The Astros, apparently on a one player per day basis, are resolving some of their arbitration disputes for the upcoming season. Today, they took care of pitcher Nelson Figueroa, giving him $900,000 to pitch for the Astros next year.
Figueroa, who will be 37 in May, was arbitration eligible for the first time. He’s one of baseball’s sadder stories: a swingman who never got the opportunity he probably deserved when he was younger. He kept putting up solid MLB numbers when given chances, but no team would commit to him as a MLB guy.
Rescued off the scrapheap by the Mets in 2008, he fits in well with yesterday’s re-signing of Humberto Quintero. He has some skill, but he’s older and probably has no long-term role on the next contending Astros club. Nevertheless, Ed Wade’s drumbeat continues on.
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