t laugh yet. I know we have Joey Votto at 1B, but Berkman can also play in the outfield.

Keep in mind this is all based on the assumption that Lee doesn’t come to the Reds.
 
I know he is having a down year at the plate, but seriously I believe much of that can be ascribed to the lousy team he is playing on. If nobody gets on base it is extremely difficult to drive them in.

One of the biggest reasons I can see for the Reds to try to get him, is the fact that he is the best active hitter against the Reds, especially at Great American Ball Park.

Look at this: In 51 games played at GABP he is hitting .339 with an OBP of .458 and a SLG of .765, with 21 HR and 55 RBI. The only places he has done better (other than Minute Maid Park) is Petco and the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

So, do you want him for ya or agin’ ya?

Where would we put him you say? I thought you would never ask. As a switch-hitter, he is even more valuable.

Berkman could platoon with Jay Bruce, who is a notorious poor hitter facing southpaws. Against right-handers, Bruce could move to center, while Berkman stays in right. He could spell Gomes in left and be available to play first whenever Votto needs a break. So, finding a place for him is not a problem.

What would the Astros want in return for Fat Elvis? I am glad you asked.

Their pitching is horrible across the board, so a pitcher who has been tried by fire would be essential. Enter Homer Bailey.

They are inadequate everywhere with the exception of the outfield and Jeff Keppinger in the middle of the infield.  Todd Frazier and Miguel Cairo can both play all around the infield, so they would become attractive entering the deal.

Ramon Hernandez would be a good suggestion as well behind the plate, since the Reds have a more than capable catcher in Ryan Hanigan.

My offer: Send Bailey, Hernandez and Cairo to Houston for Lance Berkman.

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Don’t expect the New York Yankees to publicly admit to wanting both or either of these players.

According to MLBTradeRumors.com, George A. King III of the New York Post says the Yankees are likely to be interested in both Mariners starting pitcher Cliff Lee and Astros first baseman Lance Berkman.

The Yankees have five quality starters on the team at this point, so many may think pursuing Lee would be pointless. In all reality, adding Lee would be more of a move for next season.

Andy Pettitte and Javier Vazquez are free agents after this season, so the Yankees will need another starter if they do not re-sign either or both.

The Seattle Mariners are apparently expecting the Yankees to inquire about Lee. They have been sending scouts to check out the Yankees’ farm teams, a sign they are taking a look at potential trade bait.

It is being reported the Mariners will likely seek Triple-A shortstop Eduardo Nunez and one of the Yankees’ catching prospects.

Would you give up Nunez and Austin Romine or Jesus Montero for Cliff Lee? Lee is one of the league’s top pitchers, but you better be darn sure you can sign him to a long-term contract if you are going to give up prospects of that caliber.

Continue reading at Double G Sports.

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As I write this, the Houston Astros are enduring yet another typical night.

Wandy Rodriguez, who’s on-again, off-again pitching deserves its own theme song (Jerry Reid’s When You’re Hot, You’re Hot, and When You’re Not, You’re Not ) left tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds after getting shelled for eight runs and eight hits over three-and-a-third innings.

We like to think he mistakenly thought he was pitching batting practice.

The ‘Stros, as usual, have shown that hitting the ball into play and getting to first base before the ball does remains a foreign concept to them. One has to wonder if Sean Berry is unaware that Kaz Matsui is no longer with the team and is giving hitting instructions in Japanese.

If the Astros lose tonight’s game, they’ll be at 16-32 and a frigid 16 games below .500. Houston has the worst record in the National League and would have the worst record in baseball if not for the Baltimore Orioles.

Right now, it would probably be easier to get Houston schoolchildren to eat a meal of creamed cauliflower and fried liver* than to get them to watch the Astros play.

I worry that in a few years if things continue, Brad Mills will be fired. It would be a shame, since I honestly believe he’d be a fine manager IF he had decent players to work with.

I know that Jack McKeon brought the Florida Marlins back from the dead one year. Asking Mills to win with this team is tantamount to asking KISS bassist Gene Simmons to marry longtime girlfriend Shannon Tweed and bid adieu to adding more female conquests to his infamous Polaroid collection.

If Mills did that with this team (the winning part, not the sleeping with every woman in the solar system), forget a World Series parade in downtown Houston: He should be admitted simultaneously into both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian.

