» Pudge

Well, after Puerto Rico is done with the WBC, Ivan Rodriguez  will be headed to Houston, and after passing his physical, he will be the starting catcher for the Astros!

This is great news, Pudge is a good defensive catcher, which makes our pitching staff better, and he has some power in his bat, contrary to last year’s drop off with the Yankees.

He has hit 9 for 15 in the WBC with 2 homeruns and was named most valuable player out of the pool Puerto Rico was in.

This is great news for the Astros and is certainly a boost to the team. Pudge will make 1.5 million bucks, with another 1.5 million in incentives for 1 year.

Let’s hope USA knocks Puerto Rico out of the tournament tonight so Pudge can get the ball rolling on becoming an Astro.

Well, it looks like I spoke too soon! Earlier I blogged about how great a fit Ivan Rodriguez would have been in Houston, but that Houston had publicly said there was no interest in signing him.

That’s all changed, however, as the AP is now reporting that the Astros and Pudge are close to coming to terms on a 1 year deal worth around $1.5 million. Check out my previous post here on why Rodriguez is such a great fit and just the type of catcher the Astros need. A one year deal gives super prospect Jason Castro another year to refine his skills in the minors and develop into the super star he can become.

Florida still has some interest, but it looks like Ivan is going to be an Astro for 2009!

Nothing is official yet….

It’s no secret the Astros need a catcher for 2009. Sure, they have J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero, but those guys are not great. Towles is young and was touted as having a big bat, and I was pretty excited going into last year that we had a good hitting catcher to replace Brad Ausmus. However, actually watching Towles play is a train wreck. He might have been called up too soon, but I just don’t see a productive year from him or Quintero offensively.

What the Stros really need is a veteran to sign to a one year deal while they wait for super prospect Jason Castro to blossom in the minors and make his way up in 2010. Enter Ivan Rodriguez: A one year deal with Pudge would be just what the Astros need! He was a great hitter last year, hitting nearly .300 (.295) in Detroit with 5 Home runs and 6 stolen bases, just the sort of player the Astros need to bring up the bottom of the order. He tanked after being traded to the Yankees, and I have no explanation why, but I think he still has the skills to help out a team.

The Astros have publicly said they do not wish to sign him, and it looks more and more like he will sign with the Marlins to back up John Baker,. I think the Astros are missing an opportunity to shore up a weak spot in the roster while waiting for their best prospect to develop.

Who knows, maybe Towles turns it around and becomes the hard hitting catcher Houston fans thought they were getting. I’d love to hear your comments on this.