3 Astros contracts We Were Happy to See End, And 2 We're Still Eager to See Expire

A contract we're ready to see expire No. 2: Phil Maton

Over the course of his six-year big league career, Maton has largely been a so-so contributor at the game's highest level. Only two times has he ever posted an ERA+ over 100, first in his rookie year and second last year.

The 29-year-old righty appeared in a career-high 67 games on the Astros last year, going 0-2 with a 3.84 ERA and 4.33 FIP. The large difference between the two suggest that he got awfully lucky last year with a solid defense behind him.

Then of course, there's his outburst right before the playoffs that resulted in him missing the entirety of the clubs' march to the World Series. After a poor performance against his brother Nick and the Philadelphia Phillies, Phil punched a locker and broke his right pinkie finger.

Maton's inclusion the 2023 roster now seems to be blocking some of the upcoming pitching prospects the Astros have, including Ronel Blanco, who doesn't have a spot on the big league roster as long as Maton is around. The 29-year-old struggled a bit in a seven-game cameo last year in the bigs but he has looked much sharper in the high minor league levels and should secure a spot on the roster in place of Maton.