I can just see the Smithsonian exhibit:

Brad Mills, the rookie manager of the Houston Astros who’d never managed a major league team before, took a team that sucked so bad it could suck a proverbial golfball through a proverbial garden hose and radically turned the Astros around. After starting the season 16-32 and losing an exhibition game against the Little League World Series champion 84-0, the Astros went 114-0 en route to their first World Series championship. Fans named their sons Brad, daughters Brad-ette, and Mills ended up doing a commercial where he said, “Forget Disney World! I want Six Flags to re-open Astroworld!!!”*

Fat chance.

I’m afraid Houston needs to start rebuilding.

My suggestion: Trade Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman.

Oswalt, who will turn 33 in August, currently has an impressive career win-loss record of 139-74 and a 3.21 ERA. This season, he is 3-6 with a 2.35 ERA. He conjures up memories of Nolan Ryan, who had a National League-leading 2.79 ERA and 270 strikeouts in 1987 en route to a sickening 8-17 record.

(As a side note, many whine about how Ryan shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame because he was only a .500 career pitcher [324 wins versus 292 losses]. But what they don’t tell you is that Ryan spent much of his career on mediocre teams).

In short, Roy O is wasting his talent in Houston with this team. As he’s hinted already, he’d like to go somewhere where he can win a championship. 

Is it possible Houston will miraculously rebound the next year and be a contender?

My feeling is it would be better to trade Oswalt and insist on getting some quality prospects and even a major-leaguer or two. Pitching and hitting. Any team that wants Oswalt will have to cough up some good players in return.

What if they don’t? Then Houston better play hard ball or else: Oswalt’s contract expires in 2011.

It’ll stink if Oswalt goes. Chances are, he’ll pull a Nolan Ryan, and have so much fun at his new home that if he makes baseball’s Hall of Fame, he’ll request to wear that team’s cap.

Berkman is 34 and has struggled the past few years. He hit .274 last year and again got off to a slow start this year as he’s at .235. Lifetime, he’s at .298 with 318 home runs and 1,056 RBI. Surely, Houston could get some solid prospects in return for Berkman.

The Big Puma is in the final year of his six-year deal with the club holding a $15 million option for 2011.

Let me get this straight: I don’t really want to see Oswalt or Berkman leave Houston.

I’d love to see them end their careers in Astros uniforms. I have fond memories of Berkman in 2005 hitting everything in sight, and Oswalt calmly shutting the St. Louis Cardinals down in Game Six after the Albert Pujols/Brad Lidge Game Five heartache.

But I also know that Oswalt may choose to leave for another team once his contract expires, and that Berkman has suggested he’d waive his no-trade clause.

I hate seeing both waste their time playing on a team that’ll go nowhere, and I’d hate to see Roy O and Mr. Eligibility Major leave Houston with the Astros receiving absolutely nothing in return.

Richard Zowie blogs about the joy and (mostly) the pain of being an Astros fan at Bleacher Report. Post comments here or e-mail him at richardzowie@gmail.com .

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As of late, Houston Astros’ ace pitcher, Roy Oswalt, has publicly made it clear that he wants out. It seems clear that Houston and Oswalt have no future of succeeding in the 2010 campaign. 

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, via twitter, that “Roy Oswalt wants to be traded to a contender, a la Roy Halladay”

It is unclear if that Houston is willing to trade Oswalt or even if they want to become sellers this early on in the season. Well, I’ll take my chances that the Astros are not going anywhere special this year. 

The Astros are currently in last place in the NL Central behind the free-falling Milwaukee Brewers and the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates. To me, Houston will definitely be a seller this year, it’s just a matter of who they want to trade away or who they believe can be a core player in up-coming years.

The three big name players that come to mind when you think of Houston is: Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Roy Oswalt. Out of those three players, one of them seems to have little to none trade value; Carlos Lee. But, the others, Oswalt and Berkman, could both be great fits for playoff contenders this season. 

Where could Oswalt land? That’s the major question in the “Oswalt Sweepstakes”. The two teams that I can come up with right off the top of my head are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, no surprise. But here’s the surprise, Oswalt going to the Bronx or Yawkey Way will probably not happen. Both teams probably aren’t willing to spend the big dough and to cough up major prospects for Oswalt, and on top of that, they’re pitching rotations both respectful seem to be O.K.

So who are the true contenders this early in the game? Possibly the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Texas Rangers.

The one team that surprises me are the Rays. If they could acquire Oswalt, I truly believe that would put the Rays over the top in the AL East. But with the Mets and the Rangers? Oswalt’s presence would be crucial to each teams’ pitching staff in making a playoff run. 

