Remembering Pudge

What did Astros County have to say about Pudge's brief time with the Astros?

February 13:
I would still be very surprised if this happens...

February 23:
Unless Pudge comes down to League Minimum, it ain't happening and the Astros will gamble on Quintero and Palmisano paying off.

March 14:
I still have a hard time figuring out how the Astros sign Pudge. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I don't see it. Would I be excited? Eh. Would he be a nice holdover until Castro is ready? Maybe.

March 16:
The fact that the Astros drafted Castro last June shows that they were probably hedging their bets on Towles. At the very least, they've given both Quintero and Castro another year to develop and learn. And honestly, if the difference between a .220-hitting catcher and a .280 hitting catcher is $1.5 million, why the heck not? It's not our money.

March 17:
So is Pudge a Band-Aid for a team with a broke neck? Here's the thing - we don't know how this is going to shake out for a few months. Is it interesting? Sure, because it's better than talking about how the Astros haven't won a Spring Training game since February 25. Is it risky? Of course. There may be a very good reason a Boras client wasn't signed until March 16.

Stone cold locks don't go unsigned until March 16. But we just don't know. If maybe we all take a step back and look at this objectively, who would you rather have behind the plate in 2009: Quintero, Towles or Palmisano? Or Pudge? Castro is clearly the catcher of the future (unless he shows up and goes 1x17 in 2010), so this is obviously just a stop-gap, $1.5 million signing until Bobby Heck's farm system kicks in.

April 16:
(via Buster Olney) "(The Astros) might be looking for a catcher before the year's over."

July 13:
Why in the hell did the Astros claim Coste off waivers if Pudge or Quintero weren't going anywhere?

July 30:
If the Astros can get something for Valverde and Pudge, they should go ahead and do it.

August 4:
(via Justice) Why not give J.R. Towles another shot when he's back from the disabled list? What would it hurt? Would the offense get worse? Is Pudge's throwing arm so valuable that the Astros don't need production from their catchers?

August 18:
Essentially, the Astros gave up a catcher who was not producing offensively and got some help in the minors. This is the first move I can think of in years where the Astros traded in a possibility of winning now for future wins. And I'm totally in favor of it.