Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse is reporting that the Astros are looking to deal infielder Jeff Keppinger and RP Matt Lindstrom as a way to keep costs low.
There aren’t many good infielders left on the market, and the ones that have been out there, like Juan Uribe, have managed to find themselves massively overpaid. There may be a market for Keppinger’s services. I’m not quite sure who the Astros would turn second base over to in that case: perhaps Angel Sanchez. This is, of course, assuming that Clint Barmes is penciled into shortstop. While the Astros don’t have much of a fallback plan, they’d have to consider dealing Keppinger if they could take advantage of the marketplace.
Lindstrom, 31 before the season, is now two seasons removed from his last shutdown season. While he may fetch something in a trade, it’s unlikely to be much. He managed an unflattering 1.60 WHIP last year and was removed as closer mid-season in favor of Brandon Lyon.
EDIT: Per Troy Renck of The Denver Post, the Rockies are in on Lindstrom. Maybe they can give the Astros Feilpe Paulino?