Houston Astros: 3 free agents to sign and 1 to avoid

Oct 13, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Michael Brantley (23) Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros were one win away from reaching the World Series. Now, they have a busy offseason on the horizon

The Houston Astros embraced their roles as the heels of MLB, and they managed to make it all the way to the ALCS. In fact, they were one win away from reaching the World Series for the third time in four years. Of course, that didn’t happen, as they failed to close the deal against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Now, the Astros have to prepare for a rather busy offseason. Star outfielder George Springer reportedly doesn’t want to remain in Houston, so you can effectively cross him off the list. Additionally, Houston will be without ace Justin Verlander for the majority of next season due to Tommy John surgery. Oh, and they need to make to bolster up their bullpen. So those are the three main positions the Astros have to focus on this offseason. Luckily for them, there’s a pretty deep free agency class at both position.

With that in mind, here are three free agents the Astros should sign and one they should most definitely avoid.

3.

Michael Brantley

OF Houston Astros

Probably the easiest decision for the Astros to make is to retain Michael Brantley. As mentioned earlier, Springer appears all but gone from H-Town because he’s set to cash in on being the best outfielder on the open market. So, the Astros should pivot to Brantley.

The veteran outfielder was solid throughout his career with the Cleveland Indians, but had issues staying healthy for a full campaign. Once he became a free agent after the 2018 season, the Astros swooped in and locked him in to a rather affordable two-year, $32 million. That turned out to be one of the biggest steals in recent Hot Stove season memory.

In his first season in Houston, Brantley slashed .311/.372/.503 with 22 home runs and 90 RBI in 148 games, where he also earned an All-Star Game nomination. Brantley was even solid in this shortened season, as he recorded a .300 batting average and .840 OPS, while hitting five home runs and 22 RBI.

The Astros are losing a stud in Springer, but they simply can’t afford to lose two outfielders in one offseason. Hence, the Astros should do whatever it takes to convince Brantley to stay.

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