This offseason is uneventful so far. And, having lived through last off-season, I'm perfectly fine with that. AstroLine is back on Thursday night from 6-7pm, featuring Robert Ford/Steve Sparks interviewing GM Jiminy Clicket.
*Josh Reddick said goodbye to Houston. Goodbye, Josh Reddick, fare thee well.
*The Astros have asked for unconditional release waivers for Cy Sneed, clearing the way for his move to Japan. The 40-Man Roster stands at 38 Men.
*Peter Solomon, the Astros' 4th Round pick in the 2017 Draft, has recovered from Tommy John Surgery and is ready to go for 2021 Spring Training. Solomon, who has thrown 109.1IP for the Astros in the minors and struck 128 batters (with 36 walks), will be in his Age 24 season in 2021.
*This is about a week old but Jose Alberto Rivera is the Astros' most-intriguing prospect available via the Rule 5 Draft.
*FanGraphs' Jay Jaffe breaks down Former Astros Great Billy Wagner's HOF chances via JAWS. Jaffe:
Undersized and from both a broken home and an impoverished rural background, he channeled his frustrations into throwing incredibly hard - with his left hand, despite being a natural righty, for he broke his right arm twice as a child.
Billy Wagner is absolutely a Hall of Famer. I skipped my own wedding shower (at my wife's church, to be fair) to watch Wagner record his 200th save, against the Rays, a 2-1 win that went Redding to Dotel to Wagner.
*The White Sox non-tendered Carlos Rodon, and I'll give you $20 if you had seen that coming in 2015. Reminder that Rodon, the 3rd overall pick in the 2014 Draft, two picks after the Astros took Brady Aiken.
*In case you missed it, on Monday morning I posted a delightful 37-minute interview with Astros fan/Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Washington Post David Fahrenthold.
*On the 78th anniversary of the event, I wrote about the 1942 Boston College/Holy Cross game and the second-deadliest fire in American history.
*NY Times: This Japanese shop is 1,020 years old and knows a thing or two about surviving a crisis.
*Here are your nominees for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
*A Musical Selection (A Cover, even!)