Jason Jennings is done for the year, according to the Astros' offical website.  Jennings has sustained damange to his pitching elbow and will undergo surgery in order to repair the damage.  He hopes to return sometime next year.

This was a bad trade from the get go and one that the Astros surely regret now.

It's also exposed two things about the Astros, which should have been taken in mind:

1. The Misguided Concept Of Being In Contention.  The Astros fogired  that they would be able to contend again this year, after seeing the losses sustained by St. Louis.  They did, however, ignore the improvements of both Milwaukee and Chicago and maybe were counting on one last little bit of magic to make the run at the end of the year.  They also felt a bit too much faith in their current club, which had holes as of last semester and many of them went untouched in the Astros' attempt to rebuild themselves.
2. The Misakes In Evaluating Talent And Improvements.  The Astros also failed to properly assess their own in house supply of talent.  The Astros didn't have the confidence in Andy Pettitte's elbow to hold up and they also didn't value Hirsh highly enough to actually give him a shot in the rotation.  They also pinned a great deal of hopes and dreams on Jason Lane and Morgan Ensberg regaining their All-Star forms of 2005, which is rapidly looking to be an anomoly instead of a breakout.

This only adds the icing to the cake of the disaster that is the 2007 Astros season.

The team has virtually self destructed.  The bullpen, once a strength, is now visably weakened, despite the re-emergence of Brad Lidge.  The lineup, despite the additions of Lee and Pence, hasn't produced much, with Chris Burke's, Brad Ausmus', Adam Everett's and Craig Biggio's amenic bats contributing to a low of the problem.

Hirsh was developed into what Jennings once was, Taveras has established himself as the Rockies' everyday centerfielder and is having a breakout year.  Buchholz has been serviceable as a swingman and will likely succeed in that role.

In exchange, the Astros have not only lost a set of valuable players in exchange for a bill of false goods, they've also lost their draft picks thanks to the Lee and Williams signings and weren't even able to sign their top two draft picks.  This doesn't supply any talent to an already taxed farm system that is devoid of almost any impact talent whatsoever.

I though that Tim Purpura was a smart man and was willing to give him a shot.  Maybe the GM of the team knew more about his own players than I did and he was selling high on a set of questioanble group.

Nearly six months later, this trade stacks up against time.

Enjoy your money, Jennings.

H Town will be happy to see you pack.

For the past three seasons, the Houston Astros have ruled the National League Central and have represented the National League in the World Series in each of those past three years. 

And now, well, both teams are currently occupying the cellar in the National League Central.

Such a collapse was inevitable, perhaps even predictable, when you see how both teams have fallen flat on their faces for much of the year.

What was the root cause of the collapses?

The reasons are many, but here are the three root causes,,,

1. The Improvement Of The National League Central.  Many of the analysts will state that the NL Central is the weakest of the six divisions.  However, consider the fact that the Brewers, the Pirates, and the Reds have all improved while the Cubs, who have also been down as of late, have begun to rebound after their down period.  Both teams found themsleves unable to dominate their compition as they once could and soon
2. The Loss Of Talent In The Farm System.  Both teams have sacrificed a lot of talent to sustain their winning streaks.  The Cardinals have traded away the likes of Dan Haren, Daric Barton, Kiki Calero, and other valuable prospects to acquire Mark Mulder, Jeff Weaver, and others to bolster the main club.  The Astros have been even worse, surrendering John Buck, Octavio Dotel, Jason Hirsh, Wily Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist for expensive one year rentals of Carlos Beltran, Jason Jennings, and Aubrey Huff, respectively.  The result has been the depletion of their respective systems and no impact talent left in the upper minors to draw upon when veterens are struggling or are ineffective, or even to make more trades.  Neither team's situation is going to get better when you consider the draft pick compensation that has been lost due to the next reason..
3. Questionable Free Agent Signings.  Both teams have also let players go because of various reasons that are looking more and more terrible as time passes.  The Astros have allowed Andy Pettitte, a horse in their rotation, to leave to the Yankees.  They brought in Woody Williams and Preston Wilson, both of whom were or currently are performing badly for H-Town.  As for the Cardinals, they allowed most of their rotation to depart via free agency, such as Jeff Suppan, Jason Marquis, and others, for fear of paying too much to retain them.  That arguement looks even worse when you consider the fact that not only are Suppan and Marquis, but that both are doing it for division rivals.

Can both franchises pull themsevles out of a rut?  It's possible, considering that both teams are littered with players that are underachieving.  But the more time that's passing, the more and more it looks unlikely that it's going to happen.

Didn't intend to post again today, but I had to comment on the  Royal Screwing the Rockies just gave the Houston Astros.

Let's Go Into The deal, shall we?

Houston Side Of The Deal

The Astros are clearly a team that's determined to win it all now and damn the consequences.

Jennings is a nice pitcher and he's a local boy.  But he's also one year away from Free Agency and clearly isn't going to be cheap to re-sign.  Jennings has also had some health issues and should they rear their ugly head again, the Astros will be left in a worst spot than before. 

The other pitcher obtained in the trade, Miguel Asencio,  could develop into a decent middle-inning reliever, but he's a risk to be a bust due to multiple surgeries on his right elbow.

This trade also hurts the Astros in the future.  Hirsh had the potential to become a solid middle of the rotation pitcher, possibly being Number Two behind Oswalt, while Buchholz could have been a solid Number Four.  Chris Burke was likely going to take over second base after Craig Biggio retired.  Instead, Burke will have to become the centerfielder, meaning the Astros will have to find a second baseman outside of the organzation.

This deal may look differently if the Astros return to the World Series, or if Jennings is signed to an extension, but at this moment, this deal looks like a royal screwing, almost as bad as the one the Nationals pulled on the Reds last season.

Astro Grade:  D

Colorado Side Of The Deal

In exchange for Jennings, whom the Rockies would not have been able to sign, Colorado fill multiple needs in a single move.

Hirsh and Buchholz, two of the Astros' top pitching prospects, will slide in and take the spots of Jennings and Josh Fogg.  Taveras fills the hole left in centerfield and will serve as the leadoff man.  Best of all, all of these players fall under the coveted 0-3 label, meaning they will be cheap dates for years to come.

In one single move, the Rockies are now a much better team.

Thanks Houston.

Rockie Grade:  A