All right! Finally, the Astros get this guy signed. I am referring of course, to the illustrious Trenidad Hubbard.

Nah, just kidding. Roy Oswalt gets 2 years / 16.9 million, with a 5.9 mil / 11 mil breakdown. My first impressions were "Only two years? Why not longer?" and it's still my first impression. Oswalt is under club control through 2007, so a 3-year deal would have made much more sense. In addition, because we LOVE deferred contracts (Pettitte, Oswalt, Bagwell) we are now on the hook for at least 42 million already in '06 (16 - Bagwell, 15 - Pettitte, 11- Oswalt). Not good, considering there will be a decent crop of OF's and SP's available through free agency in '06.

But you know what? Sometimes you have to be happy with what you get. And we've got Oswalt for two more years. Not the worst thing in the world.

I know I said I had UZR data, but unfortunately it turns out it was UZR data from 2000-2003; I couldn't find the new data. My bad. I'll keep looking.

Baseball Prospectus has discussed the Astros a few times in the last couple of days:

First, the Clemens contract. They talked about how although Clemens is 42, he's essentially a freak of nature and can't really be compared to anyone else, so he should remain productive. They also said 18 million is a heckuva lot, but for an Astros team with a "rapidly dwindling window to compete", it's probably worth it.

Then they talked about Chris Burke. They said he has a broad range of skills - average, defense, and speed - but that his walk rate is a little low (still above 1BB / 10AB's though) and at 25 he's not really young for a prospect. They project him as a solid regular, not an All Star, for a few years.

I agree with both points. We needed to bring Clemens back and Burke, while unlikely to be a star, should be cheap and good for the next 3/4/5 years. Might as well see what he can do now.