Astros, Twins, talk Tejada, Wigginton

The Minnesota Twins have expressed an interest in Miguel Tejada, while Ty Wigginton is generating interest from several clubs. However, it could be a while before anything is resolved on both the shortstop and third baseman fronts as many teams wait for the market to establish itself.

The Astros would likely agree to absorb some of the $13 million Tejada is owed in 2009, although how much they'd be willing to take on is unclear. That would largely depend on who they would receive in return, and if the Astros can nab a young pitcher from the Twins' pitching-rich farm system, they may be swayed to pay a chunk of Tejada's remaining salary.

Interest in Wigginton appears to be more abundant. The offensively-sound third baseman displayed versatility when he thrived as a substitute for Carlos Lee in left field late last season, and with a number of teams looking for a third baseman, he could be in high demand. The picture will become clearer once free agent third baseman Casey Blake signs, and observers believe Wigginton's trade value will increase as soon as Blake is off the market. The Twins, believed to be out of the Blake sweepstakes, may be interested, and again, their pitching-rich farm system has the Astros' attention.

Although the Astros are looking for catching help, they are unlikely to explore a trade for Orioles backstop Ramon Hernandez, who is owed $8 million in '09 and has a $1 million buyout on his $8.5 million option in '10.

With Randy Wolf all but out of the picture, it's clear that if the Astros make a deal this winter, they'll do so via trade. They need to shed salary to stay near the $100 million threshold they've set for themselves, so moving a Tejada or Wigginton or Jose Valverde won't necessarily signal a go-ahead to add players with high salary demands.

Alyson Footer