Astros acquired LHP Randy Wolf

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Astros acquired LHP Randy Wolf from the Padres for RHP Chad Reineke.
Wolf will take Roy Oswalt's rotation spot now and maybe Runelvys Hernandez's later. He was 6-10 with a 4.74 ERA for the Padres and 1-6 with a 6.63 ERA away from Petco Park.


The $2 million they're saving in dumping Wolf's contract might help the Padres more than Reineke ever will. Apparently, there weren't any other teams willing to overlook Wolf's home-road splits and give up a quality prospect for him, and this wasn't a case in which the Padres were likely to pick up a draft pick by holding on to him. Reineke, who was 5-9 with a 4.41 ERA for Triple-A Round Rock, likely will head to Portland.

 

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Diamondbacks acquired RHP Jon Rauch from the Nationals for 2B Emilio Bonifacio.

An outstanding pickup for Arizona's pen at a small cost. Rauch probably won't close initially, but he can be a fallback if Brandon Lyon continues to struggle. He'll upgrade the eighth inning and push Tony Pena and Chad Qualls back to the sixth and seventh innings. Theoretically, it gives the Diamondbacks one of the best setup corps in baseball. Bonifacio wasn't going to be the answer at second base next year if Orlando Hudson leaves, so it's no problem giving him up in this one, particularly with Rauch under control through 2010 ($2 million in 2009, $2.9 million option in 2010).




With Jon Rauch gone to Arizona, the Nationals could go to a closer-by-committee involving Joel Hanrahan, Luis Ayala and Saul Rivera.

Jesus Colome would also be an option, but he needs to be more consistent. Rivera is the Nationals' most reliable reliever, but he's probably best utilized in a multi-inning setup role, which is what he's been doing for a couple of years now. Don't be surprised to see Hanrahan get the first shot. He probably has the best stuff in the pen, and he's pitched pretty well since the beginning of May. He's wild, but he's the one person who could run away with the job.