ARGGGGGH...

I made a long post about the Redding trade and my computer glitched AGAIN.

Ok, this time for sure:

REDDING TRADED

They finally traded him. The Astros traded constantly frustrating Tim Redding and cash considerations to the San Diego Padres for catcher Humberto Quintero. This likely narrows the #5 starter role to Brandon Duckworth or Ezequiel Astacio.

Redding was agonizing to watch. Some days he'd cruise right along; some days he'd put up a

3 IP

10 H

8 ER

3 HR

2 BB

1 K

kind of line. He wasn't well-liked by the players or the fans in Houston, so he really needed to move on.

What about Humberto Quintero? From everything I've read this morning, he's an excellent defensive catcher (we love those, don't we?) with a little pop in his bat. He's only 25, so I'm hoping he can improve the next year or two. At worse, he'll challenge Raul Chavez for the backup catching position. At best, he's an excellent defensive and league-average offensive catcher for a year or two until the Astros find someone better.

Here are Quintero's minor league stats from 2003 and 2004:

2003 - AA - .298 / .343 / .389, 19 BB, 29 XBH, 386 AB

2004 - AAA - .317 / .348 / .471, 8 BB, 30 XBH, 259 AB

So he's a young catcher who doesn't walk but has shown decent power, and he's reportedly got a cannon for an arm. I think he could probably put up a .270 / .310 / .400 line in the majors in '06 and '07, which would make him a perfectly acceptable stopgap until we develop / sign / trade for someone better.

All in all, good trade. We had to get rid of Redding, and everyone knew it, so to get anything in value was a plus. Catcher was also by far the weakest position in our organization. Good job, Purpura.