There has been plenty of speculation about the fact Taylor Buchholz and Willy Taveras could be the subject of a possible trade. In the beginning the destination for both was Chicago. Today, there are moving indeed, but somewhere else.

Buchholz and Taveras, alongside prospect Jason Hirsh, have been sent to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitchers Jason Jennings and Miguel Ascencio. Undoubtedly, this deal gives the starting rotation even more depth, trying in a way to fulfill the void left by the departure of Andy Pettitte.

In the end, it wasn’t Jon Garland, but is a welcome addition nonetheless. I can’t stop thinking about Willy and Taylor, though. We saw them at their best more than once at Minute Maid. Taveras was particularly kind to us and he told us a lot of interesting aspects of his life in an interview for Cronicas de los Astros. Best of luck to all.

I hadn’t written about it earlier, because I really wanted to digest it. I didn’t want to react immediately in the same way we’re forced to do so every time due to immediacy and our competition.

What does a Yankee return mean to Andy Pettitte? And what does it mean to the Astros?

It’s true, Pettitte was the beginning of a buzz, a noise and a feeling that got us aboard a magical train that took us in these past three years to two NLCS, a World Series and being eliminated in the very last day of the regular season. It’s very true that Pettitte was the catalyst in helping us being blessed to see Roger Clemens wearing an Astros uniform.

It’s also true this is not the Andy Pettitte we saw for the first time in Houston, when he told us he wanted to be closer to home, so he could avoid so much traveling back and forth between Texas and NY. Maybe, after sitting down and seeing his 14-13, 4.20 record for 2006, he thought a second chance at Yankee Stadium could take him back to those years in which he was one of the game’s dominant pitchers.

I hope it goes down like that. Honest. You see, it’s not easy dealing with the pressure of playing for the Yankees. And it’s not just hearing Bob Shepard reading your name. Pettitte must know this quite well; and if he is not fully convinced of this, he can ask Randy Johnson how it feels up there right now. Or ask Alex Rodriguez, a guy who saw his bobblehead doll in the New York Times Magazine with a title asking what was going on inside his mind because of all the defensive gaffes and his continuous and bitter struggle with the strike zone.

Playing with the New York Yankees is playing with fire. It can be seventh heaven or the worst place in ****. And worst of all, the keys to both places are secured by the same folks: Mike Lupica, Mike and the Mad Dog, WFAN, the YES network, the New York Post and Murray Chass.

With this deal, the Yankees are dancing to the same beat that is making owners offer preposterous sums of money to the likes of Gil Meche. Pitching is quite scarce these days, not to say nonexistant. At least in the free agency stock market.

Pettitte told us that the Yankees kept on pushing, while the Astros stayed put. I will always thank him for what he did with the Astros, but it’s no less true that he kept on showing shame for his latest performances, while telling astros.com once he even contemplated retirement for this season. And that was before the All-Star break.

Only time will tell us if Houston made the right decision or not. However, I do believe Andy Pettitte didn’t choose the best place for trying to find himself.

The Venezuelan daily La Verdad reports that finally the feud over Jason Lane has a winner. The Caracas Lions have finally hired the outfielder, and he should be arriving to Venezuela at any time.

What does Magallanes manager Al Pedrique think of all this? According to the paper, nothing nice. "Caracas has handled itself unprofessionally in this matter", starts the quote by La Verdad. "The Astros had already given us the rights to deal with him (…). He will have the last word on this, it’s all up to him".

More Winter baseball notes on astros.com, and for those of you who can read us en español, head over to astrosdehouston.com

As you might have expected, the Astros will not offer arbitration to Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Russ Springer. But also Aubrey Huff is a new free agent. Here’s the official press release.

ASTROS DECLINE TO OFFER ARBITRATION TO FIVE PLAYERS

Club?s Free Agents are Bagwell, Clemens, Huff, Pettitte and Springer

HOUSTON ? The Houston Astros announced today that the club has declined to offer arbitration to the club?s five free agents: Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, Aubrey Huff, Andy Pettitte and Russ Springer. The announcement was made by General Manager Tim Purpura.

Bagwell, 38, is the career leader for the Astros in home runs, runs batted in and walks. He ranks second in club history with 2,314 hits and leads the Houston franchise with 31 career multi-homer games. The four-time All-Star missed the entire 2006 season with right shoulder arthritis. In 15 seasons with the club, Bagwell hit .297 (2,314×7,797) with 449 home runs and 1,529 RBI.

Clemens, 44, finished 7-6 with a 2.30 ERA (29ER/113.1IP) in 19 starts for the Astros in 2006. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner (most all-time) ranks eighth on the MLB career wins list with 348 and trails 7th-place Kid Nichols (360, 1890-1906) by 12 victories. His 2.30 ERA in 2006 led the Majors since his first start of the year on June 22. The 11-time All-Star is 38-18 with an MLB-best 2.40 ERA (144ER/539IP) since joining the Astros in 2004.

