As I sit down to write the very short report on NLC player transactions since my last update on the subject, I feel the need to acknowledge the demise of The Cincinnati Post. Best wishes to Lonnie Wheeler, Trent Rosecrans, and the rest of the gang at The Post. I enjoyed your work (or at least that portion of it that made it onto the Internet where I could read it…since I live near Buffalo, I couldn’t exactly run down to the corner store and buy The Post off the newsstand). I sincerely hope you guys land on your feet.

This week’s update is short because only two transactions were reported since 12/26. The Houston Astros were the only team that apparently didn’t get the memo about it being a holiday week,  and GM Ed Wade made the following moves:

• On Thursday (12/27) they signed OF/1B Darin Erstad to a one-year contract worth $1 million plus incentive, thus adding outfield depth and a left-handed bat off the bench. I suppose I should note for you trivia fans out there that Erstad is the only player in baseball history to win a gold glove as an infielder and outfielder.
• On Friday (12/28) they signed RHP Oscar Villarreal to a two-year, $2.85 million contract with a club option for 2010. Villarreal, a reliever, was obtained by the Astros from Atlanta for outfielder Josh Anderson last month.

So there you have it, and thanks a lot, Ed, I could have taken the week off. 🙄

Happy New Year to all!