News that Astro infielder Jeff Keppinger will undergoe foot surgery and will likely be sidelined for three to four months which would include at least a month of the upcoming season may signal the end of significant off season moves by the Astros.
Keppinger, once the Astros acquired Clint Barmes and Bill Hall, was headed back to a utility role or, based on his expected salary winnings in arbitration, to another club in a trade. Now, as an injured player he won't be going anywhere.
That may not be a bad thing if he recovers completely and there is reason to give him more playing time once he is ready due to injury or poor play by either Barmes or Hall. Having an experienced vet to fill in is certainly better than being forced to use less experienced journeymen.
The back up infielder roles will almost certainly be filled by players in that category to start the season. Fans liked what they saw of Angel Sanchez in 2010 and he would seem to be a lock for one of the jobs. Matt Downs, with a bit more experience and more time at the corner positions would seem to have an edge for the other slot. Spring training competition will make all final determinations.
One player who may join the Astro list of opening day starters one year to non factors the next could be Tommy Manzella. He may be the best defensively of anyone who would play shortstop, but he does not have enough experience playing other positions to be a utility infielder. And his lack of hitting would likely be even more evident with sporadic play. Best bet for Tommy is to be the opening day shortstop at Oklahoma City with the prime focus to develop into a better offensive player. If he can pull that off he still has a chance to make it.
With Keppinger no longer a potential trade candidate the Astros are left with some middle relievers or starter Wandy Rodriguez as candidates to move on in deals. In Wandy's case it would be a gamble and would require GM Ed Wade to require a significant return. Rodriguez has one more year before he can declare free agency. Based on his career path it would be unlikley the Astros would enter in any bidding for Wandy unless he has a career season in 2011. Should that happen, of course, the Astros would likely be in a pennant and/or wild card race and opinions could change.
The decision that must be made now, however, is should the club entertain offers for Wandy to be sure to receive something in return or should they hold on to him so they won't have another hole in the starting rotation for 2011? Since Wandy is under club control for 2011 the decision is in Ed Wade's hands.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment