The Astros added pitchers Evan Englebrook, Matt Nevarez and Henry Villar to their 40-man roster on Friday and signed right-hander Jose Valdez, a Minor League free agent, and added him to the roster to bring it to 37 players. That gives the Astros some flexibility to sign free agents. Remember, the roster no longer includes Miguel Tejada, LaTroy Hawkins, Jose Valverde, Darin Erstad or Jason Michaels.

The roster features three pitchers who pitched at the Class A level last season, which is rare: left-hander Fernando Abad, Nevarez and Villar. Abad, who had three innings at Double-A Corpus Christi, was the only one of the three to pitch above Class A.

Abad, Nevarez and Villar and top prospects Jordan Lyles and Ross Seaton give the Astros plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

"We've got some pretty interesting arms on this roster," general manager Ed Wade said. "Some of these kids are fairly far away from being considered solid Major League guys from a time standpoint. From a quality standpoint, we're beginning to see a lot of quality beginning to show up on the 40-man roster and the group of guys below those that are not eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The kids that have gone on here [40-man roster], and Abad before this group, these kids have solid arms."

Here is the 40-man roster. Players eligible for arbitration are bolded:

PITCHERS (20)
Fernando Abad (L)
Alberto Arias
Yorman Bazardo
Tim Byrdak (L)
Jeff Fulchino
Sammy Gervacio
Brad James
Wilton Lopez
Brian Moehler
Bud Norris
Roy Oswalt
Felipe Paulino
Wandy Rodriguez (L)
Chris Sampson
Polin Trinidad (L)
Wesley Wright (L)
Jose Valdez
Evan Englebrook
Matt Nevarez
Henry Villar

CATCHERS (2)
Humberto Quintero
J.R. Towles

INFIELDERS (9)
Lance Berkman
Geoff Blum
Chris Johnson
Jeff Keppinger
Tommy Manzella
Kaz Matsui
Edwin Maysonet
Wladimir Sutil
Jose Vallejo

OUTFIELDERS (6)
Brian Bogusevic
Jason Bourgeouis
Michael Bourn
Carlos Lee
Hunter Pence
Yordany Ramirez

Baseball America released its list of the top 10 prospects from the Astros organization. I don't want to steal its content, but I will give you the list.
1. Jason Castro, C
2. Jiovanni Mier, SS
3. Jordan Lyles, RHP
4. Sammy Gervacio, RHP
5. Chia-Jen Lo, RHP
6. Ross Seaton, RHP
7. Tanner Bushue, RHP
8. Jason Austin, OF
9. Jon Gaston, OF
10. T.J. Steele, OF

The Astros must have their 40-man roster set by 11 p.m., which is why club officials spent most of this week in meetings at Minute Maid Park going over the roster. Astros manager Brad Mills sat in on the meetings, along with the front office and members of the player development staff. Owner Drayton McLane participated on Monday and Tuesday.

Several spots on the 40-man have been cleared with players filing for free agency, so the Astros have some wiggle room. Any players on the 40-man roster by the end of today are protected from being taken by other club's in next month's Rule 5 draft. The roster is at 33 (if I'm counting correctly) entering Friday and will likely be at 37 at the end of the day after they add some Minor Leaguers. That will leave a few spots open for free agents, though they could create more spots by non-tendering contracts to some players.

But what Minor Leaguers will they add?

Among the players up for consideration are outfielder Drew Locke, pitcher Sergio Perez and infielder/outfielder Koby Clemens, who led all of the Minor Leagues in RBIs last season. Clemens appears to be a man without a position and isn't likely to be added to the roster.

Generally, players drafted out of college have to be protected after their third full season in baseball, which means those taken in the 2006 draft. High school players have an extra year, meaning high school players drafted in 2005 are eligible for the Rule 5 draft for the first time.

The Astros can add these players to the 40-man roster, put them on the Triple-A roster, Double-A roster or Class A roster. Anyone on the Triple-A roster can be drafted in the Rule 5 draft and have to stay on the Major League roster for the entire season or be sent through waivers and offered back to the original club for half the waiver price. Players on the Double-A roster can be drafted in the Triple-A portion of the draft and be placed anywhere in the system.

Last year, the Astros selected Locke in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 draft from the Los Angeles Dodgers after he hit .311 with 11 homers and 85 RBIs at Class A Inland Empire. What a find. Locke hit .338 with 20 homers and 109 RBIs at Double-A Corpus Christi last season.

