There will be--or so I have heard--a large number of free agents available this winter, and so we might hope that the Astros will take advantage of that abundance in addition to whatever forays they make in the trade market.

As far as trades might be concerned, it's a bit too early, I think, to write anything formal in the way of Hot Stove trade proposals (wait until after the playoffs are over), but it's worth noting that Gerry Hunsicker is deep in MLB organizational meetings right about now, the kind in which you say, "Hi, how are ya?" to your front-office neighbors on other clubs, just to establish a basis, perhaps, for later, more serious talks. It's also worth noting that Billy Wagner's season-ending comments about Drayton McLane's reluctance to spend money for pitching help last offseason and at midseason this year has occasioned some of the earliest Hot Stove conversations in regard to him that I can recall in quite a while.

Like a lot fans, it appears to me, too, that a trade of Wagner to the Boston Red Sox might be possible in a variety of ways. The Sox will need a closer in 2004 whether they get to the World Series or win it this season or not. Wagner, it seems to me, would be a top-quality closer for them, one whose contract Theo Epstein would be willing to take on without much fear. In return, my personal choice of players would be C Jason Varitek and P Casey Fossum, not only because of the productivity of those players and their potential in Houston's park, but also because their salaries can fit within Houston's payroll. I must say, however, that hoping for Varitek and Fossum may be hoping for too much. Fossum is young, with lots of upside, and I see Boston as reluctant to part with him. Varitek will command at least a Brad Ausmus-sized salary in 2004 but, even so, Red Sox management may be loath to break up the powerful batting order they've put together which has Varitek pounding 25 homers down at the bottom of it. I would dismiss out of hand, by the way, a straight-up Ausmus for Varitek trade, even though the salaries are roughly equal. Ausmus would have to approve such a trade and I don't see him going East. He wants to go to San Diego, and I think that's where he'll wind up. Secondarily, I see the Sox hanging on to Varitek because of the thinness of catching in their farm system. They don't really have anybody on the horizon to catch for them who can provide the combination of hitting and catching that Varitek provides--one guy, perhaps, but that's about it.

If Fossum or Varitek can't be pried loose from Boston, maybe Tim Wakefield can be. Wakefield represents an upgrade from Jared Fernandez in terms of experience and skill at throwing the knuckleball and, fitted in between Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller in the rotation, he would afford those of you who didn't get to see much of the trio of Richard, Niekro, and Ryan in 1980 a sense of what that was like.

In keeping with the theme of dealing with playoff teams, it seems to me that Richard Hidalgo might best be dealt to the Yankees. Much would depend on whether New York gets to and wins the World Series. If they should lose or miss out, the team would probably be easier to deal with, and I think, though I don't know, that Hidalgo might interest them as either a RF or a LF, which might open up more trade possibilities than just marketing him as an RF.

Tom Goodwin of the Cubs interests me as a bench player. Chicago will get Corey Patterson back in CF in 2004, probably in good shape, and although they might be wise to cut Kenny Lofton loose because of his age and declining defensive skills, there will be pressure the other way, too--to keep this band of Cubs together, and that probably means keeping Lofton, too. Goodwin, thus, might be more available than he would otherwise be, and I saw enough of him this season to think that acquring him wouldn't be the end of the world for the Astros' outfield. Houston is slow out there and needs to do something to rectify that deficiency in an inexpensive way. Goodwin, though not a great hitter, can fit in as a late-inning replacement and at the top or bottom of the order.

There'll be more to say about trade possibilities over the next month or so. At the moment, the playoffs we're watching (the ones I wish the Astros were in) have surprised me. I thought Atlanta would beat the Cubs, but nope, it didn't happen. I listened to the WSB radio broadcast of Chicago's clinching game rather than the Fox TV guys, and all Skip Caray and his pals could think of to say on the post-game wrap up was how unfair it was that essentially two pitchers--Kerry Wood and Mark Prior--beat Atlanta because first-round series are five games rather than seven. Well, pardon me for not crying. The Astros of 1998 (a team much like the this year's Braves), as you'll painfully recall, were shut down in the NLDS by two pitchers, Kevin Brown and Sterling Hitchcock, and not a soul outside of Houston (I discount myself) thought it was worthy of complaint. The Cubs beat the Braves this year because they were better in that series than Atlanta was, and I got more news for ya: they'd have beaten 'em over seven games, too.

The Marlins have also surprised me. I'm just gonna have to readjust my thinking about them. They are simply better than I have given them credit for being. If there's one team that I think needs to stay together for 2004--no major shakeups, no nothin'--it's this one. They have a terrific combination of speed and power and pitching. This isn't to say they'll win it all, but if you were going to create an ideal team on paper, the various skills this one has comes pretty close to that ideal. I had picked the Giants to beat Florida in the first round, but the Marlins were just better. The Giants also played poorly enough to disappoint me, but they don't have any excuses for that play that I can see. There is one small local benefit out of SF's failure, though: Barry Bonds's lack of a showing (again) may give us a reminder--if we needed one--that it really is hard for the Bonds and Bagwells and Biggios of the world to succeed when we most expect them to.

See you next week