It's Insider Only, but, as always, Astros County has your back.
The Astros' bullpen has been depleted by the presumed loss of Jose Valverde to free agency as well as the loss of LaTroy Hawkins, so Lindstrom helps. But if they're looking at him as a Valverde replacement they'll be disappointed, as he's a clear step down and doesn't have either the swing-and-miss pitch or the good control you'd like to see in a pitcher working highly leveraged innings.
The Marlins just wanted anything for a player they might have non-tendered, and they didn't get much more than anything. Luis Bryan is a decent defensive shortstop who was hurt for all but 31 Gulf Coast League games this summer, and either infinite K/BB ratios are the new market inefficiency or he has the worst plate discipline known to man. Robert Bono is an organizational pitcher who might have a chance to be a long man because he has good control.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
