Astros owner Drayton McLane said Wednesday that Roger Clemens would not be allowed to come to spring training in Kissimmee, Fla., to work out with minor league players as he has done in years past. McLane, who's in Arizona attending the Major League Baseball owners meetings, said the presence of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner has proved to be too much of a distraction.
"We have no plan for Roger Clemens," McLane said. "His son, Koby, is in our minor league system and is making progress, and if (Roger) wants to come and be a fan, absolutely." Also, McLane said the club's roster is pretty much set with spring training a month away and includes a payroll of $107 million. He doesn't see the club getting involved with any free agents still on the market.
"I don't anticipate adding," he said. "We've got a pretty full team now. Our team (payroll) is up to $107 million, which is $10 million more than last year."
General manager Ed Wade said the Astros' payroll is roughly 8 percent higher than last year's.
"Drayton has put a lot of faith in stretching payroll when the revenue projections aren't supporting that type of payroll," said Wade, who added the club isn't actively pursuing any more players.
Clemens, who played for the Astros from 2004-06, will reportedly be the focus of an upcoming grand jury probe on whether he should be indicted on charges of lying under oath for telling Congress last year he didn't use performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens threw batting practice to minor league players at the Osceola County Stadium facility the past three years, although he left camp early in 2008 after speaking with team officials.
"He showed up for a couple of days, and we talked to him, and he said he understood," McLane said. "He came back a couple of times and observed Koby, and we anticipate he will certainly come down for that. But as far as him pitching or being involved, all these issues will need to be clarified."
Meanwhile, the Astros created more competition for spring training by signing five players to minor league deals with invitations to camp: righthanders Jose Capellan, Danny Graves and Chad Paronto and catchers Brian Esposito and Toby Hall.
Capellan, 28, has appeared in 99 games with Atlanta, (2004), Milwaukee (2005-07), Detroit (2007) and Colorado (2008) and will compete for a spot in the starting rotation. Wade said Hall will battle for one of the club's two catching positions.
"He brings experience and does a pretty good job at calling pitches," Wade said of Hall, a career .262 hitter with 46 homers and 269 RBIs in 686 games with Tampa Bay (2000-06), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006) and the Chicago White Sox (2007-08).
Wade also extended a spring training invitation to minor league pitcher Sergio Perez.
On the broadcasting front, the Astros and Clear Channel Radio Houston signed a new contract that will keep Astros games on KTRH (740 AM) for at least the next four years.
Under the terms of the new contract, KTRH will continue as the team's flagship station through 2012, with an option for two more years.
