http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/team/12 Recent articles about the Houston Astros en-us Got an email today which dovetails nicely with DyingQuail's latest post. John Eagle Honda is having a contest via Twitter to give away some Astros memorabilia. Here are the details: John Eagle Honda is giving away a Milo Hamilton signed Astro's hat and baseball to the Houstonian with the best Astro's or Milo Hamilton memory. To win these items, participants must send a tweet to @drivingahonda with their favorite Houston Astros or Milo Hamilton memory. Submissions are allow... Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:16:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Follow_up_to_Follow_Friday/1681538 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Follow_up_to_Follow_Friday/1681538 The made it official with a press release that Chris Coste has been signed to a one year contract and will be added to the 40 man roster. While it's not clarified in the press release the contract is believed to be a major/ minor league split, in which he'll be on the 40 man but can start the year in the minors, Cory Sullivan had a similar deal last year.Most of us know Coste as the 33 y/o back-up rookie catcher, so why does the press release refer to him as a 1B/C. Since 2006 he has ... Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:39:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Coste_becomes_official/1677043 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Coste_becomes_official/1677043 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Coste_becomes_official/1677043 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/d/7d62805e59fa09a32fe8b8181b2ea3126bce79fc/small/PicImg_MLB_APR_19_6f16.jpg More photos » by Rob Carr - AP Have you seen this man? He's a possible closer, maybe a starter... Browse more photos » Since it seems all the rage to link the Houston Astros to all sorts of guys in the rumor mill this offseason, how about we do a quick recap of what exactly is going on and how those guys potentially fit with the team. Brett Myers -- DyingQuail has done a good job of tracking down whet... Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:57:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Hot_Stove_Rumors/1675396 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Hot_Stove_Rumors/1675396 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Hot_Stove_Rumors/1675396 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/4/6471758a495172336eb80199cb271839b324114e/small/92590248.jpg Yorman pitches both as a starter and reliever for the Houston Astros. In a short stint with the Tigers in 2007, Bazardo showed great control, something he needs due to his strikeouts being on the low side. In the two seasons since, however, he’s walked 27 batters in 35 innings striking out just [...] Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:51:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Player_A_to_Z_Yorman_Bazardo/1670074 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Player_A_to_Z_Yorman_Bazardo/1670074 Much to my surprise, the Astros decided to offer arbitration to Jose Valverde:"First of all, we'd love to be able to figure out a way to have Jose, Hawkins and Tejada all back, and it's still possible," Wade said. "It's going to take some economic gymnastics to make it happen. We just felt it made sense to offer Jose, who's a premier closer. If he signs elsewhere, we'd end up with two draft picks, and if he accepts arbitration and comes back to us, we'll... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:10:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Arbitration_Fallout_Jose_Valverde/1667501 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Arbitration_Fallout_Jose_Valverde/1667501 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Arbitration_Fallout_Jose_Valverde/1667501 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/9/2998dcbe58a3a5a224eeeae58f350d4c483b0feb/small/Houston_Astros_vs_83c2.jpg More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP How many bidders ARE there for Papa Grande? Browse more photos » I've been considering this more and more as all the arbitration talk rolled by on Tuesday. What if there's a direction we're not seeing with the Astros? What if Ed Wade is playing the market with the best of them? Let's look at the facts: Jose Valverde is getting no interest whatsoever in the... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:33:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Ed_Wade_Crazy_Like_A_Fox/1666755 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Ed_Wade_Crazy_Like_A_Fox/1666755 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Ed_Wade_Crazy_Like_A_Fox/1666755 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/9/2998dcbe58a3a5a224eeeae58f350d4c483b0feb/small/Houston_Astros_vs_83c2.jpg More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP This man is going to get paid now. It could have been prevented. Browse more photos » I don't want to come off as too persnickety, I know that Ed Wade took a bold step forward this afternoon when he sent Jose Valverde an arbitration offer.  Great, grand, wonderful.  But here's the thing, Valverde's not going to accept that offer.  I think that'... Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:17:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Astros_and_Arbitration_The_annual_non_sensical_decision/1663292 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Astros_and_Arbitration_The_annual_non_sensical_decision/1663292 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Astros_and_Arbitration_The_annual_non_sensical_decision/1663292 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/9/2998dcbe58a3a5a224eeeae58f350d4c483b0feb/small/Houston_Astros_vs_83c2.jpg The deadline for teams to offer free agents salary arbitration is today, which means that some teams will have fascinating decisions to make. There is significant economic risk involved in offering a player salary arbitration, especially in a weak economy. For more information about arbitration, click here.