Jerome Williams signing official; Brett Wallace DFA’d

My heart sank in sadness when I read that the 40-man roster casualty was projected starting first baseman Brett Wallace, who was designated for assignment Thursday.

The Astros finalized their deal with hybrid pitcher Jerome Williams for 1-year and $2.1 million dollars with another potential million in incentives.

Brett Wallace, acquired from Toronto in a flip for Anthony Gose after the blockbuster trade centered around Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in 2010. Previously in 2009 Wallace was sent from St. Louis to Oakland in a big trade involving Matt Holliday.

After being selected 13th overall in 2008, Wallace’s career has traveled across the country as well as the diamond. The Astros tried Wallace at third and first base, even experimenting with him at shortstop in minor league games.

Wallace will have to pass through waivers to return to the Astros, which is highly unlikely. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers are among teams searching for a first baseman and the trade market isn’t responding well, with the asking prices of Mitch Moreland and Ike Davis from Texas and New York respectively coming in too high.

The vacancy at first base is still waiting for Jonathan Singleton, but in the meantime Chris Carter and Jesus Guzman should see more time at the corner infield spot. The domino effect also could open up more at bats at designated hitter for Jason Castro and his knees.