There are some rumors out there that some teams are inquiring on the availablilty of Mark Loretta and Darin Erstad. In my opinion I wouldn’t mind giving up either or both of those guys if we got some pieces that could help us next year. It would take a miracle for the Astros to turn things around this year, although it is possible, so I would like to see some young guys come in for our veteran players.

I have also seen some stories about the Angels scouting Miguel Tejada. I don’t know if there is much truth to that rumor, but it would be odd to see Wade give up on Tejada so soon. Of course, the Angels are loaded with prospects, and getting some of those instead of paying Tejada’s hefty contract could be nice. I still like all the intangibles that Tejada brings to the team.

Some other good news is that Ed Wade has said that the team has put an offer on the table for first round pick Jason Castro. It would be nice to get him signed and in the minors. The guy I really hope we can sign is high school pitcher Ross Seaton. I think he is a great prospect, and from what Wade is saying, both sides want to work a deal.

Our first round pick in 2005, pitcher Brian Bogusevic out of Tulane, has been converted to an outfielder. He got sent down to Salem from Corpus Christi to work his way up. He just could never get it going as a pitcher. Brian was surprised by the move, but evidently the front office has been thinking about making the switch for awhile. So far so good though, as he went 1-1 with an RBI and a walk in his first appearance as an outfielder.

Since his arrival as GM, Ed Wade has never been one to wait to make his moves. I would bet that we could see some minor trades in the next week or so, so stay tuned!

Two days after Milwaukee acquired C.C. Sabathia from the Indians, the Cubs have traded for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from Oakland.

The Cubs sent Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, and Josh Donaldson to the A’s in return for the two pitchers. I don’t know too much about Donaldson, but he is supposed to be a quality catching prospect. I think this trade is pretty lopsided in favor of the Cubs, with the only risk the Cubs are taking is that Harden stays healthy. I’m surprised Oaklands GM Bean would take so little. I thought he wanted a bounty almost as much as he got for Dan Haren. If Harden can stay healthy the Cubs have a great 1-2 punch in him and Carlos Zambrano for the next 2 years at least.

The recent trades of the Brewers and Cubs has to make the Astros think about their plan going forward. The Cubs will stay good for awhile, but the Brewers seem to be trying to win this year, even if they lose Ben Sheets and Sabathia next year. In my opinion, I believe we should stop thinking about this year and focus on building for the future. Even if we made the playoffs this year, and that’s a big if, I can’t see us making it deep.

The Astros need to do something to keep up with their division rivals because the Cardinals are still good, and the Reds are only getting better. It would be nice to see some good trades before the deadline. We made some this winter to try and win now, and that hasn’t worked. It is time for plan B.

Hopefully I’ll have a nice game review to write tonight, stay tuned…

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We hope you take part in our discussions and leave comments voicing your opinions.  It should be another exciting year for the Houston Astros as well.  Can the Astros get back on top of the Central Division in the Nationall League and compete with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs?  Lets us ks know what you think!