The Houston Astros have signed Danny Graves, Chad Paronto and Jose Capellan to minor league contracts. Graves is a 35-year old righty who spent all of the 2008 season in the minors. He pitched in 36 games (16 starts) in A+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 6-6 with 1 save, a 6.01 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. But, he has had success in his major league career mostly as a closer with the Reds. He has pitched in 518 games (30 starts) in his major league career and he is 43-44 with 182 saves, a 4.05 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Chad Paronto is a 33-year old righty who pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Astros last season and he was 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has now pitched in 171 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 6-12 with 1 save, a 4.02 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. 28-year old righty Jose Capellan has by far the best arm of the three pitchers the Astros signed but he has never really put it all together yet at the major league level. Capellan pitched in only 1 game (0 starts) for the Rockies last season and he was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Capellan has now pitched in 99 games (2 starts) in his major league career to date and he is 5-7 with a 4.89 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. These three pitchers were brought in to compete for jobs pitching early in games and with that in mind don’t be surprised if one or more of these guys make the Opening Day Pitching Staff for the Astros in 2009.

The Houston Astros have signed 33-year old righty swinging catcher Toby Hall and 29-year old righty swinging Brian Esposito to minor league deals. The Astros will give them both shots to compete for playing time in 2009 but Hall could earn the starting job. Hall played in 41 games for the White Sox last season and he was 33 for 127 (.260 avg, .635 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He has now played in 686 games in his major league career in which he is 616 for 2,350 (.262 avg, .671 OPS) with 211 runs scored, 46 homers and 269 RBIs. Esposito played in 68 games in AA-ball last season and he was 51 for 247 (.206 avg, .524 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 5 homers and 26 RBIs. He has also played in 1 game in his major league career and that was in 2007 with the Cardinals but he did not get to bat in that game. These were good low risk signings for the Astros who are desperate for help at catcher.

The Astros have signed 34-year old righty starting pitcher Russ Ortiz to a minor league deal. He will compete for a job in the starting rotation this spring for the Astros. Ortiz has now pitched in 282 games (253 starts) in his major league career and he is 110-82 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Ortiz did not pitch last season and he must be considered a long shot to make the Astros’ pitching staff in 2009.

The Astros have signed 31-year old lefty swinging reserve infielder Jason Smith to a minor league deal. Smith played in 22 games for the Royals last season and he was 6 for 28 (.214 avg, .500 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 1 RBI. He has now played in 257 games in his major league career and he is 122 for 551 (.221 avg, .636 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Smith will likely start the season in AAA and only make it to Houston if the Astros suffer some injuries.

The Astros have signed 30-year old righty swinging outfielder John Gall to a minor league contract. Gall played in 98 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 112 for 359 (.312 avg, .862 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 12 homers, 76 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has also played in 33 games in his major league career in which he is 13 for 53 (.245 avg, .683 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 11 RBIs. This was a signing for nothing more than organizational depth.