Houston Astros general manager Ed Wade is said to be seeking late-inning bullpen help for Doug Brocail as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. Those of us who spend entirely too much of our lives following the MLB know that any players traded for after the deadline are ineligible for postseason play.
Is that really something Houston should concern itself with? Granted, they've won their first two games in the second half against the first-place Chicago Cubs, but does anyone really expect Houston to still be playing in October? Sorry for the pessimism, but I don't.
Instead, I feel that Wade (whose name sounds eerily similar to the late hapless filmmaker Ed Wood of Plan 9 From Outer Space fame) should trade away a veteran or two that probably won't be re-signed anyway and get as many prospects as possible. Restock the farm system. Plan for 2009.
I wonder if Wade can trade owner Drayton McLane for a couple of quality starting pitchers? Or, at the very least, for something Houston will likely need--a rubber-armed mop-up pitcher.
