Hopes for treaty on climate begin to wither
Published 1:00 pm Monday, October 26, 2009
Ivan Rodriguez appears headed to the Houston Astros. Cole Hamels and Manny Ramirez aren’t sure when they’ll be back in spring training games. A 14-time All-Star catcher, Rodriguez was closing in on a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Astros, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press on Monday. The deal would contain $1.5 million in performance bonuses based on games and plate appearances, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced by the team. “There isn’t anything certain yet. Right now the only team I have is Puerto Rico,” Rodriguez said in Spanish before a World Baseball Classic game against Venezuela in Miami. “There’s interest, but I haven’t received a call yet. Let’s wait and see what happens in the coming hours or days.” Houston needs a veteran catcher to replace Brad Ausmus, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros have several young catchers in camp who need time to develop. Humberto Quintero had been in line to start this season, but he’ll likely move to a backup role.