Clemens hit .345 with 22 homers and 121 RBIs and a .419 on-base percentage in hitter-friendly Lancaster and has been tinkering with playing first base. Perez was 11-11 with a 4.68 ERA in 27 starts at Corpus Christi.

Other first-time eligible players for the Rule 5 draft include:  right-handers Bryan Hallberg (Lancaster) and Casey Hudspeth (Lancaster/Corpus Christi), left-hander Chris Salamida (Lancaster), outfielder Jimmy Van Ostrand (Corpus Christi) and outfielder Nick Moresi (Corpus Christi).

Left-hander Fernando Abad and infielder Wladimir Sutil were added to the 40-man earlier this month.

Beginning Friday, the Astros and other teams can open their wallets and start signing free agents. Based on my recent conversations with owner Drayton McLane and general manager Ed Wade -- particularly McLane -- it doesn't appear the Astros will be opening their wallets very far. That depends on how you look at it.

The Astros still figure to have a very competitive payroll, but they are in a tight spot. Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt and Kaz Matsui will make a combined $54.5 million next year, and Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn and Wandy Rodriguez are going to get large raises in arbitration. The Astros say they can't sustain the record $107 million payroll they had last season, but bringing back all the players already under contract could bring it already into the $80 million range.

Add LaTroy Hawkins (let's say at $5 million) and you're sitting at about $85 million. That leaves a little wiggle room. Add Jose Valverde ($12 million?) and you're tapped out. Neither McLane nor Wade willl say exactly what the payroll will be, but if I was forced to guess I would say in the mid-$90 million range. As you can see, that doesn't leave much room to take any additional contracts.

So, what are the Astros' needs? A starting pitcher. A back-of-the-bullpen reliever? A right-handed hitting third baseman? Wade seems to think a reliever is the biggest concern. There's no doubt they need a solid starting pitcher, but this takes us back to economics. A solid starting pitcher to plug into the No. 3 spot in the rotation probably isn't affordable.

Wade said Wednesday he and his staff have made contact with dozens of available players. He said the Astros will be aggressive, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will be dishing out a lot of offers.

Here's a list of available free agents as compiled by mlbtraderumors.com (age is in parenthesis):

Catchers
Eliezer Alfonzo (31)
Brad Ausmus (41)
Paul Bako (38)
Rod Barajas (34) - Type B
Josh Bard (32)
Michael Barrett (33)
Henry Blanco (38)
Ramon Castro (34)
Chris Coste (37)
Sal Fasano (38)
Toby Hall (34)
Jason Kendall (36) - Type B
Jason LaRue (36)
Chad Moeller (35)
Bengie Molina (35) - Type A
Jose Molina (35)
Miguel Olivo (31) - Type B
Mike Redmond (39)
Ivan Rodriguez (38) - Type B
Brian Schneider (33)
Yorvit Torrealba (31) - Type B
Matt Treanor (34)
Javier Valentin (34)
Vance Wilson (37)
Gregg Zaun (39) - Type B

First basemen
Rich Aurilia (38)
Jeff Bailey (31)
Hank Blalock (29)
Russell Branyan (34)
Miguel Cairo (36)
Frank Catalanotto (36)
Tony Clark (38)
Carlos Delgado (38) - Type B
Nomar Garciaparra (36)
Ross Gload (34)
Eric Hinske (32)
Nick Johnson (31) - Type B
Adam LaRoche (30) - Type B
Doug Mientkiewicz (36)
Kevin Millar (38)
Fernando Tatis (35) - Type B
Chad Tracy (30)
Daryle Ward (35)
Dmitri Young (36)

Second basemen
Ronnie Belliard (35) - Type B
Jamey Carroll (36)
Alex Cora (34)
Craig Counsell (39)
Mark DeRosa (35) - Type B
Nick Green (31)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (34)
Orlando Hudson (32) - Type A
Adam Kennedy (34)
Felipe Lopez (30) - Type B
Mark Loretta (38)
Pablo Ozuna (35)
Placido Polanco (34) - Type A
Luis Rodriguez (30)
Juan Uribe (31)

