The Houston Astros filed an insurance claim last week on first baseman Jeff Bagwell, and the team's attorneys are currently reviewing the policy in an attempt to determine if the club will be able to collect should Bagwell report to spring training as planned, general manager Tim Purpura told ESPN.com.
The Astros were required to file the claim with Lloyds of London by Monday to maintain their right to recoup $15.6 million of the $17 million in salary due Bagwell this season. Bagwell is entering the final year of a five-year, $85 million deal.
Bagwell, 37, has an arthritic right shoulder that makes it difficult for him to throw. He underwent capsular release surgery in June and returned to hit .250 in 100 at-bats last season. Just days after the Astros lost to the Chicago White Sox in the World Series, Bagwell began rehabilitating the shoulder in hopes of reclaiming his starting first-base job in 2006.
Astros File Insurance Claim On Bagwell



