Ivan Rodriguez Addition Changes Astros' Season Outlook Dramatically

Talk about what a difference a day makes.

How about what a difference a player makes?

By signing Ivan Rodriguez to a bargain basement one-year, $1.5 million deal, the Houston Astros have filled their most glaring weakness: a catcher who can make 120-140 starts and will be an offensive and defensive asset.

Rodriguez also gives the Astros a veteran starter behind the dish. Instead of trying to navigate 162 games and the multitude of pitchers it takes to complete them with a bunch of rarely used backups or unproven youngsters, Houston now turns to Rodriguez, a proven commodity who handles pitching staffs well.

Ideally, Rodriguez will tutor young catchers Lou Palmisano and J.R. Towles, as well as top catching prospect Jason Castro if he garners a September call-up.

Humberto Quintero may hang on as the backup, but could just as likely become a casualty of the Rodriguez signing. He's not young enough to be considered the backstop of the future, and his talent level is on the fringe at best.

Rodriguez will likely hit somewhere between fifth and seventh in the order. He has some power potential, so the Astros could put him behind Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee. 

The really good news is that Houston paid almost nothing (relatively) to get Pudge. The reason the Astros didn't move sooner was that agent Scott Boras was asking upwards of $3 million for his client. 

Once the price came down, Houston became very interested. The Astros also attracted Rodriguez, who wanted to be a starting catcher again instead of the backup. Florida was another team Rodriguez pursued, but they weren't offering a starting job.

Puerto Rico's elimination from the World Baseball Classic means that Rodriguez will likely be in Astros camp by the end of the week. He'll need every minute to learn Houston's pitching staff.

Once the season begins, the real dividends will likely begin paying off for Houston and for Rodriguez. 

From a preview point of view, Houston may just have gone from a fifth or sixth place finish to a second or third place finish.

It all hinges on the pitching staff, however. Hopefully Rodriguez's influence will help them excel and surprise in 2009.