Heads22 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 http://www.rotoworld.com//content/playernews.aspx?sport=MLB Darin Erstad-OF- White Sox Dec. 27 - 7:40 pm et Houston television station KRIV-TV is reporting that the Astros and Darin Erstad have agreed to terms. Astros GM Ed Wade just wants as many options as possible and doesn't seem to care how the pieces fit. It showed when be brought in two switch-hitting infielders both better from the left side of the plate in Kaz Matsui and Geoff Blum and it's illustrated again here with the addition of a second left-handed-hitting center fielder. Erstad can still play pretty good defense when healthy, but that's not an issue to center or right for the Astros and we don't see Carlos Lee coming out of games for a defensive replacement. What they really needed was a right-handed hitter to start over Michael Bourn versus southpaws. Erstad isn't that player, and with one decent offensive season in the last seven, he's not even a quality insurance policy in case Bourn plays himself out of a job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Ed Wade, as dumb as we all remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(Felix @ Dec 28, 2007 -> 12:01 PM) Ed Wade, as dumb as we all remember. Yep. I don't know if there's a team in a worse position than Houston right now. Both in the short - term and majorly in the long - term. They now have pretty much no farm system. Wade has traded away their best reliever (although he acquired Valverde, giving up more prospects in the process), and made some very weird signings (and overpaid as well). He was hired to do a quick fix, but unless Clemens comes back to join that rotation, I don't know if they can win more than 75 games next season. That team is going to be mediocre for quite a while yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 (edited) Erstad to the Astros is reported on MLB.COM also. Goodbye and luck be with you Grinderstad. Edited December 28, 2007 by elrockinMT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Dec 27, 2007 -> 05:08 PM) Yep. I don't know if there's a team in a worse position than Houston right now. Both in the short - term and majorly in the long - term. They now have pretty much no farm system. Wade has traded away their best reliever (although he acquired Valverde, giving up more prospects in the process), and made some very weird signings (and overpaid as well). He was hired to do a quick fix, but unless Clemens comes back to join that rotation, I don't know if they can win more than 75 games next season. That team is going to be mediocre for quite a while yet. Based on the last 2 years, I wouldn't rule anything out in the NL Central. If nothing else, their lineup has at its heart Hunter Pence, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Vitamin B12 Tejada. In the NL Central, that's arguably as potent as any set of 4 guys. And they still have a legitimate ace on the mound in Oswalt, and have seemingly on paper improved their Closer's spot. They've certainly made some questionable moves and wasted some money in the process, but as far as I can tell, the Cubs made a bunch of deals I thought were pretty silly last year, tossed around a lot of money, and wound up the beneficiary of everyone else in that division sucking. I wouldn't count anyone out of that division except Pittsburgh right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I love Erstad. I'm glad he's found work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 27, 2007 -> 05:44 PM) And what has Wade decided to put in front of it? Kaz Matsui and Michael Bourn. The White Sox won 90 games in the AL Central in 2006 based almost solely on a big 3 of Thome, Konerko, and Dye. Podsednik and Iguchi in front of them were bad and average in that order and their pitching staff was an abject disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 28, 2007 -> 12:13 PM) Based on the last 2 years, I wouldn't rule anything out in the NL Central. If nothing else, their lineup has at its heart Hunter Pence, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Vitamin B12 Tejada. In the NL Central, that's arguably as potent as any set of 4 guys. And they still have a legitimate ace on the mound in Oswalt, and have seemingly on paper improved their Closer's spot. They've certainly made some questionable moves and wasted some money in the process, but as far as I can tell, the Cubs made a bunch of deals I thought were pretty silly last year, tossed around a lot of money, and wound up the beneficiary of everyone else in that division sucking. I wouldn't count anyone out of that division except Pittsburgh right now. In 2008 I think they'll be a little improved from 2007 (which will be pretty easy), but they haven't exactly set themselves up for long - term success. Tejada has been average the past couple of seasons (in 2007 certainly). Who knows how much he has left. Defensively, he's certainly a drop-off from Everitt, and that will hurt the pitching staff which only really has Oswalt as an ace and not all that much behind him. As Tony said, Bourne and Matsui will probably be below league average production for their spots. Matsui was a terrible signing (numbers away from Colorado were terrible), while Bourne will be having his 1st full season as a starter. Valverde can be very up and down and wild also (although based on 2007, he's an upgrade). That core of 3-4-5-6 hitters is nice, but that pitching really worries me. They do have some decent young hitters in Pence and Towles though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 28, 2007 -> 12:49 PM) The White Sox won 90 games in the AL Central in 2006 based almost solely on a big 3 of Thome, Konerko, and Dye. Podsednik and Iguchi in front of them were bad and average in that order and their pitching staff was an abject disaster. Obviously Dye had a career year, and Crede also, so that certainly helped. That to me shows how dissappointing 2006 was. If we had a decent pitching staff that season, we could have won another world series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RME JICO Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 $1 Million for Erstad as a bench player. Thats not too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 Now his crippled butt can take money from someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santo=dorf Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Erstad f***ing sucks and has for quite some time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Kind of surprised. Thought I heard he was going to be an assistant at Nebraska or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonxctf Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(RME JICO @ Dec 28, 2007 -> 03:35 AM) $1 Million for Erstad as a bench player. Thats not too bad. beats $4.5 million for a backup SS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 27, 2007 -> 07:49 PM) The White Sox won 90 games in the AL Central in 2006 based almost solely on a big 3 of Thome, Konerko, and Dye. Podsednik and Iguchi in front of them were bad and average in that order and their pitching staff was an abject disaster. Not true. Pierzynski, Crede might've had career years. The rotation was good-to-okay in the first half and mediocre-to-okay in the second half, with different pitchers having different halfs. The bullpen wasn't so hot, but it wasn't an abject disaster either. A lot of people had real good years that they'll never have again that year. And the truth is, the 2006 White Sox, in the first half, played better baseball than I've ever seen for half a season. They won 90 games on the strength of that first half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 This was very good news to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipps Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Will he be playing any CF for them?What are the odds of him breaking both legs and ankles on the hill in center? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchetman Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 How in the hell did that guy ever hit 25 home runs? My 90 year old aunt Rita has more power than him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 QUOTE(jasonxctf @ Dec 28, 2007 -> 01:57 PM) beats $4.5 million for a backup SS. At least that backup shorstop has a history of showing up and not injuring himself on a swing. The Stros might as well give me the million... I'd make as much of an impact as Erstad ever will again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 QUOTE(Hatchetman @ Dec 31, 2007 -> 08:33 AM) How in the hell did that guy ever hit 25 home runs? My 90 year old aunt Rita has more power than him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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