Astros trade catcher Rodriguez to Rangers

[IE]

Although the Astros aren't ready to confirm the deal, they have agreed to trade Ivan Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers, sending the 14-time All-Star catcher back to where his career began in 1991.

"We are not in a position of making any comments about Pudge Rodriguez at this time," Astros general manager Ed Wade said in a text to the Chronicle.

Rodriguez, the all-time leader in games caught and hits by a catcher, was hitting .251 over 93 games with the Astros. The Rangers and Astros have been in deep trade talks about Rodriguez since the weekend.

Rodriguez played with the Rangers from 1991 through the 2002 season before signing with the Florida Marlins. Astros owner Drayton McLane could not be reached for comment.

 

[IE]

Rangers trade for catcher Pudge Rodriguez

Dallas Morning News --

The best catcher in the history of the franchise and one of the top in the history of the game is coming back to the Rangers. Sources have confirmed that the Rangers completed a trade Tuesday morning with Houston for Ivan Rodriguez for two minor-leaguers.

Rodriguez was the catcher the last time the Rangers went to the playoffs in 1999. They enter play today with a one-game lead in the wild-card standings. They also have some uncertainty behind the plate.

A source said Rodriguez will serve as the backup for Taylor Teagarden, who has assumed the starting duties with Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the disabled list. Saltalamacchia was placed on the DL on Saturday with arm fatigue and was told today by vascular specialist Dr. Greg Pearl that he has thoracic outlet syndrome.

Saltalamacchia, though, said that he will stretch and rehab the arm over the next few weeks and was told that he could play again this season.

"I'm going to play through it, and hopefully it goes away," Saltalamacchia said. "He [Pearl] thinks that if I stretch it out and do the rehab, there's a chance I can overcome it.

"I don't want my season to end. We're in the hunt, and I want to help out as much as I can."

The Rangers, though, added catching help in Rodriguez, who played for the Rangers from 1991 to 2002. He won 10 Gold Gloves and was the American League MVP in 1999. The Rangers won the AL West title with him behind the plate in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Astros in March after starring for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. The Rangers are responsible for a prorated portion of the contract, which includes $1.5 million in incentives.

Rodriguez is hitting .251 with eight homers and 34 RBI in 327 at-bats.

 

[kegray1]

Smart move for the Astros as they are going nowhere this year and the farm system is bare.
I am sure they are not getting much in return for Pudge but he is of little use to them and any prospect as limited as they may be is helpful.
Astro trades in the past for guys such as Beltran and Tejada have really drained the system.