The Houston Astros appear to have made a nice deal last July with the Yankees
On July 31, 2010, the Astros dealt Lance Berkman to the Yankees for righty reliever Mark Melancon and 3B Jimmy Paredes. 26-year old righty reliever Mark Melancon is now the closer for the Astros. He has pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 7-4 with 19 saves, a 2.94 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. 22-year old switch-hitting 3B Jimmy Paredes has been the Astros’ starting 3B for the last month and a half. He has played in 42 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 46 for 154 (.299 avg, .734 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers, 16 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. It sucked that the Astros had to deal Berkman last July, but it appears that they have gotten a nice return for him as Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes appear to have bright futures.