Huff hit .267 (121×454) with 21 home runs and 67 RBI in 131 combined games between Houston and Tampa Bay in 2006. He was acquired by Houston from Tampa Bay in exchange for RHP Mitch Talbot and IF Ben Zobrist on July 12, 2006. In 68 games for the Astros last season, Huff hit .250 (56×224) with 13 home runs and 38 RBI.

Pettitte, 34, was 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA (100ER/214.1IP) in 36 appearances (35 starts) for the Astros in 2006. He posted his 12th consecutive winning season, which includes all of his big league seasons, tying him with Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell and Juan Marichal for the third-longest streak of consecutive winning seasons to start a Major League career. In three seasons for the Astros, the left-handed pitcher is 37-26 with a 3.38 ERA (195ER/519.2IP).

Springer went 1-1 with a 3.47 ERA (23ER/59.2IP) in a career-high 72 appearances in 2006. He did not allow a run in 58 of his 72 games pitched for the Astros during the season. Since rejoining the club in 2004, Springer is 5-6 with a 3.94 ERA (58ER/132.1IP). He also appeared in 54 games for Houston in 1997, finishing 3-3 with a 4.23 ERA (26ER/55.1IP).

The bitter rivalry between the Caracas and Magallanes teams in the Venezuelan League takes on a new chapter, and this time is off the field: Journalist Ismael Granadillo, a writer for the Caracas-based daily Lider and our peer over at astrosdehouston.com, reports the feud between both squads over the services of Astros outfielder Jason Lane.

Lane played with Caracas a few years ago, and he left a pretty nice memory tearing up the League and piling up amazing offensive numbers. Lane himself is very fond of the experience and he has let us know about that during the few times we have talked to him.

Magallanes announced recently that Houston gave them the go-ahead sign in order to assure Lane; while Caracas replies, telling Lider they have already talked to the player, and he promised to talk to Astros brass so they can get their decision reversed.

"We had a verbal agreement with Lane", said Ariel Pratt, Caracas President. "The thing is, the Astros granted permission to Magallanes in order to sign him, when they didn’t ask for anything regarding him, while we used the proper channels of communication. He has said he wants to play with us and we are waiting to ask once again for permission. Jason is talking to Houston to see if Management changes its mind".

On the Magallanes front, Sports Manager Juan Francisco Castillo said: "We asked for permission at the same time as Caracas did, but our request was accepted and theirs wasn’t. If, by any chance, Caracas had any previous agreements, that would be against the regulations set by the Caribbean Baseball Confederation and that could mean fines".

"Lane is a player we’re interested in, but the fact we have gotten the permission doesn’t mean we’ve signed him already", Castillo said. Regardless of the outcome, Jason Lane is no doubt a very interesting piece that could mean a huge help for any  ballclub. Lane would make a decision on coming to Venezuela after the outcome of the presidential elections that will be held this Sunday. We’ll wait and see.

Say whaaaaaaa? That’s what everyone told me when they got the news today. The Houston Astros have stepped up to the plate and they’ve done what fans all over the place have demanded: getting not just a respectable bat in Carlos Lee; but also solid pitching in Woody Williams.

Let’s face it: they have upped the ante, and that’s something that, at first sight, is not usual Astros behavior (unless you count offers made to Roger Clemens and the unfinished Carlos Beltran proposal). This also sends people a message: We are not kidding. We mean business.

And that’s something gladly welcome, considering Tim Purpura had not made a blockbuster deal in his tenure as Astros GM, until now. He has not just adressed one but two needs the Astros had. Williams and Lee will certainly help fill some seats.

Not just that. It might also be the catalyst Roger Clemens needs in order to sign one more year with Houston, something that might be on Purpura’s agenda, might scare him and Drayton McLane a bit and they are certainly forced to do if Clemens agrees. Andy Pettitte must make up his mind as well. Now.

The $100 million figure offered to Lee is definitely the product of an overblown market thanks in large part to what the Cubs offered to Alfonso Soriano (and are willing to pay a more deserving Carlos Zambrano). Not precisely fair, but it became a requirement.

Purpura told us he was going to be aggressive during the Winter Meetings. After his previous history, we were a bit skeptical; and we are glad to see he proved us wrong.

Here’s the official press release from the Astros:

ASTROS SIGN LEE AND WILLIAMS

Two-time All-Star outfielder and Houston native right-hander sign multi-year contracts

HOUSTON ? The Houston Astros announced today that the club has signed free-agent outfielder Carlos Lee to a six-year, $100 million contract and right-handed pitcher Woody Williams to a two-year, $12.50 million contract plus incentives with a club option for 2009. The announcement was made by General Manager Tim Purpura.

