As much as most of us would love to see Lance Berkman in the DH role for the Astros in 2013; the signing of Pena is a solid and well calculated move By Jeff Luhnow. This is a move that could jump start an offense that has had the same amount of power as a 1985 Yugo.

Look at it in this light. First, Pena should become our DH against right handers while Freiman should have every chance to DH against lefties. It doesn't hurt that both men play 1st base. This move also makes Wallace expendable. Wallace has had his shot and has not taken the reins on the job either power, average or fielding-wise. Being that he (Wallace) isn’t as versatile as a Laird, I see him as either a movable player who still has youth on his side, or as a guy that can come up from AAA and fill a spot if one of our first basemen gets hurt. That’s not a knock on Wallace. It’s cold and it’s harsh, but it’s a fact that he really hasn’t shown enough to be considered as an everyday first baseman.

Lastly, Pena is nothing more than a placeholder for Singleton at first. There’s no question that he’s a very powerful placeholder. But the reality is, it’s a one year deal. Singleton and Freiman are the future (hopefully) of this team and Pena will be hitting 30 home runs and striking out 150 times a year for someone else in 2014. If the Astros manage to hit the "Power Ball" and Singleton, Freiman, Springer and Villar all live up to their potential; the 2014 season could be the start of something VERY special. But Pena won't be a part of it.