Houston Astros show interest in Lance Berkman - MLB News
Houston Astros have shown interest in adding free agent Lance Berkman to their roster. The 36-year-old has a deep association with the Houston Astros as he has played for 12 years with the club. Many teams are likely going to be interested in recruiting
the switch hitter for want of his offensive prowess.
The 36-year-old played a crucial part in the St. Louis Cardinals’ success in the 2011 season, in which they were crowned as the World Series Champions. Current general manager of the Astros at the time was associated with the Cardinals and he fully understands
the value of a player like Berkman.
"Lance can still produce at the Major League level," said Luhnow, "he's a guy a lot of clubs are going to be interested in. We'll have a conversation with him and see where it goes."
Lance has featured in six All-Star Games during his 13-year-long Major League career. The hitter from Waco, Texas has a career batting average of .296. Plagued by injuries; he only had 81 at-bats in the 2012 season.
Berkman’s previous stint with the Astros’ was quite a successful one. He hit 360 home-runs and 1200 RBI’s. Jeff Luhnow acknowledged the fact that the club and Lance had a good history with each other and he had been an important part of the team for many
years.
Luhnow was quite clear that there are many options available to the Astros and if matters go well, his team will to pursue the hitter. "If we feel there's a fit in terms of what we need and what he can provide, we won't hesitate to pursue it. We have a lot
of different options out there and we're not going to leave any stone unturned," Jeff said.
The St. Louis Cardinals have made it clear that they will not be pursuing Berkman. In a recent interview, Lance himself suggested that he will decide whether to continue playing the sport or call it a day sometime in December this year.
The addition of the big puma, as Lance Berkman is lovingly called, could be useful for the Astros’ batting unit. He has a great amount of experience and flare to his batting that can put the opposing teams on the back-foot.
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