Astros Send Lindstrom to the Rockies

Houston fans received a reassuring Christmas present this Christmas Eve. Today, the Astros announced they’ve agreed to trade Matt Lindstrom to Colorado for minor-league pitchers Jonnathan Aristil and Wes Musick. In Lindstrom’s only year as an Astro he made 58 appearances and threw a total of 53.1 innings. He had an ERA and ERA+ of 4.39 and 89, respectively. Lindstrom also led the team in saves in 2010 with 23. The right-hander is certainly durable as he’s averaged 62 appearances in his 4 seasons. However, his ERA over the past 2 is 5.10. Bullpen depth is probably the Astros biggest strength going into 2011 so this trade makes perfect sense. And it’s never hurt anyone to get two more young arms into their organization.

Jonnathan Aristil has the ability to miss bats as he struck out 8.9 batters per 9 innings between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. However, when he wasn’t missing bats, he was usually missing the strikeouts. The 23-yr old right-handed reliever walked 5.1 batters per 9.

Houston brass is actually pretty familiar with Wes Musick. The Astros were the first professional team to draft Musick back in 2005. Unfortunately, yet understandably, he wasn’t happy as a 46th round selection. In 2009, the Rockies took Musick in the 9th. He signed. This past season, Musick made 23 starts and pitched 122.1 innings for Single-A Asheville. He compiled a 4.05 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and an impressive 4.19 SO:BB ratio as he struck out 109 batters. However, at 23, he was older than most his competition. In any case, a talented left-handed starter is always a good commodity.