Brad Mills headed to Phoenix with a group of the Astros' front-office to take care of some business.
What's on deck? Who will be the bullpen coach? Wade:
"There are different schools of thought. Does it make more sense for that individual to be a former catcher, so he can give catching instruction along the way, or is having a former pitcher more effective? We have some really strong candidates. Several guys who have extensive playing experience and coaching experience are available right now. We'll get as much background information as we can to make the right decision. Ultimately, it's up to Millsie to have a comfort level with the individual."
Also, it's a chance for Brad Mills to get to know the brain trust:
Mills used the opportunity to familiarize himself with his staff, which includes bench coach Al Pedrique, hitting coach Sean Berry, pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, third-base coach Dave Clark and first-base coach Bobby Meacham. General manager Ed Wade; assistant general managers Ricky Bennett, David Gottfried and Bobby Heck; special adviser Matt Galante; and national cross-checker David Post were also in Arizona.
"It was a chance for Brad [Mills], particularly, to get together those guys, and we had a chance to sit down as a group earlier today and talk about the club a little bit and some of the processes and procedures that Millsie is expected to follow when Spring Training begins," Wade said. "It was more a get-acquainted meeting more than anything."
And the Astros are preparing for the November 20 deadline to set the 40-man roster for the December Rule 5 draft.
Wade:
"We're going to be out there and be aggressive as we can, and it should be a strong group of guys. Before you know it, we'll be into the Major League filing period and the General Managers' Meetings and Winter Meetings and a chance to talk about trades."
The GM Meetings will be held next week in Chicago.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
