The Astros have signed 28-year old lefty starter/reliever Zach Duke to a minor league deal. Duke pitched in 21 games (9 starts) for the Diamondbacks last year and he was 3-4 with 1 save, a 4.93 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 181 games (168 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 48-74 with 1 save, a 4.56 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Duke will likely have a good chance of making the Astros’ pitching staff this spring, but he role would be up in the air as he can start or relieve.

The Astros have designated 28-year old righty swinging shortstop Angel Sanchez for assignment. Sanchez played in 110 games for the Astros last year and he was 69 for 288 (.240 avg, .590 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 1 homer, 28 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He played in 175 games in his two years with the Astros and he was 139 for 538 (.258 avg, .624 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 1 homer, 53 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Astros need to try to trade Sanchez because there is no way that he will accept an outright assignment to AAA.

UPDATE: (2/1/2012) - Angel Sanchez has cleared waivers and he has accepted a minor league assignment from the Astros, so he will be in spring training with the team.

The Astros have signed 33-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jack Cust to a 1-year deal with a club option for 2013. Cust played in 67 games for the Mariners last year and he was 48 for 225 (.213 avg, .673 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 3 homers and 23 RBIs. He has now played in 670 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 510 for 2,107 (.242 avg, .813 OPS) with 311 runs scored, 105 homers, 323 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Cust likes to look at a lot of pitches as he has walked 444 times in his major league career so far, but, he also whiffs a lot (819 times in his career so far). Cust should be able to hit with a lot of power for the Astros when he’s in the lineup and I like this pickup for them.

The Astros have signed 30-year old righty swinging catcher Chris Snyder to a 1-year deal with a mutual option for the 2013 season. Snyder played in 34 games for the Pirates last year and he was 26 for 96 (.271 avg, .772 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 3 homers and 17 RBIs. He has now played in 630 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 426 for 1,846 (.231 avg, .727 OPS) with 204 runs scored, 70 homers and 273 RBIs. Snyder will likely start for the Astros in 2012 as long as his back holds up.

The Houston Astros are making really no attempt to get better so far this winter. Here is a look at the new guys they have brought in for 2012 so far:

In the field: The Astros have brought in a ton of players on minor league deals, but the guys with the best chance to make the team are going to get mentioned here. Shortstop Jed Lowrie will replace Clint Barmes as the Astros’ starting shortstop in 2012 and he has a nice upside. I think he will probably improve the Astros at this position because of his bat. Outfielder Fernando Martinez was a gift from the Mets, who essentially gave up on him. He will get a shot to win the starting LF job for the Astros this spring. Lefty swinging outfielder Travis Buck will have a good shot to win a backup job in the outfield and Craig Tatum will have a decent job of winning the backup catcher job this spring.

On the mound: The Astros acquired righty starting pitcher Kyle Weiland (along with shortstop Jed Lowrie) in the deal with the Red Sox for reliever Mark Melancon. Weiland will have a good shot of winning the #5 job in the Astros’ rotation this spring.

Overall: The Astros don’t want to add any payroll for the 2012 season, so don’t look for any improvement on the field.