Minor trade has major state implications

The trade between Houston and Washington that sent Danny Ardoin to the Astros and Wade Robinson to the Nationals is nothing more than a line in the transactions in many places.

Shreveport is no different, but in a few other Louisiana cities it matters. Ardoin is from Mamou and Robinson hails from Bastrop. Robinson also played college baseball at Louisiana Tech.

The trade should help both farm systems and it gives the Astros a little more catching depth in the upper minors. Given that Brad Ausmus is on the downside of his career and current backups Humberto Quintero and Eric Munson are shaky and injury-prone at best, the move probably helps Houston a little more, but don't discount Robinson.

He is one of a number of college seniors who signed with the Astros at the behest of scout James Farrar of Shreveport. Robinson is similar to current Astros shortstop Adam Everett in that he is a better defensive player than an offensive one.

Making the big leagues with a profile like that isn't easy, but Robinson is going to a team that has issues up the middle at the big league level. It should be interesting to see how quickly he progresses in a new locale.