FoxSports' Rosenthal has a piece on Ivan Rodriguez's status in seeking employment as a catcher. Rosenthal quotes Ed Wade's previous statements that the Astros don't expect to sign I-Rod, and then adds this little line:
The Astros are concerned that Rodriguez would be a poor teammate, sources say.
I'm not sure what that means...or what kind of source that might be (credible or not). I haven't heard any rumors of Rodriguez becoming a clubhouse problem. In fact, at one time, I-Rod was generally discussed among baseball people as a good veteran presence in the clubhouse. I vaguely recall that one of the local sports writers has said that the Astros would want a veteran catcher who would be a good mentor for the younger catchers who might be on the roster...and that the Astros don't think I-Rod is good at that. Maybe that is the source of the "poor teammate" reference. Again, assuming that the Astros really believe that (again we don't know if the source is credible), I'm not sure why they think he isn't good at being a mentor. Is it because no team has asked him to assume that role? Is it because he is not an outgoing person? Or does he not like young players?
In my view, the Astros should wait until the WBC is over and evaluate their catching situation at that time. Towles, Palmisano, and Quintero will have some spring at bats to look at, and Astros will also have I-Rod's WBC performance to evaluate. Maybe signing I-Rod might make sense at that time, who knows. According to Rosenthal's article, I-Rod still is under the impression that his agent continues to stay in contact with the Astros and Marlins.