Astros Should Go After Iguchi

Tadahito Iguchi is coming off a solid second half with the Philadelphia Phillies after struggling with the White Sox. He hit .304 with 3 HR and 12 RBI in 45 games with the Phillies, but has the potential to hit 17-18 homeruns and hit around the .290 mark. He is a pretty good fielding second baseman who has good speed, but doesn't steal too many bases. He balances out any lineup he is in by being a righty with good power to both sides of the field. He is comfortable batting anywhere in the lineup and because he is coming off a down year, he will come at a low price, probably around four to five million annually. I expect the Rockies, Astros, and maybe the Mets to be interested in him, but he might end up returning to Japan. The Astros would be smart to try and sign him because they have an opening at second base with Biggio retiring, and Chris Burke doesn't seem like he can handle an everyday job. It would give them a good bat in the bottom half of the order and it would give them at least 20 homeruns with a good average because the dimensions definitely play into his favor. He also has played teams in the NL Central repeatedly, so he won't feel that he has to adjust or anything. Hopefully Ed Wade sees the value in Iguchi so he can improve Astros, who just two years ago were in the World Series.