[bigboydan]

The owner of the Astros demands that the GM trade Brad Lidge last year. Now we see him sign a 1 year contract with Houston avoid arbitration.

This guy might have had 32 saves last year, but he did have a 1-5 record. Thats not even counting the number of blow saves he had either.

Why the change or heart?

[Willie Bee]

Not sure, Dan, you'd really have to ask Drayton McLane that question.

I've also never been able to confirm that McLane actually "demanded" that Lidge be traded last year. Sort of like all of those rumors about how McLane supposedly nixed some deal to trade Oswalt and/or Clemens near the deadline. Lots of writers saying those deals were in place, yet not one has ever said who was coming back from Boston in those rumored trades

The pressure will be on Lidge now more than ever with this deal and the $5+ million. What I have been able to find out from a few sources inside the club is that there have been inquiries made - - Both by the Astros and from other clubs - - about Lidge, but everyone is low-balling Houston with what they'll send back. Granted, Lidge's value is down after last season. But Houston surely can't just give him away. Atlanta and Boston are two of the clubs who have asked, but neither has apparently been willing to part with anything of value for him. The Astros have to get something with at least some potential back for him.

If you're Houston's GM, Dan, who would you offer Lidge to and what would you ask for in return?

[bigboydan]

Willie, I don't know what i'd ask for in return for that stiff. However, in this day and age of pitching i'm sure you could get a very solid starter in return for that bum.

[Willie Bee]

You would expect to trade a stiff and a bum for a solid starter? Would you give up a solid starter for a stiff/bum?

[bigboydan]

As the old saying goes Willie. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Even though I think he's a stiff/bum, that doesn't mean other GM's out there feel the same way. The way those teams look at players is by there numbers at the end of the year. Lets take Jeff Weaver for example here. Weaver agent is commanding 2 years 16 million dollars, and we both know some team will give it to him. However, everyone on this planet but GM's knows he's a stiff.

[Willie Bee]

So would you just release Lidge instead of paying him the $5.3 million that it worked out to be?

[bigboydan]

I'd trade his ass Willie! Because I still think you could get a decent starter for him.

[Willie Bee]

I'd trade him for a quality starter myself. But not many GMs really given those up right now. Do You think Philly would give up Brett Myers for him? Would the Angels part with Jered Weaver for him? How about this, would the Tigers trade Robertson or the Reds trade Harang for him?

[bigboydan]

Jered Weaver won't be traded. Brett Myers could be a possibility after that wife beating incident last year. I doubt Nate Robertson would even be an option, considering the Tigers just resigned him the other day.

Teams like the Yankees, Mets, and maybe even the Braves could afford to give up a decent pitcher for him though.

[onlooker]

I guess they like blowing leads in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. Unreal.

[Willie Bee]

Ok, I'm just trying to find out what you would trade for him, what you think he's worth. Now I see I have lòóker to deal with on this matter as well. What would you have done, lòóker? Would you just drop him, send Lidge to the waiver wire and call up a minor leaguer to solve the 7th, 8th and 9th innings?

Who would the Yankees, Mets and Braves give up that is 'decent' by your standards, Dan?

[bigboydan]

The Astros could have probably traded him for the Pirates closer Mike Gonzalez yesterday. That would have been an improvement for your team right there Willie.

[EaglesPhan36]

I used to live in Houston, so I am an Astros fan. You re-sign him because he had one bad year. I mean if Kobe Bryant only averaged say 16 points per game and had an off year, would you give up on him after all he has done? That's the logic I think the Astros are using with Lidge. He was dominant before the NLCS in '05. Why not give him one more shot. If he falters again, you're not binded to a long term deal. And there is no way they could have gotten Gonzalez from Pittsburgh. The Pirates wanted a bat, not another arm.

[Willie Bee]

The Astros could have probably traded him for the Pirates closer Mike Gonzalez yesterday. That would have been an improvement for your team right there Willie.

Ditto on what EaglesPhan said; the Bucs wanted a stick, preferably one that swung from the port side.

And I'm not sure how getting a guy like Gonzalez, who has been injury-riddled from his knees to his elbow, for Lidge makes us a whole lot better. I'd love to have Gonzalez' left arm in the bullpen mix. He's a good ol' Texas boy and has shown the propensity to get outs in relief.

We'll see with Lidge this year. Who knows, maybe he stinks it up as bad or as worse as he was in 2006. But I'm not too concerned going into a season with our 3-deep relievers - - Lidge, Wheeler and Qualls. Right now, I'm more concerned with the 4-5 slots in the rotation and defense in centerfield.

[EaglesPhan36]

I still can't believe Chris Burke is gonna be the starting CF. Good speed, but shite for an arm for that position.

[Willie Bee]

I'm not 100% sold on Burke being our #1 center fielder this year. Just feel like something else is going to change there.

But I want to get back to the Lidge question. I hear this all the time, someone says so-&-so stinks and the club shouldn't sign him, or they should trade him, and there really aren't those options for the GM to consider. He can't cut the player because, as bad as they may be, he has nobody better to plug in. And he can't get fair value for the player from other clubs. It's knee-jerkism, at least that's what I call it. It's a malady that's worse among gamblers, in my opinion. There are hundreds of threads on this board alone where someone says, "That's it, Team A is done" or "Hot damn! Team B is the greatest! They're going to win it all." And those opinions are formed based on one short stretch of play, hell, maybe even one game. In the end, Team A goes to the playoffs and Team B stinks to high heaven.

Perhaps Lidge is heading for another season just like last, maybe even worse. But my point here is you can't just waive the guy, so why cast derision on the decision to re-sign him at the going rate in baseball? And if there was a team out there willing to part with a solid player that could fill an actual hole on the roster, don't you think Houston would've taken the deal?