Wolf told me Saturday night that he was close to re-signing with the Astros in late November when the team abruptly pulled its offer, citing a changing economic climate.

Astros general manager Ed Wade confirmed Wolf's account, saying the team was "fully engaged in negotiations and had to stop. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest on our part or Randy's part."

The difference is significant.

Wolf and his agent, Arn Tellem, did not dramatically misread the market, a conclusion that many might have reached after learning of his reported failure to grab the Astros' offer.

Instead, the pitcher was an innocent victim of the Astros' sudden cost-cutting — a shift that could end up costing him $20 million or more in free agency.

Wolf, who confirmed that he is talking with the Dodgers, Mets and other clubs, might only receive a one-year deal at a salary that almost certainly will be lower than the $9.5 million average that the Astros proposed.

"I honestly don't remember how long that offer was on the table. It wasn't very long," Wolf said.

"I remember talking to Arn saying, 'This is pretty fair. We're really close.' And I remember when I found out it was pulled.

"It must have been the Monday before Thanksgiving. I was sitting at Burbank Airport when Arn called me and said he didn't really have good news. That's when I found out."

The Houston Chronicle reported the Astros' decision to pull their offer to Wolf in early December, but it was not clear at the time that the two sides were proceeding toward an agreement.

"We had made a proposal to Arn and he had countered it. Before we ever got any further down the road is when we had to pull it," Wade said.

"We never gave any indication that he rejected it. We took full responsibility; in working the budget numbers, it wasn't going to make sense. Our economic picture had begun to change. We had to go back to Arn and pull it completely."

Wolf said he understood.

Houston Astros News News » Economy stood between Wolf, Astros 2009-01-25
Economy stood between Wolf, Astros 2009-01-25
Earlier this month, using information from multiple sources, I reported that free-agent left-hander Randy Wolf had declined to accept a three-year, $28.5 million offer from the Astros. The information was inaccurate. MLB Hot Stove