Shortstops
Eric Bruntlett (32)
Orlando Cabrera (35) - Type A, can't be offered arbitration
Juan Castro (38)
Alex Cora (34)
Craig Counsell (39)
Bobby Crosby (30)
Adam Everett (33)
Chris Gomez (39)
Alex Gonzalez (32)
Nick Green (31)
Khalil Greene (30)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (34)
John McDonald (35)
Luis Rodriguez (30)
Marco Scutaro (34) - Type A
Miguel Tejada (36) - Type A
Wilson Valdez (32)
Omar Vizquel (43)

Third basemen
Rich Aurilia (38)
Brian Barden (29)
Adrian Beltre (31) - Type B
Aaron Boone (37)
Craig Counsell (39)
Joe Crede (32)
Bobby Crosby (30)
Mark DeRosa (35) - Type B
Pedro Feliz (35)
Chone Figgins (32) - Type A
Nomar Garciaparra (36)
Troy Glaus (33) - Type B
Adam Kennedy (34)
Mike Lamb (34)
Mark Loretta (38)
Melvin Mora (38) - Type B
Pablo Ozuna (35)
Robb Quinlan (33)
Miguel Tejada (36) - Type A
Juan Uribe (31)

Left fielders
Garret Anderson (38) - Type B
Marlon Anderson (36)
Jason Bay (31) - Type A
Emil Brown (35)
Marlon Byrd (32) - Type B
Johnny Damon (36) - Type A
David Dellucci (36)
Cliff Floyd (37)
Joey Gathright (28)
Matt Holliday (30) - Type A
Reed Johnson (33)
Greg Norton (37)
Wily Mo Pena (28)
Dave Roberts (38)
Gary Sheffield (41)
Fernando Tatis (35) - Type B
Marcus Thames (33)
Randy Winn (36) - Type B

Center fielders
Rick Ankiel (30)
Rocco Baldelli (28)
Marlon Byrd (32) - Type B
Mike Cameron (37) - Type B
Endy Chavez (32)
Coco Crisp (30)
Darin Erstad (36)
Jeff Fiorentino (27)
Ryan Freel (34)
Joey Gathright (28)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (34)
Reed Johnson (33)
Andruw Jones (33)
Corey Patterson (30)
Scott Podsednik (34)
DeWayne Wise (32)

Right fielders
Jermaine Dye (36) - Type A
Brian Giles (39) - Type B
Vladimir Guerrero (35) - Type B
Joey Gathright (28)
Eric Hinske (32)
Geoff Jenkins (35)
Austin Kearns (30)
Jason Michaels (34)
Xavier Nady (31) - Type B
Randy Winn (36) - Type B

Starting pitchers
Brandon Backe (32)
Cha Seung Baek (30)
Miguel Batista (39)
Erik Bedard (31) - Type B
Kris Benson (34)
Paul Byrd (39)
Daniel Cabrera (29)
Chris Capuano (31)
Aroldis Chapman (22)
Bartolo Colon (37)
Jose Contreras (38)
Doug Davis (34) - Type B
Lenny DiNardo (30)
Justin Duchscherer (32) - Type B
Adam Eaton (32)
Shawn Estes (37)
Josh Fogg (33)
Jon Garland (30) - Type B
Tom Glavine (44)
Mike Hampton (37)
Rich Harden (28) - Type B
Mark Hendrickson (36)
Livan Hernandez (35)
Rich Hill (30)
Shawn Hill (29)
Jason Jennings (31)
Jason Johnson (36)
Randy Johnson (46) - Type B
John Lackey (31) - Type A
Braden Looper (35) - Type B
Rodrigo Lopez (34)
Noah Lowry (29)
Jason Marquis (31) - Type B
Pedro Martinez (38)
Eric Milton (34)
Brett Myers (29)
Vicente Padilla (32) - Type B
Carl Pavano (34) - Type B
Brad Penny (32)
Odalis Perez (33)
Andy Pettitte (38) - Type B
Joel Pineiro (31) - Type B
Sidney Ponson (33)
Mark Prior (28)
Horacio Ramirez (30)
Jason Schmidt (37)
Ben Sheets (31)
John Smoltz (43)
Brad Thompson (28)
Brett Tomko (37)
Jarrod Washburn (35)
Todd Wellemeyer (31)
Kip Wells (33)
Randy Wolf (33) - Type A

