Brad Lidge participant of 2007 Major League Baseball season
2007
The Astros avoided contract arbitration with Lidge on January 17, 2007, by signing him to a one-year contract worth $5.35 million. After seeing Lidge struggle in spring training and blow his first save of the season, manager Phil Garner chose to make Dan Wheeler the new Astros closer, while offering Lidge opportunities to relieve in the sixth or seventh innings of games. He regained the closer role at the start of June, but was placed on the disabled list that same month after suffering a strained left oblique muscle. Although Lidge described to reporters that the injury bothered him less towards the end of the day, Garner chose to shut his closer down in order to keep the muscle strain from becoming a larger issue.After returning to the active roster on July 13, Lidge picked up his first save of the season on July 18, against the Washington Nationals. With the July 31 trading deadline approaching, there was speculation that the Astros, who had the third-lowest record in the National League (NL) would trade Lidge, but owner Drayton McLane told reporters, "I see no reason we should even consider it. He's been one of the best closers in baseball." Instead, the club traded Wheeler to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for infielder Ty Wigginton. Despite his early-season struggles and injuries, Lidge finished the 2007 season 5–3 with 19 saves in 27 opportunities. He also held his opponents to a .218 batting average and record and average of 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9). After the season, Lidge underwent surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his right knee, with the anticipation that he would be healthy for the beginning of spring training.