As my fantasy team rejoyces. I knew picking up Wheeler in the late rounds would be a good idea. Now if only my pick of Gange in the final round pans out.

So, how do Astro's fans feel about this? Did Pujols really mess up Lidge that much?

If you're going to make this move after one freakin' week, why did they go into this season with Lidge as closer in the first place? At least trade him if you're going to pull this crap, instead of belittling possible trade partners.

Gange's not just a really big river in India.

Can Lidge revive his career? Or will his last MLB appearance be getting the last two outs in a three-run 6th inning of a blowout loss for his team, on its way to losing 90+ games, on an unusually warm September evening in 2009?

Lidge apparently still has great stuff, he's just lost his command apparently. That's why they don't want to give up on him.

It's also possible he's still tipping his pitches.

If I were a team with a pitching coach who has a good track record as a fixer, I'd trade for him.

How much is he making this season?

I've put Lidge on the big board of pitchers I'd like to check out. Just today, I checked his last outing vs an outing in '05 and there's not much there different mechanically. I'll have to really go in depth to check it out some more. If anyone has '04 footage of him or early '05 footage, I'd really like to take a look at it.

That rumbling you hear is the sound of thousands of fantasy baseball players rushing to their computers in a frantic race for Dan Wheeler.

I don't think Pujols messed Lidge up at all.

His pitching in 10 of their 14 postseason games that year might have had something to do with it though. Hasn't he just seemed like a different pitcher since then?

He threw 85 IP in 2003, 107 in 2004, 83.3 in 2005. Maybe his arm just couldn't take it.

I drafted Wheeler -- plan to unload him this week before he blows up as well.

It was pretty obvious Lidge would be first to lose his job this year.

Still think he can be fixed.

Heck, I'd trade Wheeler for Lidge if I wasn't confident he'll drop to the waiver wire.

Last I'm saying about roto this season.

I predict Lidge to Oakland. This is just like what happened with Dotel.

As long as we can get rid of Witasick in the deal, bring Lidge in.

I predict Lidge to Oakland. This is just like what happened with Dotel.

Can we unload Sweeney this time?

Wish lists are the real fantasy baseball.

Is it just me or was it just a few weeks ago the Astros were telling people they wouldn't trade Lidge? He had his problems in spring training but it seems they could have been able to get decent value in return (probably sucker the Red Sox into a trade) but now they've got nothing.

Richard "I hate blogs" Justice is saying they have no choice but to send him to AAA to work on his mechanics and meet with a sports therapist. I'm not certain he has to go to Round Rock but he sure as heck needs someone to talk to. Would it kill the organization to bring someone in just to work with Lidge?

I predict Lidge to Oakland. This is just like what happened with Dotel.

As long as we can get rid of Witasick in the deal, bring Lidge in.

Yeah, with Gaudin in the rotation, they're in desperate need of another righty to back up Street, Duchscherer and Calero...

I predict Lidge to Oakland. This is just like what happened with Dotel.

Nah, Dotel never lost his job. They made the trade because Lidge was ready to take the job, and more importantly, the trade brought them Carlos Freakin Beltran.

Dotel was actually pretty good that year. 122 whiffs in 85 innings. 3.12 ERA with the Astros before the trade. After the trade he gave up a few too many homers and blew more saves than normal, but at no point that year was he ever as ineffective as Lidge has become.

I'm all for Lidge to Oakland as long as the Astros get another powerful, switch hitting outfielder. How about Lidge for Swisher? F'n'A!

If Rick White is part of the cure, it's worse than the disease.

As long as we can get rid of Witasick in the deal, bring Lidge in.As long as we can get rid of Witasick in the deal, bring Lidge in.

I still can't believe Geren brought THE WORST PITCHER ON THE STAFF into a 2-1 game in the late innings. Admittedly, perhaps he was right to think that the offense wouldn't score again and the game would be lost, but, come on.

AROM, you're right about the Dotel deal, my bad. Somehow I thought that his Oakland crappiness had started when he was with the Astros.

Wheeler converted his first save chance without incident.