Closers
Mike Gonzalez (32) - Type A
Kevin Gregg (32) - Type A
Fernando Rodney (33) - Type B
Rafael Soriano (30) - Type A
Jose Valverde (32) - Type A
Billy Wagner (38) - Type A

Right-handed relievers
Luis Ayala (32)
Danys Baez (32)
Joaquin Benoit (32)
Rafael Betancourt (35) - Type A
Chad Bradford (35)
Doug Brocail (43) - Type B
Kiko Calero (35) - Type B
Buddy Carlyle (32)
Chad Cordero (28)
Elmer Dessens (38)
R.A. Dickey (35)
Brendan Donnelly (38)
Octavio Dotel (36) - Type A
Kelvim Escobar (33)
Eric Gagne (34)
Geoff Geary (33)
Dan Giese (33)
Edgar Gonzalez (27)
Tom Gordon (42)
Jason Grilli (33)
LaTroy Hawkins (37) - Type A
Matt Herges (40)
Bob Howry (36) - Type B
Jason Isringhausen (37)
Jorge Julio (31)
Masahide Kobayashi (36)
Shane Loux (30)
Brandon Lyon (30) - Type B
Gary Majewski (30)
Guillermo Mota (36) - Type B
Joe Nelson (35)
Chan Ho Park (37) - Type B
Tomo Ohka (34)
Tony Pena Jr. (29)
Joel Peralta (34)
Troy Percival (40)
J.J. Putz (33)
Juan Rincon (31)
Takashi Saito (40)
Duaner Sanchez (30)
Rudy Seanez (41)
Justin Speier (36)
Russ Springer (41) - Type B
Julian Tavarez (37)
Brad Thompson (28)
Luis Vizcaino (35)
Tyler Walker (34)
David Weathers (40) - Type B
Jeff Weaver (33)
Jamey Wright (35)
Yasuhiko Yabuta (37)
Tyler Yates (32)

Left-handed relievers
Joe Beimel (32) - Type B
Bruce Chen (33)
Alan Embree (40)
Scott Eyre (38) - Type B
Casey Fossum (32)
Mike Gosling (29)
John Grabow (31) - Type A
Eddie Guardado (39)
Mark Hendrickson (36)
Ron Mahay (39)
Will Ohman (31) - Type B
Darren Oliver (39) - Type A
Horacio Ramirez (30)
Glendon Rusch (35)
Scott Schoeneweis (36)
Brian Shouse (41) - Type B
Ken Takahashi (41)
Jack Taschner (32)
Ron Villone (40)
Jamie Walker (38)

Astros general manager Ed Wade has spent most of his time this week at the club's player development scouting summit at Minute Maid Park, where scouts and others in the player developmental side talk for a few days about scouting philosophy and the 40-man roster, etc.

Astros manager Brad Mills has been in town all week and has been sitting in on the meetings during the day, while he and his wife, Ronda, tour Houston in the evenings to get a better idea of the area and try to find a place to live.

"It's about how we can improve and get better and about our Minor League kids and so forth," Mills said. "It's good time for me to learn about them and learn about the organization and learn about some of the kids we have in the Minor Leagues."

Wade said Mills also visited early Tuesday with catcher Humberto Quintero and pitcher Felipe Paulino, who have been showing up at 7 a.m. at Minute Maid to work out. Mills has met several players face-to-face in the past week, and says he likes the team's core.

"I'm thrilled to death with the guys we have in place in right now," Mills said. "I don't just say that flippantly. We definitely have some really big pieces to this puzzle, and that's fun."

Here are some key upcoming dates:

Friday -- 40-man rosters set.

Dec. 1 -- Last day for former club to offer salary arbitration to receive compenstation.

Dec. 7 -- Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.

Dec. 7-10 -- Winter meetings, Indianapolis, Ind.

Dec. 10 -- Rule 5 Draft.

Dec. 12 -- Last day for teams to tender 2010 contracts to unsigned players.

Brad Mills spent about two hours Saturday with Jeff Bagwell, Hunter Pence and Lance Berkman signing autographs and taking pictures with families who had pulled themselves out of homelessness. During that time, he did a handful of interviews and came off like the kind of guy you'd like to invite over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Whether Mills can manage a game or a bullpen remains to be seen, but at first glance the Astros have hired a personable and capable manager. He said he's reached to about 90 percent of the players, and on Saturday got some face time with Berkman and Pence. Trust me. Having Berkman in your corner is a pretty big deal in the clubhouse. And so is communication with the players. Just ask Cecil Cooper.