But, let’s face it: Rumors are rumors. All the matters in trading big name players from a “selling franchise” is who can cough up the best prospects. It’s unclear right now if Houston is willing to part ways with the 2005 NLCS MVP, but if they do, they are in the running of acquiring some quality young talent to bolster their farm system. 

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The Houston Astros are just five years removed from their lone World Series berth.

From their inception in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45’s, the Astros have achieved little in terms of establishing an identity as a storied franchise. Whether to due with lack of superstar power or rare postseason success, the Astros have at times been a team on the cusp of success only to falter the following year.

After clinching the National League Wild Card with an 89-73 record in the 2005 season, they defeated two of Major League Baseball’s winningest franchises in recent memory, the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, to complete their improbable trip to their first-ever World Series.

Although they were swept by the World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, many expected the Astros to possibly become a contender in the National League.

However, after four years of alternating winning and losing seasons, the Astros proved to be inconsistent and missing one or two key players that could change the complexion of the franchise.

Flash forward to this season, the Astros boast a National League worst 15-27 record and already 9 ½ games behind the division-leading Cardinals.

So what is wrong with the Houston Astros?

With the retirement of Jeff Bagwell in 2005 and of Craig Biggio in 2007, the Astros definitely lost two of the best pure players in team history.

But that is where the problems only begin.

During the first 40 games of this season, the Astros have been unable to produce on the offensive end, averaging less than three runs per game. The Astros are also ranked either last or second-to-last in every major offensive category. Due to lack of run support, the pitching is also of tremendous importance.

Houston’s rotation of Roy Oswalt, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Felipe Paulino, and Bud Norris are having to limit opposing teams’ offensive output as much as possible, to help keep them in games.

SP Roy Oswalt, despite having a 2.66 ERA, only has a 2-6 record to show for it, in large part to lack of offense. This may be the biggest reason as to why Houston’s starting ace wants a trade.

If the Astros could perhaps get some young talent, they may begin building for the future. However, if an Oswalt trade is in the works, this essentially eliminates any chance of Houston contending for the playoffs.

Their offensive woes could be in large part to the inconsistent play of LF Carlos Lee and 3B Pedro Feliz. Even though they have showed flashes of their offensive prowess, it has been only on occasion.

They were brought to Houston, in 2007 and 2010 respectively, to help boost the hitting and scoring of the Astros, something that has not worked in Houston’s favor.

If Houston does want to build for the future, now is the time, as they have key players that would generate interest, as well as provide value, from other teams. Lee, Roy Oswalt, and perhaps, even, Lance Berkman could all be on the move during this season.

The team could start rebuilding around Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, and start to develop young players. Prospects, as well as trading for young role players, could form a strong nucleus that could bring the Astros back into contention as soon as next season.

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Kaz Matsui’s time with the Houston Astros is officially in the books. We are left to wonder his options. Perhaps he will join fellow Japanese export Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle, or maybe he’ll head back to Japan and play for the Yomiyuri Giants, the Chunichi Dragons, Yakult Swallows or the Nagasaki Yakuza.

With that, we are left to wonder who will be next to be issued their walking papers with the Astros…

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Steve Austin, astronaut: a man barely alive. . . We can rebuild him. We can make him better than he was before: better, stronger, faster.

Those classic words, which opened each episode of ABC’s The Six Million Dollar Man in the 1970s, now apply to the Houston Astros: The Astros are barely alive, and it’s time to rebuild.

Dear Drayton McLane and Ed Wade: Let’s have a fire sale!

The newspaper ad for the sale could look something like this:

Proven MLB studs available NOW! Looking for young prospects in return. All positions needed. Serious inquiries only.

Stud #1: Roy Oswalt

Ten-year veteran, three-time All-Star, lifetime 139-75 record with a 3.21 ERA. Hey there, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers, interested? Anyone else out there need a big-time starting pitcher?

Stud #2: Lance Berkman

Twelve-year vet, five-time All-Star, lifetime .298 hitter with 317 HRs and 1,054 RBI—an average of 33 HRs and 111 RBI per 162 games. Switch-hitter, good first baseman. Nice fit for you, San Francisco Giants.

Stud #3: Carlos Lee

Twelve-year vet, three-time All-Star, very similar to Lance Berkman: career .289 hitter, 312 HRs, and 1,119 RBI—averaging 30 HRs and 108 RBI per 162 games. Perfect DH material. Hey, Chicago White Sox and Oakland A’s, we know Carlos is off to a slow start this season, but this guy could help you.

