Randy Wolf was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Houston Astros on Monday in exchange for 26 year old pitcher Chad Reineke. On the season, Wolf is 6-10 with a 4.74 ERA and an unimpressive 1.42 WHIP. Houston Astros GM Ed Wade hasn’t given up on the 2008 season (The Astros are 46-54 this season), and acquired Wolf to shore up the rotation.

“Randy is an experienced starter and a great competitor,” said Wade, who had Wolf during part of his time as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. “We tried to sign him as a free agent during the off-season, but the chance for him to pitch close to home prevailed. I’ve known Randy since the day he signed his first professional contract, and I can say without hesitation that he brings every quality that you’d want in a member of your team, both on and off the field.”

This trade may seem puzzling to Houston fans. Wolf isn’t young (He’ll turn 32 later this year), and he was acquired for a starting pitcher with mild upside. Reineke’s 26 years old and gets hit hard (112 hits, 62 runs in 112 innings in Triple A this season) but he misses bats (100 K’s in 112 innings this season, 95 K’s in 100 innings last season). San Diego, a team with holes in both their starting rotation and bullpen, may find immediate use for Reineke.

“Houston was pretty aggressive going after Wolfie. I just felt that right now, this was the best match,” said Padres general manager Kevin Towers. “We felt this was the right deal to make.”

One conceivable reason for making this trade is Wolf’s free agent status after the season. When Wolf hits free agency, and a team other than the Houston Astros signs him, the ‘Stros will receive a compensation draft pick in 2009 from that team.

Upon being informed of the deal, Wolf had no hard feelings for his former team.

“I developed a lot of good relationships here with the players and staff,” Wolf said. “I was treated great. I made a lot of good friends. That’s the hard part of having to leave. It’s a part of the game that isn’t always fun.”