The Astros have released veteran utility man David Newhan. Newhan played in 18 games for the Astros this spring in which he was 6 for 33 (.182 avg, .490 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. This might hurt the Astros’ bench a little bit as Newhan was an effective pinch hitter for them last season.

The Astros have placed righty starting pitcher Brandon Backe on the 15-day disabled list with a left intercostal strain. He pitched in 3 games (2 starts) this spring in which he was 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. The Astros will likely go with Russ Ortiz in the rotation to start the season. Ortiz has pitched in 6 games (3 starts) for the Astros this spring in which he is 1-1 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

The Astros have released veteran righty reliever Danny Graves. Graves pitched in 7 games (0 starts) for the Astros this spring and he was 0-0 with a 6.43 ERA and a 2.57 WHIP. Graves just didn’t pitch good enough this spring to warrant a spot on the Astros’ pitching staff for the 2009 season.

Aaron Boone has left Astros’ camp and is scheduled to undergo open heart surgery in the very near future. This will likely end Boone’s major league career. The Astros will likely be looking for a veteran to share 3B with Geoff Blum as Boone was to platoon with him in 2009.

The Astros have signed 37-year old righty swinging catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a 1-year, $1.5 million dollar contract. Rodriguez played in 115 games for the Tigers and Yankees last season and he was 110 for 398 (.276 avg, .713 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 10 homers, 35 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Pudge still has a good throwing arm as he nailed 23 of 75 (31%) potential basestealers last season. The Astros hope that Ivan Rodriguez still has something left but regardless he’s still better than any current catcher on the roster. Rodriguez has now played in 2,267 games in his major league career in which he is 2,605 of 8,645 (.301 avg, .814 OPS) with 1,253 runs scored, 295 homers, 1,217 RBIs and 124 stolen bases. This was a very solid move for the Astros.

The Houston Astros will platoon 35-year old switch hitting Geoff Blum and 36-year old righty swinging Aaron Boone in 2009. Blum played in 114 games for the Astros last season and he was 78 for 325 (.240 avg, .705 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 14 homers and 53 RBIs. He also played well on defense at the hot corner in 75 games there last season as he only made 4 errors while showing good range.

Aaron Boone played in 104 games for the Nationals last season and he was 56 for 232 (.241 avg, .683 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 6 homers and 28 RBIs. He only made 1 error in 16 games at 3B last season while showing poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: D

The Astros have lost 26-year old righty Fernando Nieve on waivers to the Mets. Nieve pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the Astros last season and he was 0-1 with a 8.44 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He finished his career with the Astros pitching in 51 games (11 starts) in which he was 3-4 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The Astros might regret getting rid of Nieve as it’s not as if they have a good pitching staff heading into the 2009 season.

The Astros thought that 34-year old righty swinging Miguel Tejada would love swinging for the Crawford Boxes in his new home stadium but it didn’t work out that way. Tejada played in 158 games for the Astros last season and he was 179 for 632 (.283 avg, .729 OPS) with 92 runs scored, 13 homers, 66 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Tejada’s bat appears to be running out of juice literally. Tejada also showed below average range at shortstop last season for the Astros in 157 games there while making 11 errors. The Astros need more out of Tejada if they are going to surprise in 2009.

27-year old righty swinging Edwin Maysonet will battle veterans Matt Kata and Jason Smith for the right to back up Tejada. Maysonet played in 7 games for the Astros last season and he was 1 for 7 (.143 avg, .286 OPS). He also played in 117 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 110 for 406 (.271 avg, .722 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 6 homers, 34 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Neither Kata or Smith played in the majors at shortstop last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

The Astros have signed 28-year old lefty reliever Neal Musser to a minor league deal. Musser pitched in 1 game (0 starts) last season for the Royals and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He also pitched in 40 games (6 starts) in Rookie + AAA ball last season in which he was 3-6 with 6 saves, a 4.30 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Musser will have a chance to make the Astros’ bullpen this spring as they are a little short from the left side. Musser has now pitched in 18 games (0 starts) in his major league career to date and he is 0-1 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP.

The Houston Astros really need 33-year old switch hitting 2B Kaz Matsui to stay healthy this season as they don’t have a legit backup to him with Geoff Blum platooning at 3B with Aaron Boone. Matsui played in 96 games for the Astros last season and he was 110 for 375 (.293 avg., .781 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 6 homers, 33 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Matsui also needs to clean up his defense which was awful last season as he made 12 errors in only 94 games for the Astros at 2B while showing very poor range. Despite his flaws the Astros definately have no one better to play at 2B in 2009.

30-year old switch hitting Matt Kata will battle 31-year old lefty swinging Jason Smith for the backup middle infield job in 2009 for the Astros. Kata played in 118 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 97 for 396 (.245 avg, .670 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 8 homers, 45 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Kata does have 238 games of major league experience in his career and he has a .242 batting average with a .677 OPS.

Jason Smith played in 22 games for the Royals last season and he was 6 for 28 (.214 avg, .500 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 1 RBI. He didn’t make any errors in 9 games at 2B last season for the Royals but he also showed poor range just like Matsui. Smith also played in 110 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 107 for 423 (.253 avg, .764 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 20 homers, 62 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C-