Does a Reunion With Former Reliever Make Sense for Astros?
The Houston Astros don’t have many needs this offseason and should be fairly quiet during free agency. Their one major area of need is in their bullpen after three players hit the open market following the 2023 season.
Besides Josh Hader and Jordan Hicks, there aren’t that many high-level arms available who the Astros would potentially be willing to spend for and add to their roster.
So, would a reunion with their former reliever Hector Neris make sense?
On paper, it would.
Neris had an incredible season in 2023, recording an ERA of 1.71 across 71 appearances. Where he struggled last year was in the playoffs, finishing with an ERA of 6.48 across seven postseason games.
The right-hander seemingly tried to use his regular season success to get another payday in free agency after he turned down his $8.5 million player option for 2024.
That seems to be a gamble for Neris.
Spotrac is estimating that his market value is just over $7.5 million. Perhaps, the 34-year-old is looking for more guaranteed years on his deal and will take less money per year to secure length.
Houston might not be willing to give that out.
General manager Dana Brown has talked about wanting to get more youth involved on the roster going forward and could be looking for a few of their top prospects to start taking roles.
With a ready-made roster who is still in their World Series window, going the youth route is a risky proposition. The Astros might look to add veterans like they have in the past and work the prospects into the mix throughout the regular season.
There’s been no mention as of now about whether or not Heris and Houston are even interested in a reunion, but if they both find a deal that works for each party, it makes sense to get him back into their bullpen.
