Hmmmm,

An upgrade? Let's look at some non-counting metrics.....

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBP. . .SLG. . .OPS
Preston Wilson.. . . .314. . .415. . ..729
Scott Podsednik.. . .345. . .393. . ..738

Okay, so Podsednik is marginally better this season, but let's look at their career numbers.

. . . . . . . . . .OBP. . .SLG. . .OPS
Wilson. . . . . .331. . .472. . ..802
Podsednik.. . .345. . .387. . ..732

I would submit that this is the Wilson the Astros thought they were getting. I don't think the OBP difference is as glaring as the difference in slugging. I think the Astros reasonably expected Wilson to have twice as many homers by now. So, just because the Astros didn't get the player they thought (read:they made a mistake) doesn't mean they should run out and get the same player in terms of production.

Now, I dismissed the runs and RBIs for a very important reason. Consider this info

. . . . . . . . . .. . . G. . . . .RS. . . .Rank
Houston. . . . . . .101. . . .455. . . .15
Chicago. . . . . ....100. . ..562. . . ...1

The White Sox are the best offensive team in the American League while the Astros are next to last. Of course Podsednik has more runs and nearly as many RBIs. There are more to go around for everyone. The fact that he is being platooned tell you how much of a contributor the White Sox think he is.

Now, if the Stros want to trade Taveras for Podsednik straight up I would support it since Podsednik is more aggressive on the basepaths and an overall better hitter. Yet, I would hope the Astros have higher aspirations for left field than what either Wilson or Podsednik have produced.
I'm down with OBP (yeah you know me).