The 30-year-old Lee hit .300 (187×624) with 37 home runs and 116 RBI in a combined 161 games between Milwaukee and Texas in 2006.  He hit .286 (111×388) with 28 home runs and 81 RBI in 102 games for the Brewers last year before being traded to the Rangers along with outfielder Nelson Cruz on July 28, 2006, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Francisco Cordero, outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix, and left-handed pitcher Julian Cordero. After joining Texas, Lee hit .322 (76×236) with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 59 games.

?This is a historic day for our franchise,? said Purpura. ?We succeeded in fulfilling two of our off-season objectives, obtaining a run-producing middle-of-the-order power hitter, and we bolstered our starting pitching staff. Carlos Lee is one of the finest offensive players in the game today, and he will fit very nicely in the middle of our batting order for years to come. Woody Williams is a veteran pitcher who pitches with guts and guile. He will be an integral part of our rotation and will be a mentor to our young pitchers.?

Lee is a veteran of eight Major League seasons and has hit .286 (1308×4570) with 221 home runs and 782 RBI in 1,203 career big league games for the Chicago White Sox (1999-04), Milwaukee (2005-06) and Texas (2006). Lee set career-highs in home runs (37), runs batted in (116), hits (187) and stolen bases (19) in 2006. He collected 300-plus total bases for the fourth consecutive season, finishing eighth in the Majors with 337 total bases. Lee has posted five consecutive seasons of 25 or more home runs since 2002, and 2006 marked the fourth consecutive season that his home run total increased or tied the previous season. The slugger struck out only 65 times in 624 at-bats in 2006, and he has never struck out more than 94 times in a Major League season.

In 2005, Lee earned his first All-Star appearance and received the Silver Slugger award from Louisville Slugger, an award given to the best offensive player at each position in each league. He ranked sixth in the National League with 114 RBI and set the Brewers franchise record for the most before the All-Star Break, plating 76 runs in the first half. Lee was named the Brewers team MVP and finished eighth in the National League in balloting for the Most Valuable Player.

Williams, 40, joins the Astros after spending the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres, where the right-hander compiled a 21-17 record with a 4.28 ERA (145ER/305IP). He was 12-5 with a 3.65 ERA (59ER/145.1IP) for the National League West Division champions in 2006 and was one of eight NL pitchers to record eight or more wins after the All-Star Break. He also pitched for San Diego from 1999-2001.

A veteran of 14 Major League seasons, Williams is 124-101 with a 4.09 ERA (921ER/2028.1IP). The Fresno resident ranks 12th all-time among active pitchers with nine wins at Minute Maid Park. In 13 career starts at the ballpark, Williams is 9-3 with a 4.42 ERA (37ER/75.1IP). A Houston native, Williams was an All-District shortstop at Cypress-Fairbanks High School and attended the University of Houston, where he was an All-Region shortstop after receiving an Associate of Arts degree from Alvin Community College (Texas).

Now we know: Alfonso Soriano is going to the Chicago Cubs in a huge megadeal. This has emerged tonight and we are only waiting for official confirmation.
This tells me two things: Divisional rivals for the Astros are being agressive on the market, and Houston is now forced to follow suit. Otherwise, it would be a huge disappointment for Tim Purpura and crew. Rita is elaborating about this on Hot Stove and Beyond.

Soriano wasn’t definitely the answer to the Astros’ prayers, at least in my humble opinion. A player with a high strikeout ratio, a dubious OBP and some age to go along with it, is not exactly what’s needed, as much pop or power he might be able to provide. I have always believed the way to go is with a player with stable production and occasional power. But then again, that’s not sexy, is it?

Then again, when the rest of your division is not resting and making an impact on the market, you are forced to follow because of survival instincts. This doesn’t mean to go crazy and accept a scalping of Soriano’s proportion, but of not staying quiet.

The market might be influenced by the Soriano deal (some might even say rip-off) in a very negative way.

Many agents will think, hey, if the Cubs are willing to pay such an amount of money to a guy who yes, drives in runs and hits the longball, but is also aging and has a terrible plate discipline, other guys’ prices will go upwards just like oil prices go right after any threat on the Middle East.

The Astros are obliged to act now. If they at least don’t show a respectable offer, or make a meaningful trade (even if that means sending some of Houston’s precious pieces packing) it will become a disaster in terms of public perception. This will only make it harder for the Astros to keep on their philosophy of sound spending, considered by many as frugal.

I had not written in a long while since, let’s face it, everything going on with the Astros was so predictable, all I would have done is keep on repeating the same old tired clichés you have heard elsewhere. Biggio coming back? Awesome. I never thought he’d call it quits by now. Probably next year.
Clemens and Pettitte being ho-hum about their chances for an encore next season? It just sounds like I’m watching yet another sitcom rerun on Nick at Nite.

