The Astros have signed 30-year old lefty reliever Jon Switzer to a minor league deal. Switzer pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 0-0 with a 8.10 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He also pitched in 41 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season in which he was 1-3 with 4 saves, a 3.29 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Switzer has not had much success in his major league career working in 72 games (0 starts) in which he is 2-4 with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. He will likely get a chance to win a spot in the bullpen this season only because he’s a lefty.

THe Astros have signed 32-year old righty reliever/starter Matt Ginter to a minor league deal. Ginter pitched in 38 games (3 starts) in AAA-ball and he was 3-3 with 2 saves, a 3.81 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He has also pitched in 96 games (19 starts) in his major league career in which he is 5-7 with 1 save, a 5.43 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. This was nothing more than a depth signing for the Astros as Ginter will have a hard time winning a job on the pitching staff this spring.

The Astros have signed 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Gustavo Chacin to a minor league deal. Chacin pitched in 20 games (19 starts) in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 9-4 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He was once a very solid pitcher in the majors before getting injured so maybe he’s getting back into a groove. He has pitched in 58 games (all starts) in his major league career and he is 25-15 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Astros who will give Chacin a chance to win a job in the starting rotation next spring.

The Houston Astros have re-signed 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Jason Michaels to a 1-year, $800,000 dollar contract. Michaels played in 102 games for the Astros last season and he was 32 for 135 (.237 avg, .752 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 4 homers and 16 RBIs. He has now played in 836 games in his career in the majors and he is 535 for 1,990 (.269 avg, .754 OPS) with 299 runs scored, 49 homers, 263 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Astros as Michaels was a decent back-up outfielder for them last year.

The Astros have signed 25-year old righty swinging shortstop Oswaldo Navarro to a minor league deal. Navarro played in 11 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 89 for 349 (.255 avg, .649 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 1 homer, 25 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Navarro has also played in 4 games in his major league career and he is 2 for 3 (.667 avg, 1.333 OPS). You can never have enough players like Navarro to stash in the minors in case you need them.