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Astros must avoid reunion with former stalwart reliever FA after troubling regression
There was a time when Phil Maton leaving the Houston Astros felt like a tremendous loss. While not sporting the sexiest of reliever profiles, Maton was an extremely solid contributor in the Astros' bullpen almost from the moment he was traded to Houston back in 2021. Once Maton got his feet under him, he posted a combined 3.42 ERA in 135 appearances in 2022 and 2023, and was one of the more reliable middle relievers in baseball during that span.
However, Maton's profile as a guy with less than eye-popping stuff led Houston to think they could let him walk without taking too big of a hit. The Astros' bullpen ended up being fine, especially after they went out and added Josh Hader to create a crazy deep backend, but there were certainly times when the Astros missed having a guy like Maton around to keep things manageable when a starter struggled.
It does seem like the Astros were on to something when they let Maton sign with the Rays last offseason.
Despite his success with Houston, Maton's 2024 season resulted in him being unceremoniously sent back into free agency and the Astros should probably avoid trying to run things back with him.
David Stearns says declining Phil Maton's option had to do with "keeping options open a little bit"
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 4, 2024
"I talked to Phil, expressed interest in keeping in touch. I think he feels the same way" pic.twitter.com/oYQxtJYr7U
Phil Maton is available for a reunion, but the Astros should pass
At first glance, a reunion with Maton doesn't seem like all that bad of an idea. He was incredibly successful with the Astros, he knows the coaches and catchers, and Maton definitely isn't going to command a premium after the season he had.
However, there are a lot of red flags with Maton these days that weren't necessarily present during his time in Houston. While his 3.66 ERA is in line with what fans are used to seeing from him, Maton's strikeout rate dropped significantly in 2024, and his slider didn't fool anybody this past season. Relievers are a volatile commodity nearly across the board, and Maton is definitely trending in the wrong direction.
Of course, price can change the decision calculus quite a bit. If Maton is willing to come back to the Astros for really cheap to try and rebuild his value, then that would be fine. However, if Houston wants to add real bullpen depth for real dollars, they should steer clear of Maton yet again.
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