Astros rumors: Houston discussed Jed Lowrie with Athletics

Before they signed international free agent Hiro Nakajima, the Oakland Athletics asked the Houston Astros about the availability of shortstop Jed Lowrie, according to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle:

Before signing Nakajima, the A's had talks with Houston about former Stanford infielder Jed Lowrie, but the Astros' asking price for the shortstop was too high.

In exchange for Lowrie, the Astros wanted A's designated hitter and first baseman Chris Carter along with one of the team's young starting pitchers. Oakland balked at this asking price, but Slusser believes they could target Lowrie at a later date if they find they need infield help or if one of their players sustains an injury.

The Astros acquired Lowrie last offseason from the Boston Red Sox along with Kyle Weiland in exchange for reliever Mark Melancon. The 28-year-old got off to a quick start with Houston, but he dealt with injuries throughout the season and eventually came back down to earth and finished closer to his career norms.

Lowrie finished the season hitting .244/.331/.438 with 18 doubles and 16 home runs over 340 at-bats. He owns a career line of .250/.326/.417 over five seasons at the major league level.