Bargain Hunting: Mark Hendrickson

Marlins Opening Day starter Mark Hendrickson has made for a great long reliever in the bullpen and will likely find a good role with a new team in 2009. While he is 7-8 with a 5.50 ERA, he has a 2.28 ERA coming out of the bullpen and said he figured out what was wrong and it has made all the difference: ''I'll keep that between me and myself,'' he said when asked about the adjustment. ``I hit a stretch [as a starter] in the middle of the year, and I know exactly where it came from.''

As for a team that could benefit from his services, the Astros make a lot of sense. Astros GM Ed Wade signed Brian Moehler, who is a spot starter, and he has greatly helped the Astros. Bringing in Hendrickson in a similar role could really help the pitching starved Astros. Another team that would benefit from Hendrickson is the Cardinals, who may lose two pitchers to the bullpen (Wainwright and Carpenter) and two pitchers to free agency (Lohse and Looper). Hendrickson could come in at a low price and serve as a spot starter, who is very familiar with the NL Central.