Houston agreed to one-year contracts with RHP Roy Oswalt, RHP Wade Miller, and RHP Octavio Dotel on January 19th. Completing the deals then allowed the two sides to avoid exchanging arbitration salary figures the next day.

Oswalt signed for a salary of $3.25M and reportedly can earn another $100,000 if he reaches 200 IP in 2004. In October, Oswalt underwent surgery to address the groin problem that plagued him throughout the 2003 season. He had the sheath surrounding his groin muscle cut and hopes giving the muscle extra room to move will eliminate the troubles he experienced last year. The 26-year-old began throwing again early in January and expects to report to spring training ready to fully participate. If he's pain-free in 2004, Oswalt should rebound to his 2002 form without difficulty.

Miller signed a one-year, $3.4M contract. Like Oswalt, he will receive an additional $100,000 if he reaches 200 IP in 2004. Miller's walk rate has risen steadily for the last three seasons, but if the 27-year-old can halt that skill deterioration, he should remain an effective starter for the Astros, particularly if Houston maintains a solid defense as expected.

The Astros signed Dotel to a one-year, $2.8M contract. When Houston dealt LHP Billy Wagner to the Phillies in November, Dotel inherited the closing duties in the bullpen. Given Dotel's skills, the Astros shouldn't substantially miss Wagner. RHP Brad Lidge will step up to fill the primary setup role left vacant by the 30-year-old Dotel's promotion, so the end of Houston's pen will remain dominant.

RHP Dave Veres signed a minor league deal with the Astros in late January. He'll compete for a spot in the Astros' bullpen in spring training with the expectation that he'll make the team if healthy. Houston signed the 37-year-old to a minor league deal to avoid kicking someone off the 40-man roster before they were certain Veres would make the team. Veres suffered through shoulder tendinitis last season and underwent arthroscopic surgery following the season to address the issue. However, he began throwing in early January and should enter spring training ready to go. While his 2003 season generally was viewed as a disappointment, he's never posted a better walk rate. I think he should be an effective reliever for the Astros as long as the drop in his G-F ratio last season was a result of his shoulder problems and not the beginning of a trend. Houston may want to focus Veres' workload towards pitching against left-handed batters if he continues to display the reverse platoon split he's shown over the past two seasons.

Free agent OF-L Orlando Palmeiro agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract with Houston in mid-January. Palmeiro will take over as the Astros' utility outfielder following the departure of CR-L Orlando Merced as a free agent. The 35-year-old Palmeiro doesn't possess substantial speed or power skills, but he typically has displayed better plate discipline than Merced and should offer Houston more production at the plate as a pinch-hitter. I'm pleased to see the team signing a sensibly priced bench player for a change.

In order to make room for Palmeiro on their 40-man roster, Houston waived OF-L Colin Porter. Porter was then claimed off waivers by the Cardinals, Palmeiro's former club. The 28-year-old's underdeveloped plate discipline hurt him during his brief stints in the majors in 2003. However, he hit .320 with a .361 OPB and .511 SLG on 114 H, 23 2B, 6 3B, and 11 HR with a 22:80 BB:K and 22.28 SB% in 356 AB at AAA New Orleans in the Pacific Coast League last year. While New Orleans has a hitter-friendly park, Porter appears to possess decent speed and marginal power skills when he's able to make contact. The Cardinals' limited outfield depth should leave an opening for Porter to claim a job with St. Louis in Spring Training.

In November, St. Louis signed 2B-R Javier Colina, C-R Mike Mahoney, C-L Cody McKay, and CR-L Kevin Witt to minor league contracts. Colorado signed Colina as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 1997. The 24-year-old hit .278 with a .303 OBP and .487 SLG on 108 H, 26 2B, 2 3B, and 17 HR with a 13:59 K:BB and 7/7 SB% in 388 AB at AAA Colorado Springs in the PCL last season. If he makes a strong showing at AAA Memphis and injuries strike the St. Louis infield, Colina might receive a cup-of-coffee, but given his limited skills, I don't expect him to make a major impact.

Mahoney provides the Cardinals with an extra catcher at AAA in case of injury to their major league backstops, but the 31-year-old doesn't possess any extraordinary skills. McKay possesses limited power skills, though like Mahoney, the 30-year-old is merely a AAAA catcher.

Witt will compete for a place on the St. Louis bench in spring training after spending much of 2003 in the majors with Detroit. While the 28-year-old displayed solid power with the Tigers, he struggled when he grew more aggressive at the plate. Provided someone reminds him to remain patient, he could follow in the footsteps of IF-R Placido Polanco and CR-R Eduardo Perez, developing into a solid platoon player if not a full-time starter.