The Houston Astros have officially named left-hander Wandy Rodriguez as the team's starter for Opening Day when the club faces the Colorado Rockies. Rodriguez was nearly part of a trade last year that would've resulted in him pitching for Colorado this season, but ultimately the two sides couldn't came to an agreement.
Rodriguez, 33, is considered to be a very solid left-handed starter. Over the past four seasons, he's posted a 3.40 ERA while averaging 30 starts per year. His peripheral numbers dropped slightly across the board last year, but he's still a useful starter that's just a bit overpaid at this point.
The Astros have $36 million invested in Rodriguez through 2014, but they've reportedly told teams in the past that they're willing to eat a significant portion of that money in order to move his contract. At this point, he's probably Houston's best starting pitcher, though, so he'll be the one getting the ball on April 6 when both the Astros and Rockies begin their respective seasons.
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