John Franco was designated for assignment by the Houston Astros on Saturday, removing him from the 40-man roster and giving the team 10 days to decide what to do with the NL's career leader in saves. The Astros can either trade Franco, release him or send the 44-year-old left-hander to the minors. "I'm disappointed, but my numbers aren't that good," Franco said. "It's part of the game. They have a number of young guys that they want to take a look at." The former Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets closer was 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in 31 games with Houston. He is second behind Lee Smith on the career saves list with 424, the most for a left-hander. "We felt like there are some other guys who are doing a pretty good job," manager Phil Garner said. "You never like to do this to a good man. We feel like we failed in some way."