Go ahead and add ~$3.75 million to the 2009 payroll as the Astros will agree to terms with reliever LaTroy Hawkins on a 1-year deal.
LaHawk pitched in 57 games with a 3.92 ERA. Relievers' ERAs are a little misleading, as one run can blow up an average. So let's break this down a little more closely.
Acquired at the trade deadline in what I assumed would be a move simply to get an extra draft pick, as his contract expired at the end of '08 (and was thus wrong), LaHawk pitched in 24 games in August and September, but only gave up a run in one game - September 26 against Atlanta. When LaHawk pitched, the Astros went 19-5, and he threw an average of 4.2 pitches per batter faced. LaHawk's ERA with the Astros was 0.90.
This is a relatively expensive way to bolster the bullpen, but it will be nice to have someone in a 7th or 8th inning role who can get guys out on a consistent basis.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
