Breaking News: Astros Acquire Randy Wolf
UPDATE: (7/22) 4:23PM (EST) - It’s official, the Astros have completed a deal for ex-Padres’ starter Randy Wolf, according to Tom Krasovic. In return, the San Diego Padres get minor league pitcher Chad Reineke. Reineke, 26, is 5-9 this season in AAA. He has posted a 4.41 ERA, and batters have hit .255 against him. In 112 innings, he has 100 K’s. Still not sure I understand this one, but it doesn’t appear that they gave up anything more than a tier-3 prospect.
July 22nd- According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Houston Astros are in negotiations with the San Diego Padres about starting pitcher Randy Wolf. This as a direct result of Roy Oswalt
being placed on the DL due to hip and back issues. Wolf, 6-10 (4.74 ERA), has a no-trade clause that restricts him from being dealt to 14 teams. The Astros are not among those clubs. Wolf has indeed struggled away from PETCO park this season, as well.
I am not sure I understand this move, if it goes down. Wolf will be a free agent after this season, and the Astros are 10 games out of the Wild Card slot in the N.L., AND the Brewers, Cubs, and Cardinals are all in their division. I’m trying to understand this, but just don’t quite get it. Maybe if they sign Wolf to an extension upon completion of any deal it would seem like a better deal, obviously.
Filed under: Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, _Polls
It is really baffling Mr. Fleece why Ed Wade would want to further deplete the Astros minor league farm system after already giving up an awful lot for Tejaida during the preseason and with almost no hope of reaching the post season this season.
Randy Wolf is a FA after this season, will cost them a dcent amount of prospects, will not be either a type “A” FA for certain and unless goes on something like a 10-0 run the rest of the season would be hard pressed to be a type “B” it looks like from his W-L stats the last couple of seasons, even though he can be very effective at times. Just not a good fit for the Astros.
Ed Wade just shows once again he never knows when to sell and his team is rarely good enough to get to the big games, if he would? Then maybe the Astros would contend a little more often rather than consider deals like this one.
I spent a while thinking about it, and really have no explanation for this. They’re going nowhere this season…unless they lock up Wolf to a multi-year extension within the coming months prior to the end of the season, but I think a SP of Wolf’s calibur will NOT turn down a chance at exploring free agency. I mean, two words: Carlos Silva.
Granted the prospect they traded is 26 (not that young), and his numbers are mediocre, but still….why?
12 games out of the division lead with 3 good teams ahead of you, and about 9+ out of the Wild Card… yeah, makes perfect sense to be buyer’s at the deadline, even if it wasn’t a great prospect. But you never know with prospects. What we DO know, is that the Astros have no shot this season, and that Ed Wade is a complete and utter moron.
This trade is ridiculous for BOTH teams.
1.) ASTROS- out of it, already bad farm system, why do they need the veteran Wolf? Doesn’t make sense
2.) PADRES- couldn’t get anything better than a 26 year old right-hander with a 4.4 ERA in AAA?? With this market the way it is, SD should have gotten more
Joe, it does make some sense for the Padres. While I do agree they may have been able to do slightly better in terms of the quality of prospect they got in return for Wolf… it was more about a salary dump for the Pads. The owner is off the hook for the remainder of his 2008 salary - probably around $4 million. If you were out of it and could save $4M beans, wouldn’t you… regardless of prosect?
Everyone turns into Cy-Young in PECTO park anyway.
From seeing the Yankees looking at other pitching options in newer stories like the Jarod Washburn story on Fleece Factor, am surprised to see the Yankees did not make a push on Randy Wold unless he may have had a clause in contract that forbid his going to NY.
Seems that Wolf is a superior pitcher to Washburn, he has the ability to pitch some downright nasty and controlling games on occasion and am not certain that even if he leaves Petco field that if will go away with him. Regardless, he would seem to be a better pickup vs. Washburn.