given Bazardo Towles and lower prospect for Kazmir

I’ll also mention that the Tigers got Washburn from the Mariners for two B grade pitching prospects. The Astros could have come up with that kind of trade value without significantly harming their farm system. My guess is that Drayton is sticking firm to his budget line, and would have balked at paying the remainder of Washburn’s $10 million salary. But that’s too bad, because Washburn is posting Wandy-like pitching stats and would have significantly bolstered the rotation. If the Astros had picked up Washburn, they could have gone the arbitration route for picking up draft or keeping on a one year contract.

and I have no answer about why so many teams let good players go for nothing; or why the Astros didn’t get one or two. On this last point, maybe this quote by Ed Wade sheds some light:

“I’m not surprised or disappointed that we didn’t get anything done,” Wade said. “With the payroll where it is and our desire to protect our prospects in our system, I’m not surprised. I didn’t make it not impossible, but probably improbable to get anything done of consequence.”

who knows whether to believe tweets, but if it is true, Gamel, Escobar or Parra for 2 months of a guy having a career year but isn’t all that, is way, way too high.

Look at the contracts moving with the player. If San Diego isn’t paying anything for the White Sox to take on Peavy’s contract then that could be on reason why they didn’t have to give up their top prospects. Obviously Boston doesn’t really have a cap, but it could of been a negotiation point that they’ll take Martinez’s and his contract but the Indians can’t have Bucholtz unless they pay a certain amount of Martinez’s contract.

how r we suppose to win the world series if we just get shitty players every year.

we should traded all our useless prsospects for roy holliday and adrian gonsalez and then BOOM , world series BABY.

If this were the NBA, NHL, or the NFL, having a decent team actually would matter because you could get in as a #7 or #8 seed. In the MLB, a 3rd place finish in the NL Central doesn’t really matter. However, the Astros, and most of the fans, should see that this team was never destined for anything this year other than having a few runs on wins and some decent individual statistics. For Ed Wade not to have at least shopped Jose around given what some of these bullpen guys went for from other teams AND closed a deal is beyond excuse? I don’t really care if we “try really hard” to be competitive. The 2009 team was doomed from the start having to depend on Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz, and Brandon Backe. Moehler and Norris should shore up the lineup going into 2010, but we needed to look at adding another pitcher or two by playing up Jose or Miggy with teams in the AL playoff hunt. However, when you have Uncle Drayton in control, there will be no player dumping even if it means taking one step back for two steps forward the next season! That is why Hunsicker left. 2005 was all his players and moves. From 2006, it was all Drayton and his lackeys. If we try to fish for players in the offseason, we are going to spend more money that we would have via trade.