Wheeler just nailed down his first save, 1-2-3.

This doesn't bode well for Craig Hansen, given that Lidge was his upside comp.

He threw 85 IP in 2003, 107 in 2004, 83.3 in 2005. Maybe his arm just couldn't take it.

He blew a 90 mph slider and a 96 mph fastball by Pujols yesterday. It's probably not as simple as arm troubles.

Wheeler just nailed down his first save, 1-2-3.

Of course, it was against the lower third of the Cub order, so it wasn't much of a test (and two of the outs were hard liners).

This doesn't bode well for Craig Hansen, given that Lidge was his upside comp.

He's projected to give up a 500 foot bomb to Albert in a Game 6, too?

SWEET!

He's projected to give up a 500 foot bomb to Albert in a Game 6, too?

Game 5

Lidge doesn't have the same stuff. Anyone who says he does is kidding themselves. His fastball tops out at 94, not 97 like it used to. His slider either goes in the dirt, backs up, or lacks bite. He has trouble putting hitters away (his K/IP isn't that far down, but his K/BF sure is.) He's tinkering with a bunch of variations on his fastball to make them move (his fastball has always been very straight), and they aren't working. When people don't fear the slider, then they can sit on the fastball, and that's what they've been doing. His fastball is very hittable, and he doesn't locate it.

I really don't think overuse was the problem, because his velocity was still there last year. It may come back this year. I really think it's mental, and I've seen most of his appearances in the last couple of years. He flinches when the ball is hit. He buries the slider in the dirt, and he falls apart when things start to go wrong.

You guys may laugh at them making this move so soon, but he blew the first game, and then turned a 5-0 game into a 10-0 game yesterday. With other things going wrong, they can't afford to give away close games, and no one who watches the Astros could possibly have any confidence in Brad Lidge right now.

Foulke is a better comp for Lidge-to-Oakland than Dotel is. Foulke was demoted from closing and then Oakland picked him up. The difference was that Foulke hadn't really pitched that badly.

The Astros should try Lidge in the rotation...

Foulke would be a good comparison if Lidge had pitched well outside of a tiny stretch when he earned his demotion and proceeds to pitch brilliantly the rest of the season but never gains anyone's trust back.

As of now, I'd say the likely best comp for him will be Bobby Kielty. Played himself into a reduced role, picked up for what seems like a modest price given the potential he once showed, but continues to disappoint.

Qualls has stuff more like a typical closer, but he always starts slow, and this year is no exception (L and BS in 2 appearnaces). Wheeler also has a blown save this year, but he's the most consistent of the three. I'd like to see Fernando Nieve up and in the late innings mix. Wheeler won't be dominant, but he could certainly be a Bob Wickman-type closer. And once Qualls rounds into form in June, he'll be perfectly adequate to step in if Wheeler isn't. I certainly don't like Rick White in the eighth, but he's pitching well right now, so whatever - as long as they keep him on a short leash.

It seems to me Lidge's mechanics are off. He throws from a lot of different release points and sometimes falls off towards first base. His big problem is location - maybe the bite's off on his slider but it's still a good pitch. But he can't throw strikes consistently and has to come back dead red, because before it gets to 3-1, he's all over the place.

I think you're right - that his mechanics are off - but that's often very mental as well. Pitchers' mechanics go awry for a lot of reasons, but a couple of the most prominent are overthinking and uncontrolled emotion (which causes you to rush through your delivery).

Last year when he was demoted, they were basically waiting for one good outing, and he was back in the closer's role. My hope is that, with no promise of any imminent return to that role given, he'll settle in and be able to find his groove again, without overthinking how he got there or being too amped up to stay there.

Good points, Suff. Most athletic feats, pitching particularly, depend upon an athlete harnessing his mind and emotions in the moment. It's true in any moments in life where the pressure is on -- you have to relax and then focus, letting all extraneous thought drop away.

A good pitching coach and a sports psychologist would do him wonders. I hope he's got the fortitude to get through this and not let it kill his career. He seems like a good guy.