Mills is the fifth manager I will have covered during my time with the Astros -- Jimy Williams, Phil Garner, Cooper and Dave Clark. Williams, Garner and Clark were capable big-league managers, and Garner and Clark seemed to have the perfect personality with the media and the players to make it all work. That's important.

As for Cooper, you couldn't have found a friendlier guy during his first few months on the job. But things changed when Spring Training started last year and it took the Astros three weeks to win their second games. As the season progressed, Cooper's emotions went up and down with the standings, which is a mistake. A manager has be even-keeled, something Garner did perfectly.

Those who know Mills believe he's cut from the same cloth. He won't get too high or too low. At least, that's his reputation. He's never been a Major League manager before, so we don't know for sure. He's been on the job for a month and is still feeling his way around, but if first impressions are anything, the Astros have a gem. 

The Astros began last season with a team-record $107 payroll, but general manager Ed Wade said it will be cut for 2010. While Wade wouldn't say how much the payroll will go down, the Astros likely aren't going to be in position to re-sign both of their top two free agents - closer Jose Valverde and shortstop Miguel Tejada, whose future with the club would be at third base.

"I'm not going to get into that level of detail," Wade said when asked Thursday where the payroll would be. "It was under where it was a year ago. Our desire is to work a number of younger players into our mix and we have every intention of doing that. That will have an impact on the final number."

That could be good news for rookies Chris Johnson (third base), shortstop Tommy Manzella (shortstop) and Jason Castro (catcher), the former first-round pick who could be a front-line player for the next few years.

Astros general manager Ed Wade and several members of the front office spent a full day attending meetings Tuesday during the abbreviated General Mangers' Meetings in Chicago, which began Monday and will end Wednesday.

Wade said he is still in the exploratory process of putting the 2010 club together and has had initial conversations with other club about their wants and needs. Activity at the GM Meetings will set the stage for the Winter Meetings next month in Indianapolis.

"We've had meetings all day today and also had the opportunity to sit and talk to other clubs, just trying to assess each other's needs and whether there will be future discussions to be had down the road with regard to trades," Wade said. "It's been pretty much routine at this point."

Wade said he has a "pretty good idea" at what level the payroll will be set next year, but he hasn't had a chance to firm things up because of his hectic schedule since the end of the regular season, a schedule that has included a lengthy managerial search.

"We'll have some more internal meetings when we're all in the same city at the same time," Wade said. "With the manager search, the trip to the [Arizona] Fall League and this trip, we've had little chance to sit down and have those discussions. We have a pretty fair idea at this point in time and we'll bring it into greater clarity in the next week or so."

When asked if the Astros were in position to add an impact player in the offseason, Wade wouldn't give specifics. But I think it's safe to say not to expect the Astros to make a run at a high-dollar pitcher like John Lackey.

"The definition of impact player, I struggle with that," Wade said. "We're going to do what we can to try to improve the ballclub. Without playing labels or trying to fit guys into categories, I think if there's an opportunity to do something from a standpoint of free agency or trade, we'll try to make the best decisions."

The Astros shut Jason Castro down on Sunday after a long 2009 season. Castro remains on target to help the Astros at some point next year, but it's likely the Astros will have to sign a veteran catcher to help bridge the gap. Kind of like last year when they signed Toby Hall, who was injured, and then signed Ivan Rodriguez later in the spring.

My colleague who covers the Rangers, T.R. Sullivan, has compiled a nice list of available free agents with some comments. Here are the catchers who could be out there. Maybe one of these guys will be wearing an Astros uniform in March? (excuse if some of these guys have already had options picked up/declined)

Catchers
Bengie Molina - He is 35 but top catcher on the market.
Miguel Olivo - Royals have option on him but may look elsewhere
Yorvit Torrealba - Rockies hold an expensive option.
Ramon Hernandez - Watch to see if Reds decline option. Could be re-sign at lower price.
Brad Ausmus - He is 40. But did hit .295.
Ivan Rodriguez - He wants a two-year deal. Rangers unlikely to go that route.
Jason Kendall - He's 35, wants to return to the Brewers.
Rod Barajas - The Jays will make an attempt to re-sign him.
Jose Molina - Probably stays with the Yankees as a caddy for Posada.
Gregg Zaun - Rays hold option on veteran part-time switch-hitter.
Brian Schnieder - Apparently won't be back with Mets.
Paul Bako - Strictly a mediocre backup.
Jason LaRue - Ditto
Chad Moeller - Ditto, might return to Orioles
Ramon Castro - Backup catcher. White Sox don't want him.
Henry Blanco - Nice backup catcher but is 38.
Mike Redmond - 38 and Twins career likely over

