Astros Caravan: A First Sign of Spring

Like a furry rodent prognosticating the weather, a sign of the impending return of spring is upon us. The Astros 2009 schedule kicks off with their Winter Caravan, a goodwill tour that annually precedes Spring Training, with players, coaches and alumni signing autographs for the unwashed masses. The Caravan starts this weekend in the Houston area, and will travel to Austin, San Antonio and (gasp!) Louisiana before everyone heads off to sleepaway camp in Kissimmee.

In other Astros news, they've continued to shuffle through the free agent yard sale, and while some big names are still unsigned at this late date, the team's $100 million payroll number is not likely to go any higher. Within the past week they've signed (possibly washed up) former All Stars Danny Graves and Russ Ortiz to bolster the pitching staff, and there are also rumblings about picking up a veteran catcher on the cheap (allegedly Paul Lo Duca). Our predicition is that Ed Wade is stockpiling resources for a potential mid-season trade, since the free agent market is so unpredictable right now.

Full dates for the Caravan can be found here, and local dates are after the jump: