When San Francisco signed 2B/3B-R Edgardo Alfonzo to a four-year, $26M contract last week, 2B-R Jeff Kent's departure seemed imminent but few suspected he'd wind up in Houston. However within a matter of days, the story emerged that the Astros were very interested in the second baseman and that Kent viewed Houston as a desirable landing spot.

Although he was born in California near LA, Kent resides on a ranch in Spicewood, Texas, and while Spicewood is a four hour drive from Houston, the Astros are the closest major league team. Kent also had a link to the Astros through Houston GM Gerry Hunsicker, as Hunsicker was an assistant GM with the Mets in 1992 when New York traded David Cone to Toronto for Kent and OF Ryan Thompson. Once the Astros' owner stood behind the deal, the process moved quickly and Kent signed with Houston on Wednesday.

Kent's desire to sign with the Astros is evident in the structure of his contract, a two-year, $18.2M deal that includes a $9M option with a $700,000 buyout for 2005. He'll only receive $1M of his $6M salary in 2003 with the remainder deferred until 2005. Of the $8.5M he'll earn in 2004, $5.5M will be deferred until 2006. Additionally, $1M of his $3M signing bonus won't be paid until 2004. Houston spent a handsome sum on him, but by agreeing to defer large portions of his salary, he provided them with the flexibility to fit him into their payroll.

While sharing a lineup with OF-L Barry Bonds inflated Kent's numbers, the move from pitcher-friendly Pac Bell to Minute Maid field should more than compensate. The dampening effect of his former home field is evident in his home/road splits. Kent stands to gain 10-20 points of BA and OBP in addition to 100 points of SLG.

My first instinct was that the Astros would play Kent at third base. However, they're currently planning on moving 2B-R Craig Biggio to centerfield, so that Kent can take over at second. If Biggio struggles with the transition to the outfield, he could move to left and OF-S Lance Berkman could resume patrolling center. Although I'm not certain I agree with this arrangement, I think that acquiring Kent provides them with an offensive boost more than worth the positional headaches.

I fully expect the Astros to pick up his option, as Kent should retain his value over the next couple years, and provided he remains healthy, this contract likely won't be the 34-year-old's last. While Kent has said that he's open to a position change, a move to third now would almost certainly wound the case he's building for the Hall of Fame. Currently the power numbers he's put up as a second baseman are his biggest cards. I believe the possibility of earning a place in the Hall of Fame will provide him with additional incentive to remain active, despite his reputation as a player not overly interested in individual achievement.

Kent missed his World Series ring this past season by a narrow margin, and if he'd remained with the Giants he very well could have had another opportunity at that piece of jewelry in 2003. Nevertheless, I don't think he's significantly hurt his chances at a ring by signing with the Astros, as they could easily challenge for a World Series title during his contract.

Meanwhile, the Giants are pleased with the direction they've taken the club this off-season. Alfonzo will have salaries of $3M in 2003, $5.5M in 2004, $6.5M in 2005, and $7M in 2006. He also received a $4M signing bonus that will be paid out in $1M increments once each year of the contract. As Kent was earning $6M a year, Alfonzo will cost the Giants less for the first couple seasons and is almost six years younger than his former teammate.

Kent and Alfonzo played together on the Mets in 1995 and 1996. Alfonzo joined the Mets organization a year before Kent, signing with New York as a nondrafted free agent out of Venezuela in 1991. However, Alfonzo didn't make his major league debut until April 26, 1995.

Even with Kent gone, I believe Alfonzo will cover third for the Giants, as they'll leave 2B-S Ray Durham at second and add an outfielder. However if they fail to find an outfielder, they may move Durham to center and have Alfonzo play second, covering third with an amalgam of infielders.

I thought Alfonzo was one of the most alluring free agents on the market and signing with the Giants adds to his potential. Alfonzo offers less power than Kent and has experienced some health problems over the past few years. Fortunately, after employing a more vigorous off-season regime last year, he was able to avoid the serious injury problems he's experienced in the past. I don't expect his power to really increase over the course of the contract, but with his already excellent plate discipline, his BA and OBP should jump considerably due to hitting in the same lineup as Bonds. Additionally, at 29, Alfonzo should be able to maintain a fairly steady level of production throughout the contract.

San Francisco remains short a replacement for OF-R Reggie Sanders, but they've effectively covered the departures of IF-R David Bell and Kent. As I mentioned above, I still expect the Giants to acquire another outfielder. Although San Francisco has dealt the more appealing of their available starting pitchers, the Giants would still like to trade RHP Livan Hernandez. Since San Francisco picked up LHP Damian Moss in the RHP Russ Ortiz trade the Giants failed to open up a rotation spot in that deal. Hopefully, they won't make the mistake of dealing RHP Kurt Ainsworth for the needed outfielder.