(Jose Valverde, Type A free agent)Scenarios:1. Astros offer Valverde arbitration and he accepts; Astros control his rights for at least 2010 and possibly longer if they come to terms on a n... Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:55:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Arbitration_Conundrum_Jose_Valverde/1661106 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Arbitration_Conundrum_Jose_Valverde/1661106 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Arbitration_Conundrum_Jose_Valverde/1661106 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/9/2998dcbe58a3a5a224eeeae58f350d4c483b0feb/small/Houston_Astros_vs_83c2.jpg More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP See, Miguel Tejada looks harmless. There's now ostensible reason not to offer him arbitration based on the gregariousness on display here. Browse more photos » Forget Super Tuesday or the Tuesday after the first Monday in November this is the day that MLB GM's will finally come to a decision as to whom they will tender offers of arbitration... Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:26:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Astros_and_Arbitration_Judgement_Dayerkind_of/1660617 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Astros_and_Arbitration_Judgement_Dayerkind_of/1660617 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Astros_and_Arbitration_Judgement_Dayerkind_of/1660617 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/b/6b2c227e0c9340fd28a59389d9810c1005238b61/small/PicImg_Miguel_Tejada_Charged_3da9.jpg Arbitration decisions are looming and the fate of the Astros offseason will likely be determined by the decisions made by the front office.  I know each of us here has some thoughts on the matter, so here's a fanpost with my analysis (hopefully a little more in-depth than you get elsewhere)...disagree with me in the comments! Of the Astros free agents this offseason, only four of them really matter for arbitration purposes:  Doug Brocail, LaTroy Hawkins, Miguel Tejad... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:18:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_and_Arbitration/1660332 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_and_Arbitration/1660332 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_and_Arbitration/1660332 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/e/5eafe5bb009875a0a578a1081c6119f0633df427/small/ea.jpg Scratch Chris Coste off your list of favorite former Phillies, he has gone to the dark side. Coste, who spent 3 plus years with the Phillies before being waived and playing for the Astros last season, has signed with the New York Mets.There is no guarantee that Coste will actually play any games with the Mets, however, as he was only given a spot on the 40 man roster and not given a guarantee that he would be on the 25 man roster. There is also no word as to whether the Mets expect Coste to p... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:19:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Chris_Coste_is_now_dead_to_us/1657316 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Chris_Coste_is_now_dead_to_us/1657316 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Chris_Coste_is_now_dead_to_us/1657316 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/d/7d62805e59fa09a32fe8b8181b2ea3126bce79fc/small/PicImg_MLB_APR_19_6f16.jpg Chris Coste signs...with the Mets In the immortal tradition of Rusty Staub and Fernando Nieve, Chris Coste is going from the Astros to the Mets. Not exactly groundbreaking news, but it becomes huge in a slow offseason for Houston. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:33:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Chris_Coste_signswith_the_Mets/1657144 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Chris_Coste_signswith_the_Mets/1657144 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Chris_Coste_signswith_the_Mets/1657144 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/d/7d62805e59fa09a32fe8b8181b2ea3126bce79fc/small/PicImg_MLB_APR_19_6f16.jpg Bargain shopping seems like the topic of the day for a Black Friday.  Except this blog is about the Astros, and bargain shopping means something more like Goodwill, rather than Sak's or Macy's.   The Astros say they are trying to improve the team and cutting the payroll at the same, all of which seems paradoxical when you realize that they have to work around the edges of a ton of sunk costs.  In order to do that, the team probably has to patch some holes with ... Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:39:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Another_Look_at_the_Bargain_Binor_patching_holes_with_duck_tape/1643018 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Another_Look_at_the_Bargain_Binor_patching_holes_with_duck_tape/1643018 by Ben Margot - AP Albert Pujols wins another MVP, crushes non-Cardinal fans souls... View full size photo » We haven't really discussed it here, but you may have seen a certain slugger from up north won another MVP award. No, not Joe Mauer, it's Albert "Killer of Dreams" Pujols. If you're counting, that's his third MVP trophy and eighth finish in the top five. In fact, the only season Pujol... Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:00:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Black_Friday_Random_Astros_Discussion_Question/1638947 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Black_Friday_Random_Astros_Discussion_Question/1638947 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Black_Friday_Random_Astros_Discussion_Question/1638947 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/4709301fd4a4e6a0e052105104b7c1faf0664ccd/small/St_Louis_Cardinals_0eb2.jpg More photos » by Al Behrman - AP 6 months ago: Houston Astros' Lance Berkman slides into third base with a triple in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, May 26, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) Browse more photos » My original plan for this was to write this on my hour long layover in Dallas, en route to Houston.  Unfortunately, those plans wer... Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:20:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thanksgiving_Astros_etc_Round_Up/1636214 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thanksgiving_Astros_etc_Round_Up/1636214 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thanksgiving_Astros_etc_Round_Up/1636214 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/2/421c944657779e3eacdc8b5aafff0e94c47e3d8a/small/80537332.jpg More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP Before you can criticize a man, you have a to walk a mile in his shoes. Here's your chance to have free reign with Eddy in the future. Browse more photos » We're pretty much at the first of two nadir's for the baseball offseason (is that possible in the logical sense?).  This week and then those two of purgatory before pitchers and catchers report.  ... Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:46:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/GM_for_the_day_What_would_you_do_if_Ed_Wade_handed_you_the_key_to_the_Astros/1630120 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/GM_for_the_day_What_would_you_do_if_Ed_Wade_handed_you_the_key_to_the_Astros/1630120 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/GM_for_the_day_What_would_you_do_if_Ed_Wade_handed_you_the_key_to_the_Astros/1630120 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/1/61be763630e72f3ed1744c5072fd36afac1bba3e/small/MLB_MAY_14_a8e5.jpg by Pat Sullivan - AP How well can these two guys evaluate talent with a month of games that don't count? View full size photo » Richard Justice recently opined on his blog that the Houston Astros are going to take a 'wait-and-see' approach to top prospects Jason Castro and Chris Johnson. Neither will have a job locked up going into spring training and will need solid performances there in order to make th... Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Spring_Training_Enough/1623204 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Spring_Training_Enough/1623204 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Is_Spring_Training_Enough/1623204 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/b/4be8179f4e4a4f0a17fb91e786c046420257064b/small/PicImg_Keeping_it_in_4a66.jpg More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP I'm going to go ahead and call it: If Wesley Wright becomes a starter, he will become my favorite Astro. Browse more photos » Although the Arizona Fall League finishing up play this past Saturday, there is still professional-ish baseball going in the world. Take the Caribbean Leagues, for instance.  Much like the AFL, the four nations which comprise the ... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:15:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Pitchin_in_the_Dominican_Lifes_a_Beach/1616448 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Astros_Pitchin_in_the_Dominican_Lifes_a_Beach/1616448 More photos » by Rob Carr - AP Browse more photos » Honestly, I was excited to read this.  I was excited to see where the experts at Baseball America ranked our fledging group of farmhands that, to us at least, should be propelling the Astros farm system into a respected status.  Instead, I was greeted with another reminder that it's easy to keeping kicking a man when they're down. I'm not tr... Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:13:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Baseball_America_ranks_the_Astros_Top_10_Prospects_Progress_rather_than_perfection_and_Im_ok_with_that/1601655 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Baseball_America_ranks_the_Astros_Top_10_Prospects_Progress_rather_than_perfection_and_Im_ok_with_that/1601655 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Baseball_America_ranks_the_Astros_Top_10_Prospects_Progress_rather_than_perfection_and_Im_ok_with_that/1601655 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/1/318ee1e745babfc9dac428d38633d9819047432a/small/Houston_Astros_vs_e0ea.jpg More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP Just give us a sign, Ed. Browse more photos » I just got finished reading this piece by Brian McTaggart.  I read it; I read it again, and then I thought, "Sonofabitch." Why? Because I can't discern a single line of thought from McTaggart's interview that would indicate there's any kind of plan for the Astros.  I don't need a b... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:02:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Plan_Schman_What_is_the_Astros_front_office_thinking/1588037 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Plan_Schman_What_is_the_Astros_front_office_thinking/1588037 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Plan_Schman_What_is_the_Astros_front_office_thinking/1588037 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/a/bab8c14e08ee30e01704222776dbeaad1ce5aca5/small/Miguel_Tejada_4_ac1e.jpg