The free agent filing period began Thursday, with outfielder/infielder Darin Erstad, outfielder Jason Michaels and pitcher Mike Hampton filing for free agency. Shortstop Miguel Tejada, closer Jose Valverde and reliever LaTroy Hawkins are expected to file in the coming days.

The Astros have a 15-day exclusive negotiating window with their own free agents and are hoping to get something done soon with Hawkins. Tejada and Valverde will certainly test the free agency waters.

Tejada, Valverde and Hawkins have been classified by the Elias Sports Bureau as Type A free agents, which means simply they are among the best in baseball at their positions. It also means the Astros could receive an additional first-round draft pick next year if they offer them arbitration and they wind up signing with another team.

Of course, offering arbitration is tricky. Tejada made roughly $15 million last season, so if they offer him arbitration and he accepts, he could wind up making a ton of money after leading the team in hits and driving in 86 runs. But if they don't offer Tejada arbitration and he signs elsewhere, they get nothing.

The same is true with Valverde, who made $8 million last year and is likely headed for a raise. If the Astros offered arbitration to both Valverde and Tejada and they both accept, they could make a combined $25 million next year. That would put a choke hold on the payroll. Houston already owes Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee and Kaz Matsui a combined $54.5 million next year, and several players are due for large raises in arbitration.

"We have to keep our eye on both balls," Astros general manager Ed Wade said. "We have to pay attention to the short term, and if there's a free agent out there we feel we can't walk past and is costs us a draft pick then we have to deal with that. At the same time, there's nothing more valuable to the overall long-term picture than draft picks.

"Whether it's sacrificing draft picks or picking up additional draft picks by offering salary arbitration and run the risk of having the player accept, we have to evaluate the different variables involved. When it comes down to it, if there's a Major League free agent we think we can't live without and we have a chance to sign them and them are faced with losing a second-round pick in the process."

Elias ranks all Major League players numerically based on their stats from the last two years. The players are grouped by five positions by league - first base/outfield, catcher, second base-shortstop-third base, starting pitching and relief pitching. The top 20 percent at each position are considered Type A free agents, and the next 20 percent are Type B.

Teams that lose a Type A free agent receive the first-round draft pick from next year's First-Year Player Draft from the signing team (provided it's not in the Top 15) in addition to a supplemental pick between the first and second round. Teams losing a Type B free agent receive a supplemental pick, with the signing team keeping its draft choice.

The good news for the Astros is their pick in next June's First-Player Draft is in the first half of first round (No. 8), so they will keep their first-round pick even if they sign a Type A free agent. They would give up their second-round pick instead of their first-round pick in that case.

Teams have until Dec. 1 to offer salary arbitration to their own free agents, and the players have until Dec. 7 to decide if they're going to accept.

In case you're wondering, Randy Wolf is a Type A free agent.

Beginning today, players eligible for free agency can start filing. For the Astros, that list includes Darin Erstad, LaTroy Hawkins, Jason Michaels, Miguel Tejada and Jose Valverde, who has already said he's going to test the free-agent waters. Aaron Boone and Mike Hampton are also eligible, but Boone could retire and Hampton's career appears to be done.

Those eligible for free agency have 15 days to file and their former team has exclusive negotiating rights for that period. Players are free to talk to other teams, but they can't talk about contract offers in terms of dollars without risking tampering.

The Astros could sign either of their own free agents, just as they did last week with Geoff Blum. They're in talks with Hawkins and hope to re-sign him. Michaels could also return, but the big names are Tejada and Valverde. I see Valverde's price being too high for the Astros, and I don't envision Tejada returning. It all depends on what kind of market there is for Tejada and whether he wants to take a large pay cut and play third base.

Those looking at possible free agents for the Astros down the road? The Dodgers have declined the option of Jon Garland, who went a combined 11-13 with a 4.01 ERA between Arizona and the L.A. Dodgers. The Astros made a run at him a couple of years ago and could do so again.