So this morning, trawling through mlbtraderumors I see that Jeff Luhnow has basically stated that Wandy Rodriguez is an important part of the Astros future plans, and will likely stay with the club for 2012, either to Stephen Goff directly, or to the general media. But is that what he actually said?
↵↵↵"Wandy's got value to us," Luhnow said. "There's no question about it. Right now, I look at our roster, and he's an important piece of it. There's no reason to think about this team without him. He's not only been an Astro, but he knows the guys here. He knows the staff. He's going to win some ballgames for the club.
↵
Hmmm....and:
↵↵↵"At this point, he's definitely an important part of our plan."
↵
At this point in time Rodriguez is going to start the year as an Astro. Nailed on. When even the biggest teams cannot find payroll space for Roy Oswalt, there is no reason to believe there is a market for Rodriguez. That is not to rule out a market developing for him at the non-waiver trade deadline in July. To say that he is 'likely' to stay with the Astros for the entirety of 2012 speaks of a knowledge of what teams may or may not offer for him in July.
↵Think about it.