Stud #4: Felipe Paulino

Starting pitcher, only 26 years old, three years of MLB experience. Lifetime 5-18 record with a 6.11 ERA. Great potential!

Wait a minute, I’m not sure Felipe Paulino is a stud. Who snuck him into this ad?

Sorry, folks, but Kaz Matsui is no longer available in our fire sale. An astute early buyer, a homeless man from Dallas, got a killer deal on Kaz yesterday: free of charge!

Enough kidding around. At 14-26, the Astros are tied with the Seattle Mariners for the second-worst record in baseball. I think it’s time to consider burning down the Astros’ house and starting afresh. And I don’t mean Minute Maid Park.

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Nothing is better for a struggling Houston Astros team than a trip to St. Louis? That doesn’t make any sense. St. Louis is in first place in the NL Central. Houston? They aren’t in first place, or second, or third or fourth. Nope, they proudly reside in fifth place, one game back of the powerful Pittsburgh Pirates.

And this is after a three game sweep of the Cardinals.  

Astros baseball! After two eight game losing streaks, a third place finish isn’t impossible, just improbable! I think that would be a great slogan for the rest of the season.   

Now, don’t get too excited Astros fans, I don’t believe we are about to launch ourselves back in the division race.

But maybe, just maybe, we can compete for third or fourth place in the division. And truthfully, if we somehow finish ahead of the Cubs, then I consider this season a resounding success.

To move ahead of some other teams, we’ll need more games like Thursdays. Timely hitting against a good pitcher. Good defensive plays at the right time and starting pitching that dominates.

Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence provided the clutch hitting.  

Berkman made a great defensive play in the eighth inning to prevent a run.  

Bud Norris did what he always does to the Cards. Dominate them. He is now 4-0 against St. Louis, including 3-0 at Busch Stadium. He needs to pitch like this against everyone.

Heading into yesterdays game, his E.R.A. was closer to 10 than three. Both of his victories this season have come on the road against St. Louis.  

It must have something to do with his nickname. Bud. The relationship between the Cardinals and Budweiser must give him some type of special power.

Maybe he can also have some success against the Brewers.

Someone give Felipe Paulino a cool nickname. He could really use some wins.  And control. 

All kidding aside, it’s a good feeling to see the team starting to hit.  

I know Berkman and Pence care and want to win. When they produce like they did this weekend, the Astros will take a game or two, even the odd series from a better team.

If Norris can continue to improve the starting pitching wouldn’t seem that bad. Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriquez and a consistent Norris would be a decent 1-2-3 start to a rotation.  

Norris has the stuff of at least a no. two starter. His success like most pitchers depends on his command. Staying away from the one big inning has also been a problem.

Of course, if Bud continues to pitch well, it makes it even easier on the Astros to trade Oswalt near the deadline. If they can get one or two top prospects for Roy, they need to pull the trigger.  

The bats this season are never going to be great.  

Outside of Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee, the hitters are below average at every position. So more often than not, pitching is going to have to carry the team or at least nudge it towards victory.

Enjoy the sweep over the Cardinals in St. Louis.  It doesn’t happen often.  And after the start to this season, no one would have predicted it happening this year.

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Believe it or not, the Astros have won four games in a row; and three of those victories have come against the first-place Cardinals as Houston swept St. Louis at Busch Stadium.

How, exactly, have the 13-21 Astros taken all three games from the 20-15 Cardinals (on the road on top of that)?

From Lance Berkman heating up at the plate to Hunter Pence’s re-awaking offensive outburst, Houston is on a tear right now.

And it’s a damn long season, so don’t count them out yet.

Here are five good reasons why Astros fans should be smiling, and five solid pieces to Houston continuing their climb from the MLB grave and back into contention in the National League Central…

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Right about now, some may be questioning whether or not Houston’s turnaround is legit; especially after the Astros got swept by the Cincinnati Reds after winning eight of their prior 11 games.

But, let me tell you something: this team has begun the turnaround, and the Houston Astros are well on their way to contending in the National League Central this season.

Although they may not be the hottest thing to hit the diamond in April, May will likely be a different story and it will be a time for the Astros to prove to the doubters that they can and will contend in 2010.

Here are five reasons why, in my opinion, the Houston Astros’ turnaround is indeed authentic…

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