Astros add Cruz, Santana & Wojciechowski to 40-man roster

The Astros finally announced their roster additions in conjunction with the Rule 5 deadline. Left-hander Luis Cruz, outfielder Domingo Santana, and righty Asher Wojciechowski have been added to the 40-man, bringing the total number of players on the roster to 37.

Along with most Astros fans, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper was starting to get a little impatient.

Moments later, Cooper broke the news.

Santana and Wojo were pretty much no-brainers. Then, things got a little dicey. The Astros elected to protect Cruz while leaving righties Jake Buchanan, Bobby Doran, and Matt Heidenreich unprotected. Other players that may have been considered but were left off the roster include lefty Colton Cain, outfielder Austin Wates, and catcher Carlos Perez.

Some think Perez may be an option for a team like the Miami Marlins.

Astros Assistant G.M. David Stearns discussed the process with Brian McTaggart.

"We had to make some very difficult decisions. More than anything, we’re excited to add the three guys we added. We think they’re going to be Astros for a long time.The three roster spots gives us some flexibility through the offseason to allow us to maintain the players we currently have on the roster and acquire others through trades or signing or by any other method. That’s part of our strategy: to leave yourself with roster flexibility."

The Rule 5 draft will take place on December 12. Once again, the Astros will have the first overall pick. Now it’s time to start looking at who’s available and who we think the Astros might want to select. Stay tuned!