Astros acquire Jeff Keppinger; 25 Man Roster complete?

Well, Ed Wade got Geoff Blum his platoon mate. A player to be named later, or cash considerations will be sent to Cincinnati.

The projections heading into this season are high on Keppinger as well. He dosen't hit for power, and he doesn't steal bases, but he is a great contact hitter who strikeouts out infrequently.

His career splits are very pronounced, but he excelled this past season against left handed pitching:

PECOTA has these weighted mean statistics for Keppinger this season:

His ABs probably will not approach 499, but the WARP figure should rise with his not having to face right handed pitching with the amount of frequency he would in the ABs he is projected for. Is this trade worth more than a win for the 2009 Astros? I'd think so.

Ed Wade, on Keppinger:

Jeff is a solid big league player who can play all over the infield. He fills a number of needs with his ability to play second, short and third and he plays the game the right way. He's a .287 lifetime hitter at the major league level and is one of those rare breed of players who puts up more walks than strikeouts each season. We think he's a perfect fit for our club.

Hat tip to AstroFan who found that Edwin Maysonet has been optioned to AAA Round Rock.

This trade, and the optioning of Maysonet to Round Rock pretty much finishes out our moves for the spring. The final 25 Man Roster should look like this heading into Opening Day:

Catchers (2): Ivan Rodriguez, Humberto Quintero

Infield (6): Lance Berkman, Kazuo Matsui, Miguel Tejada, Geoff Blum, Jeff Keppinger, Jason Smith

Outfield (5): Carlos Lee, Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence, Jason Michaels, Darin Erstad

Starting Rotation (5): Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Mike Hampton, Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz

Relief Pitchers (7): Jose Valverde, Doug Brocail, LaTroy Hawkins, Tim Byrdak, Chris Sampson, Wesley Wright, Geoff Geary

Brian McTaggart agrees with the list I posted..