HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros' offseason rebuilding effort begins with finding a new manager.
The Astros finished 74-88 in 2009, their second losing record in three seasons. They fired Cecil Cooper on Sept. 21 -- the franchise's third managerial change since 2004 -- and promoted third-base coach Dave Clark to run the team over the final two weeks of another disappointing season.
Clark, the former manager of the club's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, will be among those interviewed for the permanent position. General manager Ed Wade said previous big-league managing experience may not necessarily help.
"If you're going to do this the right way, you've got to be open-minded," Wade said. "When you start talking about experience, is it experience solely as a major-league manager? Are you walking past other guys who have great minor-league credentials, or who look like they're on the precipice of being outstanding managers in some fashion?
"We have to sit down and take an open mind, spend our time researching," Wade said. "If we do our homework, we're going to end up making the right decision."
A new manager is only one of the changes the Astros need to be a winner again. They won the NL pennant in 2005 behind a strong starting rotation and this year's staff was the main weakness in 2009.
Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, one of only three players left from the Astros' World Series team, was one of the few bright spots this year. He won 14 games in 33 starts, both career highs, and finished with 193 strikeouts, second all-time among Houston left-handers. He allowed one or no earned runs in 20 outings, and was 8-3 with a 2.08 ERA at home.
Most of the rest of the rotation was marred by injuries and inconsistency.
Roy Oswalt's season was cut short by back problems and he'll spend the offseason working to recover in time for spring training.? The Astros' ace won a career-low eight games in 30 starts, finished with a career-high 4.12 ERA and set a team record with 16 no-decisions.
Rookie Bud Norris won his first three starts in August and will vie for a starting role at spring training next year, and Brian Moehler proved capable at the back end of the rotation, overcoming early injuries to win eight games in 28 starts.
But Houston also signed free agents Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz to bolster the rotation and both gambles fizzled. Ortiz was 3-6 in 13 starts and was cut on July 30, while Hampton went 7-10 in 21 outings before tearing a rotator cuff in his shoulder in August, the latest in a long line of injuries for the 37-year-old left-hander.
The Astros were 49-46 on July 22, one game out of first place in the NL Central. They then lost 42 of their last 67 games as the starting pitching deteriorated.
First baseman Lance Berkman, who missed 18 games with a calf strain, thinks the Astros are only one or two solid pitchers from becoming contenders again.
"We've got two really good starters, we've got Roy and we've got Wandy," Berkman said. "So if you're looking at our team and saying, 'What's there to work with?' I think we've got two really good starters, we've got a potentially good starter in Bud and we've got an established, steady-Eddie starter in Brian Moehler.
"That's the makings of a pretty good rotation," Berkman said.? "You get another guy to step in there and give us some innings, I think that's where you have to start looking at how far away we are."
The offense also needs a boost.
Kaz Matsui, signed through next season, batted .250, his lowest average since his first season in Japan. Miguel Tejada, who will become a free agent, hit .313 for the season, but only .212 in August and he also grounded into 29 double plays.
Berkman, a five-time All-Star, batted .274 with 25 homers and 80 RBIs, all among the lowest numbers of his career.
Leadoff man Michael Bourn hit a career-high .285 and led the NL with 61 stolen bases and Carlos Lee topped 100 RBIs for the sixth time in seven seasons. But the Astros ranked 14th in the NL in runs scored (643) and eighth in hitting with a .260 average
Berkman blames the Astros' on-base percentage (.319), which ranked 13 th in the NL.
"You can have guys that are run producers, but you've got to have guys who get on base," Berkman said.
A total of 10 players are eligible for free agency, including third baseman Geoff Blum, reliever LaTroy Hawkins and closer Jose Valverde. Another nine players are eligible for arbitration, including Bourn, Rodriguez and right fielder Hunter Pence, who had another productive season.
