Nick Cafardo's Sunday column ranks the top free agents and projects a possible destination. We already know that the Astros won't be major players in the free agent market, but Cafardo does see the Astros as a possible destination for:
SP Jon Garland:
He did a terrific job for the Padres eating up innings and lending stability. He could do the same for a number of teams, such as the Nationals, Brewers, Mets, Astros, or Rockies. A return to San Diego also is possible.
We typically discount any rumor that links the Astros to a pitcher, as they're pretty much set there for 2011. Middle infielder? Different story. And Cafardo puts the price tag on Carl Crawford at 6 years/$120m. So don't even look at Carl Crawford. He's the cheerleader you're not allowed to even dream about dating.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
