Brett Myers looks very comfortable as the Astros’ closer

When we first heard the Astros were planning on moving Brett Myers to the closers role, most fans were willing to give it a shot. Afterall, the purpose was to fill a hole and increase value in the righthander but something has happened in the process, Myers has actually been really good. I mean, very good as the Stros closer. So not only has he developed into a dynamic force at the end of the bullpen but has sky-rocketed his value much higher than maybe even the Stros envisioned when making the initial move. Given the health crisis quite a few teams are facing with their closers, Myers might have just put himself at the front of the line as a trade asset.

The Astros have exceeded expectations and are making teams either sweat or simply regret not taking them seriously. So a closer might have been more needed than we originally expected. While Mark Melancon was dealt for a possible all-star shortstop, the Astros have found his replacement and then some. The question is now when, not if, Brett Myers should be dealt and it could happen at any time. Sure Jeff Luhnow isn’t looking to move him but I am sure he is listening to teams calling, who desperately need that guy to finish off games. Make no mistake, even with a nice start to the season, the Astros are rebuilding and will be looking to make deals involving their veterans. Myers, to the right team, will bring back good to great value. His contract, like with Wandy Rodriguez, will be an issue but if this role is his future in the big leagues then he might actually be a bargain. While the Astros would be left without a reliable closer, we once again revert back to the true purpose of the season which was development.

So looking back to spring training, how many people believed this was going end up being as tremendous a move as it has turned out to be? I’d raise my hand but I’d be lying even though I did think it was a good idea. I had no idea Myers could be this great, we all knew he’d done this before with the Phillies during their initial NL East title run but even then he wasn’t great. Could anyone see this coming, probably not, but the fact Myers seemed pretty much done as anything other than a 4th or 5th starter, and his salary, made it the right decision. The Astros had options but all of them came with huge risk and did not involve the high reward possibility Myers has developed into.

So now the Astros are being rewarded, how do they take advantage of this situation? They could simply hold on to Myers as long as possible and play for the best deal. During a normal season, as if there ever is one, that’d be the move but given all-star closers are falling left and right, maybe something sooner might be the more logical decision. If the Astros cash in on Myers’ strong start and a team needing a move now, they could very well be cashing in their golden ticket at the right possible time.