Houston Astros: Exploring the possibility of bringing back Jake Marisnick

The Houston Astros need outfield depth – a lot of it – and old friend Jake Marisnick would be a strong fit as a No. 4 outfielder.

The Houston Astros have some holes in their outfield coming into 2021. With the expected loss of George Springer and the possibility of not re-signing Michael Brantley, they are in need of outfielder depth, and one name stands out as a possible fourth outfielder is Jake Marisnick.

Marisnick could possibly make his way back to Houston this offseason and fill the same role he left. At 29 years old, Marisnick was paid $3.3 million last season and will probably settle for something around that price. After being shipped off to the New York Mets, he battled hamstring tightness and did not make much of an impact.

Marisnick brings experience, speed and a great glove to an outfield spot that is somewhat empty. The Astros struggled with that fourth spot in the outfield as Myles Straw saw most of the time in 2020. It fluctuated after Yordan Alvarez dealt with injury, moving Brantley to designated hitter and Kyle Tucker to the field. Additionally, Springer and Brantley battled injury during the season, and an outfield of Tucker, Straw, and Josh Reddick is not going to cut it. While it is a strong defensive unit, it has only one reliable bat (Tucker). Reddick really fell off in 2020, and it seems like Houston is ready to part ways.

2020 Season

Through 16 games, the big righty played good baseball. His offensive numbers were .333/.353/.606 through 33 at bats, but it is not enough to evaluate Marisnick’s offensive game. He was never seen as an offensive weapon but has progressed the last two years. The defensive availability is still there, but the issue is he is not an everyday starter.

Future and contract

The Astros traded Jake Marisnick for Blake Taylor and Kennedy Corona. Bringing Marisnick back adds a great deal of defensive reliability back to that outfield, and the best way to use him is for injuries or a defensive replacement late in games. Marisnick could see a short contract in his future and the Astros could do $6.5 million for 2 years. This would an ideal compliment to the outfield, and also add a more reliable bat than Straw’s. The expected outfield could include: Brantley, Tucker, Marisnick, and Ozuna/Bradley Jr.