Amy Nelson reports that Mark Loretta is poised to sign with Houston:

Craig Biggio has long been entrenched as the starting second baseman for the Astros. But Garber said Loretta, who has also played first, third and shortstop during his career, will play "all over the infield" for Houston.

"We wanted to wait until the second-base market got better. The market is great for everyone but second basemen," Garber said.

Sounds like he'll be the super-utility player. Garner moves Berkman between the infield and outfield, which should create opportunities for Mark, and you never know which Morgan Ensberg is going to show up.

Loretta played briefly for Houston in 2002, and put up excellent numbers. He's also an interesting player because he peaked late in his career, having his best seasons at age 30-32. He'll be 35 in 2007, and appears to have lost something off his OBA, which was always his strong point.