Things here have been great so far (in Venezuela, I mean). Good baseball, interesting prospects, bitter rivalries, two fired managers already (and a third one probably in the mix) and even a 20-minute-long bench-clearing brawl. Not that I’m endorsing those, but hey, it gives you some variety.

What is relatively new for me is hearing GM Tim Purpura saying at the Winter Meetings that the Astros will be aggressively shopping during the event. They have already talked about Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee. Wow. After two years of relative inaction in this field, it is refreshing. And it was unavoidable and bound to happen.

I’m not saying Purpura has done a lousy job; the team have been to a World Series and were eliminated in the last day of the regular season in the two years of his administration. It’s just that the moment for something like this was slowly brewing until there was no way they could escape from it. Last year’s weak offensive numbers were more than enough to get it started.

Let’s just hope he doesn’t return to his Minute Maid office empty-handed.

Gnarls Barkley, anyone? This postseason can lead you to insanity, to say the very least. And it all came to an unexpected yet amusing climax at Game 7 of the NLCS. Who would’ve thought that Carlos "Cardinal killer" Beltran would surrender to such a pitch. Goes beyond me. Goes beyond Beltran himself, who wasn’t able to believe it. Astros fans all over the place will find some poetic justice in all of this.

Congratulations to the Cardinals. They will have it tough. Detroit looks solid in all aspects of the game, but as The Sporting News pointed out in its daily email today, anything can happen. This has been one postseason in which nothing is taken for granted. Wow. My buddy Mark, the very own master of the MLBlogosphere will lead you through the fun behind-the-scenes side of the Fall Classic. Join him.

Things here are just starting to warm up, baseball-wise. It’s still early in the season to make any judgments and analysis. It’s way way too early. At least we saw Al Pedrique being named supervisor of all Astros baseball operations in Latin America, which includes the legendary Guacara Academy. Our best wishes to the current Magallanes skipper.

And I’d like to welcome a new Astros blogger to the neighborhood. My big pal Rita will give you a different yet entertaining point of view on all things hot stove. She’ll be great, I’m sure.

Rainy day in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela. Rain, thunder and other stuff that’s not so nice either. In the meantime, we can’t avoid staring at the Rolling Stone magazine we just got today (yeah, I’m also subscribed to a truckload of magazines, and yes, Baseball America and The Sporting News are among them). Thank you, Fergie.

If you believe baseball ends with the final out of the World Series, you’re wrong. Very, very wrong.
You see, baseball for me never stops. As soon as the Major Leagues finish their regular season, we start switching gears and preparing ourselves for Winter Baseball being played in several Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela.

Being a Venezuelan, I know from experience how great it is to see a Winter League game. It was here that I fell in love with baseball, and I had the full Field of Dreams experience as a kid: going through the steps at the ballpark, and seeing the pristine green field with the white basepaths just printed out on it.

Venezuelan fans are unique, it’s so much noisier and passionate than it will ever be in the United States. I’m sorry for my American friends, but it’s a cultural matter, and there isn’t nothing wrong with that. In the States, you go and have a good time watching a ballgame. In Venezuela, you go to watch a ballgame and to attend a full-out party at the same time: You dance, yell, dance some more, sing, cheer loudly and a whole lot more. Have you seen a samba band playing at the stands in any US ballpark making fans of a determined team dance and sing, just like they do with the La Guaira Sharks, for example?

Cheering never ends. From the first pitch up to the final one. Rivalries here take a whole new meaning, just ask Magallanes and Caracas fans, a rivalry so bitter and so intertwined in our culture it’s unparalleled everywhere. I don’t even think Yankees and Red Sox fans can say they have a similar one.

Baseball is in our blood. And from the next four months, we’ll be talking about it nonstop. Anchorpeople from all networks will unabashedly say in their newscasts they are cheering for a determined team. Eighty per cent of people attending games will be wearing their favorite jerseys (and many will follow suit on the streets). Many commercials on TV will mention the ongoing season. Journalists will remain objective in their writing and reporting but will not abide to the "no cheering in the press box" rule that exists elsewhere. Oh no. They will applaud and cheer just like any other fan. That’s the way it is here and it has always worked.

It’s a baseball atmosphere unlike any other. And I tell you, I’ll be keeping an eye on many Astros prospects that will play. For example, the Caracas Lions will feature coveted pitching prospect Juan Gutierrez, who was 8-4 with a 5.06 ERA in Double-A. Magallanes will have plenty of ‘Stros futures such as Paul Estrada, and there is a lot of speculation going on about the possible return of Luke Scott, who tore up the League last year.

I would never end trying to describe you how it feels to experience Venezuelan Winter Baseball. And yet it would not make it justice. I hope one day you might be able to see that for yourselves.