Astros decline all arbitration eligible players

According the the Houston Chronicle, the Astros declined arbitration to catcher Brad Ausmus, Doug Brocail (leaving yet another middle reliever in free agency), SP Randy Wolf and utility infielder Mark Loretta. Loretta and Ausmus were expected, Brocail and Wolf were obviously based on negotiations and payroll figures. The Mike Hampton signing probably made Wolf expendable (the Astros do not need three left handed starters), and the market for Wolf was proabably more than the Astros could bear, particularly if they lost arbitration.