Houston's horrendous spring, best bargains of the winter and more

Lance Berkman said he isn't too worried about the Astros' 1-16-3 mark in the spring. AP Jon Heyman's Mailbag Got a question or comment for Jon? Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Jon Heyman on Twitter

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Astros made it to 15 or 16 straight losses here on Thursday. Lance Berkman wasn't sure which it was. And frankly, he didn't care.

Of course, Berkman may have been distracted during his interview Thursday afternoon by all the Mets circling the bases on the nearby TV or perhaps by another Astro who was letting out a blood-curdling type scream in the runway between the dugout and the clubhouse. It didn't sound like manager Cecil Cooper's voice. But it may as well have been.

Anyway, Berkman wasn't sure how many straight they'd lost -- 15 or 16 -- and as far as he's concerned, they may as well run out the string this spring. "If we're going to be bad," the longtime Astros star said, "we might as well be historically bad."

Historically bad? Maybe. Pathetically bad? Most definitely.

To be precise, the Astros made it 16-straight defeats with Thursday's 12-1 loss in a game in which Houston made three errors before posting a hit against the Mets' excellent young starter Mike Pelfrey.

"Spring records mean nothing, but that's a little extreme," one American League scout said.

This is how it's going for the Astros, who haven't won a game since beating the Yankees in their spring opener and have been outscored 131-53 while generally looking like the worst team ever.

"I'm sure the fans are in full panic mode," Berkman allowed.

As for Berkman himself, he isn't the least bit concerned. He looks at the 1-16-3 record (yes, they've had three ties) and sees nothing to worry about. "I think this is an anomaly," Berkman said. "It has no bearing on what we're going to do. I'm not the least bit concerned. Frankly, I couldn't care less."

In fact, he opined that he puts "zero stock" in their record. "If we were 15-1, does that make us World Series favorites?"

Umm, no. But this surely doesn't either.

Berkman pointed out that the Astros frequently turn out better than folks suspect. (Disclaimer: This applies to me. I have a history of picking the Astros very low, and they have a history of exceeding my expectations.)

I see five quality major-league players -- maybe six counting new arrival Pudge Rodriguez, who came to camp Thursday to begin his physical after agreeing to come catch for $1.5 million plus incentives -- and a team full of extras. Rodriguez declared to Houston writers that the Astros are a "good team" upon showing up at camp. (He must be delirious after finally signing.)

Rodriguez does close a major hole. The catchers they had in camp, Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles, didn't appear to be able to hit. But more problems remain.

Still, Berkman looks around and sees possibilities. "We believe we're going to win," he said. "This organization is used to winning. We expect to win."

Berkman references the 2006 Cardinals, which may be the worst team to win the World Series. "The Cardinals won the World Series with not anything more than we have now," Berkman said.

"We have arguably the best pitcher in the National League. We have the guy who led the league in saves the last two years," Berkman said, speaking of Roy Oswalt and Jose Valverde. "With myself and Carlos Lee, we have a pretty good 3-4 combo."

All true. Although, he does admit there are a few issues.

"The depth is a problem," he said. "We're not deep in the starting rotation."

The problem is the Astros' farm system, which isn't keeping up lately. That may largely account for the 1-16-3 record. One scout said the only viable pitcher they have on the horizon appears to be Bud Norris. One decent pitcher on the way doesn't represent depth.

Cooper hasn't been as low-key about all the losses as Berkman. Occasionally, he's made remarks in the press about not being happy about the way they are playing. Perhaps with those sort of comments, he is talking to the owner Drayton McLane, a well-known worrier and meddler.

But perhaps he is genuinely worried. If I were him, I would be, too.

Best contracts and bargains of the winter

Not too long ago I listed the best contracts from a player perspective in this wild, weird winter. These are the opposite, the best from a team standpoint. Many of them were late signings, after the market shockingly collapsed. But some are just players I think will have a big year. Pudge makes the list, even if he didn't hit a lick for the Yankees late last year.

1) Orlando Cabrera, A's, $4 million, one year: A solid performer in either league who's now surpassed his chief rival, Edgar Renteria (though not in terms of his contract, since Renteria got $18.5 million over two years from the Giants). It was Renteria's rumored deal that ensured Cabrera wouldn't take the White Sox's offer to arbitrate -- though GM Ken Williams' public statement that Cabrera would be a utilityman if he came back probably didn't help, either. Anyway, Oakland's happy to have him.

2) Bobby Abreu, Angels, $5 million: After bidding $160 million for Mark Teixeira and failing to keep him, the Angels got a great deal, replacing Teixeira in the lineup with Abreu, who's the only man in baseball history with 200 home runs, 300 stolen bases, a .400 slugging percentage and a .300 batting average. After making a robust $16 million last year, and generally being paid very high throughout his career, he thought he'd try to land a $48 million, three-year deal after the Yankees didn't offer him arbitration (wisely, in retrospect). And going on the stats, it didn't seem completely crazy. He told a Yankees person during last season there was no way he'd accept $20 million over two, no real surprise since his stats were holding up. He may be unfairly hurt by a rep as something of a stats guy, but he's just a good guy who cares about his team and his stats. He looks a little heavy in the WBC, but he's been there before. He'll get it together, as he always does.

3) Jon Garland, Diamondbacks, $6.25 million, one year: He got basically the same money as 45-year-old Randy Johnson, who they happily let go to San Francisco (Johnson looks good in Giants camp). An innings-eater who's a mortal lock for 190 innings and 12 wins. Very solid No. 3 pitcher. Great pickup.

4) Adam Dunn, Nationals, $20 million, two years: This guy has all-time-type power, and it's a surprise his market was practically nonexistent. Sure, he's one dimensional. But shouldn't some AL team have seen the value? Had to settle for one-fifth of what he was supposedly shooting for (at least according to Brandon Phillips), and to get that, he had to take it from the Nationals.

5) John Smoltz, Red Sox, $5 million, one year: This is viewed as a very good deal by the agent, and perhaps it is, considering Smoltz won only three games last year and is coming off shoulder surgery. However, any bet on Smoltz is a good one in my book. The Red Sox are one of maybe five teams that can afford to spend this type of money on a maybe. But if you're going to take a risk on someone, this is the guy.