[Bulldog]

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros announced today that they have acquired outfielder Aubrey Huff and $1.625 million in cash considerations from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot and minor league infielder Ben Zobrist. In addition, the Astros have optioned outfielder Jason Lane to Triple-A Round Rock and designated minor league infielder Joe McEwing for assignment. The announcement was made by General Manager Tim Purpura.


Will he make a difference in the Astros lineup?
I mean the guy has been on fire, but still hes hitting 283.
I thought he was going to the Yankees, maybe this means that Abreu will go to the Bronx.
Any thoughts?[/FONT]

[bigboydan]

i think will be a very nice fit in the astros lineup.


Jeromy Burnitz is the last rumor i heard that might be the newest yankee.

[Willie Bee]

I hate seeing Zobrist go in this deal. He's a little old (25) to just now be performing in Double-A, but he does look like a good bet to be a decent on-base, .290+ average hitter. I've got no clue on Talbot; have never seen him pitch, but according to his stats so far this year he's got a good strikeout ratio, 96:29 (K:BB) in just over 90 innings.

This deal smells of Ensberg being hurt more than anyone has let on recently. I'm guessing that Huff will play more 3B for Houston than any other position, assuming I'm right about Ensberg being injured.

Rumors now suggest Houston will look to deal Ensberg in the next couple of weeks, probably for a pitcher. Also guessing the Astros might try to throw in Lane in a deal as well.

[Illusion]

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros acquired third baseman Aubrey Huff from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for two minor league prospects Wednesday, hoping the Texan can help revive the Astros' struggling offense.

The Astros, who also got some cash in the deal, are tied for last in the National League in batting average.

"This will give us an offense boost which we sorely need," Astros general manager Tim Purpura said.

The 30-year-old Huff, who went to high school and junior college in Texas, hit .283 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 63 games for the Devil Rays this season. He has been the subject of trade speculation each of the past three years.

In his sixth major league season, Huff has a career average of .287 with 128 home runs and 449 RBI.

Houston will pay $1.4 million of the $3 million that remains on the final year of Huff's contract. Tampa Bay will pay the rest, Purpura said. The Devil Rays get right-hander Mitch Talbot and infielder Ben Zobrist from the Astros' system. Both players will report to Double-A Montgomery.

Huff is Tampa Bay's career leader in games (798), at-bats (3,016), runs (399), hits (868), doubles (173), home runs (128), extra-base hits (307) and RBI (449). He's hit 20 or more home runs four times and is one of five left-handed hitters -- along with David Ortiz, Carlos Delgado, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu -- to average 100-plus RBI the past three seasons.

Purpura said getting Huff was a "great first step" in making a push during the second half of the season.

"We're certainly within striking distance if we play better baseball," he said.

Houston, the reigning NL champions, is just 7-13 since June 18. But the Astros are coming out of the All-Star break in better shape than last year, when they were 44-43 and 11½ games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. This year they are only six games back of the Cardinals.

To make room for Huff, Houston will send outfielder Jason Lane to Triple-A Round Rock. Lane has struggled in the Astros lineup, batting only .205 this season.

Purpura said Huff's arrival could also affect third baseman Morgan Ensberg, who has also struggled at the plate. Besides third base, Huff has also played first base and the outfield.

"Obviously it will cut into [Ensberg's] playing time," he said. "We're in a position where we have to start moving forward. We can't give bats to players because they have been in that spot before. We have to get production and performance out of our players."

The last-place Devil Rays have made two major trades in the past two weeks, with both deals making one of the youngest rosters in the majors even younger.

On June 27, Tampa Bay sent left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson, catcher Toby Hall and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for starting pitcher Jae Seo and catcher Dioner Navarro.

"While there are positives we can take away from the improvement we made during the first half, to accept where we are is to accept mediocrity," Devil Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "Our goal is to build a competitive team that we can sustain."

The last-place Devil Rays (39-50) played .123 percentage points better than a year ago prior to the All-Star break -- the third-best improvement in the majors behind the Detroit Tigers and the Colorado Rockies.

[bigboydan]

whats the teams offical statement concerning Ensberg's health though Wille ?

[Willie Bee]

There really has not been any official statement, Dan. Reading Purpura's comments, it really sounds like the GM is just tired of Ensberg's streaky ways. Ensberg can be a bit ho-hum about things and sometimes doesn't seem to really have a lot of fire in his belly.

But he hasn't been the same offensively since he injured his shoulder diving for a ball back in mid-June. The same thing happened at the end of last season when he hurt himself in early September and never really recovered. Some think he took too long to recover, another possible jab at his ho-hum attitude.

I like Huff, hope he hits a ton for Houston. But he can hit .350 with 12-15 homers the rest of the way and the Astros still aren't going anywhere without the pitching, especially the bullpen.

[TexAg001]

One night you are out with your spring training buddies trying to score some weed....and then all of the sudden someone sticks a gun in your face. After that happens I gues your outlook changes and its hard to get that fire in your belly. I wish we lived in a country where an innocent drug buyer can safely complete a transaction with no complications.

Jason Lane is a classic example of a 4A Player. Whips but in AAA but floumders in the bigs.

[onlooker]

Aubrey Huff produced right away for the Astros yesterday, hitting a 3 run home run against the Marlins. He will be playing mostly in the outfield but gives some players relief at 1B and 3B.

whats the teams offical statement concerning Ensberg's health though Wille ?

Here is the latest on Ensberg Dan. He just went on the 15-day DL with a shoulder contusion.

NEWS: July 13
STATUS: 15-day Dl
SKINNY: Ensberg was placed on the 15-day DL with a shoulder contusion, retroactive to Monday.

SPIN: Ensberg got off to a hot start, but has slumped horribly since. He's hitting .194 in his last 57 games, and the Astros recently acquired Aubrey Huff, who went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer on Thursday.

[Willie Bee]

Aubrey Huff produced right away for the Astros yesterday, hitting a 3 run home run against the Marlins.

Yes, what a great job by Houston's new batting coach, Sean Berry. I mean, Berry was able to coach Huff for what, about an hour or two? And he already taught him how to hit 3-run homers.