It's easy to get bogged down in the rebuilding of our fair franchise. Aren't you excited about Rick Ankiel? No? Carlos Pena? Meh? Erik Bedard? Seriously?
Then read this piece, from the Hardball Times, that shows a broader perspective:
The problem with many teams when they try to rebuild is that they don't do it all the way. For a major league organization, a rebuilding process, should that prove to be the right decision, is not something that can be done halfway. The organization must be all-in. This is what the Astros have done.
Did you wish the Astros had not traded Wandy? Reference this:
The influx of talent that has entered the Astros farm system - both through trades and through better drafting - has given them one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. Not necessarily one of the best, especially in terms of major league-ready impact talent, but one of the deepest.
There are notes on various players acquired recently, so be sure to read this. There's never the promise of a...rainb...uh good thing at the end of all of this. But at least there's someone else to tell you not to panic too much.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
