Astros: Free agent options to add left-handed relief to bullpen

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The Astros have some holes to fill in the bullpen and could use a left-hander.

With Will Harris, Joe Smith and Hector Rondon all hitting free agency, the Astros bullpen is in need of reinforcements before next season. Since they’ll need one or two arms from outside the organization, this could be an opportune time to add a left-hander, which they lacked for most of this past season.

The Astros front office might disagree with me, and in fact has often stated its view that having a left-hander isn’t all that important. But we saw how much difficulty the Astros had with left-handed slugger Juan Soto in the World Series. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have a reliable southpaw available to get a few key outs against him?

The Astros currently have just three left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster: Kent Emanuel, Cionel Perez and Framber Valdez. Emanuel was just added to the roster and has no major league experience, while Perez and Valdez haven’t exactly established themselves in their time in the bigs. Banking on one of these guys to become the solid lefty the team needs may not be wise.

There’s always the possibility the team acquires a left-hander via trade, and that can’t be ruled out. But this exercise is just taking a look at which free agents are available and what the Astros chances might be to bring the top names aboard.

The candidates are broken into two groups: the premier arms and the buy-low veteran candidates. Unfortunately the market is weak on premier arms and has plenty of buy-low candidates.

PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 07: Drew Pomeranz #15 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch in the second inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 7, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Premier Arms

Will Smith (not Harris) is undoubtedly the best overall reliever on the market this winter. He’s 30 years old and is coming off an All-Star season with the Giants, working to a 2.76 ERA and 6-0 record in 63 appearances, notching 34 saves.

He strikes out batters at a high rate and doesn’t give up many hits. His home run rate spiked this year, but so did almost everyone else’s. His market is going to be hampered by the fact that he received a qualifying offer, and he could be a candidate to accept it in order to avoid a repeat of the Craig Kimbrel situation from last winter.

If he declines the offer, it seems unlikely that the Astros would pay top dollar for a reliever AND surrender a draft pick to do so. MLB Trade Rumors predicts Smith to land a three-year, $42 million deal, which seems rich for Houston’s blood, especially if they’re going after Gerrit Cole. Smith would be a huge boost to the Astros bullpen, but let’s call this one highly unlikely.

Drew Pomeranz is probably the second-best lefty available, which would have seemed unlikely a few months ago. He’s been a starter for most of his career and struggled in that role with the Giants, but a midseason trade to Milwaukee turned his fortunes around considerably.

Pomeranz posted a 2.39 ERA in 25 appearances for the Brewers, striking out 45 batters in 26.1 innings. His fastball velocity ticked up in his move to the bullpen and he still has a sharp curveball. He seems like the type of pitcher the Astros covet, so there’s a chance they could kick the tires on him. MLBTR predicts him to land a two-year, $16 million deal.

PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 30: Relief pitcher Tony Cingrani #54 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on April 30, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Buy-Low Veteran Candidates

Luis Avilan is coming off a rough season with the Mets, posting a 5.06 ERA in 45 appearances. But the 30-year-old had some solid seasons prior to that, notably with the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017. He’s largely a lefty specialist but has relative youth on his side.

The 36-year-old Jerry Blevins is a prime candidate for teams looking for a true lefty specialist. Blevins is coming off a season of 3.90 ERA ball in 45 appearances spanning 32.1 innings for the Braves. He has a strong track record, although the past two seasons haven’t been up to those same standards. He could likely be had on a one-year deal.

Tony Cingrani had a peculiar season 2018 with the Dodgers. He worked to a pedestrian 4.76 ERA in 30 appearances over 22.2 innings, but Fielding Independent Pitching had him at 2.32, indicating his ERA was inflated by some poor luck and circumstances. His peripheral stats were all solid, including an impressive 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

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He missed all of 2019 due to injury and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in June. He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training, so he could be a true bounceback candidate for whichever team picks him up.

Jake Diekman may be familiar to Astros fans from his time with the Rangers. He hasn’t enjoyed a great deal of success the past two seasons, but the 32-year-old has always posted strong strikeout totals. If the Astros think they can help him cut down on the free passes, he could have some utility for them.

The Astros actually drafted Mike Dunn in the 14th round in 2003, but he elected to go to college for a year. He’s now 34 years old, and the last three seasons haven’t been particularly kind to him after having a few solid years in Miami. This would probably be a no-risk minor league deal, which is exactly why it would be worth a shot. No risk.

Aaron Loup has some durability issues, having made just four appearances in 2019. He’ll be 32 years old next season and has shown the ability to miss bats, so he could be another candidate for a one-year deal to re-establish his value.

Chasen Shreve spent most of 2019 in Triple-A for the Cardinals, working to a 3.45 ERA in 60 innings. He had some prior success in the Yankees bullpen and he’s still just 29 years old.

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There are other names available as well, and leave it to the Astros to find a guy they like and turn his career around. There aren’t very many great options on the free agent market, but there are options nonetheless, and the team would do well to try and find a diamond in the rough to add to the bullpen.

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The Astros have some holes to fill in the bullpen and could use a left-hander.

Premier Arms

Buy-Low Veteran Candidates

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