Astros complete the deal for yesterday’s hero Tyler Clippard

Tyler Clippard is making himself very valuable to the Astros.

During the recent Houston Astros slump, the bullpen showed some leaks despite the great August ERA. GM Jeff Luhnow took a lot of slack for not making a big splashy move at the deadline. Luhnow is not just looking at 2017, but he is trying to build an organization that will compete for years to come. The Astros needed another reliever for the 2017 playoffs though.

They decided to pass on Brad Hand and Zach Britton for whatever reason. They settled for Francisco Liriano, but Luhnow feels like he can develop into a good lefty-specialist. Whether that comes true, it’s too early to judge that trade. Two weeks after the deadline, the Astros make an addition via a waiver trade.

Clippard trade.

Tyler Clippard‘s time with the White Sox was short, only 11 games after being acquired as part of the Todd Frazier trade. He was notified by White Sox GM Rick Hahn that he was traded to the Astros while watching Game of Thrones Sunday. Later it was reported that Clippard was traded to the Astros for a player to be named later or cash.

Many people believed that it could be a player on the 40-man roster who would not clear waivers. A few days later, the deal may have been finalized. According to Bob Nightengale, the Astros have sent $1 million dollars to the White Sox. This will pay a big chunk of Clippard’s salary.

The move has already paid off for the Astros in Clippard’s first two appearances. The day he joined Houston, he made his first appearance in a scoreless game. He did allow a hit and a walk, but he got the job done as he had done after joining the White Sox. However, he gave us a glimpse of what he can do in the playoffs last night.

Charlie Morton was trying to pitch seven innings last night but allowed two runners to reach base with only one out. With a 5-1 lead, A.J. Hinch decided to go with the new kid in the bullpen. Clippard only needed ten pitches to strikeout the next two hitters.

Next: Brad Peacock’s double yesterday was a piece of fine hitting

While Clippard may not be the dominating reliever the Astros may have wanted, he has the experience to get the job done. The best part, Luhnow didn’t have to give any prospect away for Clippard.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***