3 pending free agents the Astros need to let walk and 1 they need to keep

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The Houston Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball ($) over the last several years even if their haters won't acknowledge it. Houston's consistent dominance has been right there with the Braves and Dodgers thanks to the team developing an amazing core group of players and knowing when to strike in free agency and on the trade market.

However, all playoff contention windows eventually come to an end when a team is built this way. While the end of the 2024 season will be the real test as that is when both Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve are set to become free agents, the Astros also stand to lose several players once this season comes to an end. The decisions they make this offseason will obviously impact their payroll down the line and that means making the hard choices as to who to keep around and who to let go in free agency.

Here are 3 pending free agents the Astros need to let go and 1 they need to keep

Somewhat fortunately, the decisions this coming offseason regarding pending free agents aren't particularly difficult or expensive. Some of these players have already been hanging on to a roster spot for dear life regardless of their contract status. Others have been really valuable contributors in the past, but who are clearly past their prime and their money/roster spot probably needs to be used by Houston to make improvements elsewhere. Fans should be thankful for their service, but the Astros don't have the money to keep guys around just for nostalgia purposes.

Let's take a look at some of the Astros players that the team needs to let walk in free agency after the season and one that they should very strongly consider bringing back.

The Astros need to finally let Martin Maldonado go

Much has been made of Martin Maldonado's role on the Houston Astros in 2023. Before this season, Maldonado's lack of production at the plate could be lived with because of how good he was defensively as well as his expert management of the Astros' pitching staff. Catcher is the one position where teams often have to make that offensive sacrifice and until this season, Maldonado has been very worth doing so.

The problem, of course, is that every part of Maldonado's game went south this season INCLUDING his defense. Not only has his offense been atrocious with a 61 wRC+ (that's bad) in 343 plate appearances, but he has also put up the worst defensive metrics of his career by a wide margin in 2023. Maldonado just looks like a guy that can't do the job anymore.

With Maldonado set to hit free agency, the front office needs take the decision out of Dusty Baker's hands and let him go. The entire Houston organization very clearly loves Maldonado a lot and the intangibles he brings to the table do have value, but they don't outweigh his lack of production on the field anymore. Maybe Maldonado can call it quits and become a coach for Houston. That could be nice. However, with Yainier Diaz being the significantly superior player and the Astros needing to take advantage of these next few seasons, Houston just needs to let Maldonado walk.

Houston can do better than Ryne Stanek

Bullpen arms are a fickle, fickle thing. You always want to have upside in your bullpen and Ryne Stanek as a lot of it with as hard as he throws. Astros fans saw what he is capable of when he is dialed in last season when he posted a 1.15 ERA in 59 appearances in 2022. However, the 2023 season has been a reality check regarding just how volatile relievers can be especially when they struggle to find the strike zone.

Stanek's issues with walks are not new. He walked 5.1 BB/9 last season when he had the best season of his career. However, that sort of walk rate is never sustainable and with a slight dip in his strikeout rate, it is clear that opposing hitters aren't offering at his stuff out of the zone as much anymore with the end result being a 4.05 ERA and 4.29 FIP in 2023.

As tempting as it could be to consider running things back with Stanek to see if he could find lightning in a bottle again, their are just going to be better relief options on the free agent market who won't break the bank and who throw more strikes than Stanek.

Michael Brantley's time with the Astros should come to an end

This is a tough one because no one really knows yet what Michael Brantley is going to look like as he gets further and further away from the shoulder surgery that keep Brantley out for most of the season. His rehab did go well once he was playing regularly, but Brantley also experienced setbacks in even getting his rehab started which is not the best sign when it comes to his long-term health and production.

This is not a question of talent because all Astros fans know that when Brantley is right, he can just flat out hit. However, he is also already 36 years old and coming off a major surgery that may or may not severely impact him going forward. There is a world where Brantley goes wild the rest of the season and the Astros give him another short-term deal as long as the terms are reasonable. However, anything short of that should mean that Houston moves on from him as he just carries too much risk, is too old, and will probably cost too much to find out if he can be the guy he used to be again.

The Astros need to find a way to keep Phil Maton

On the bright side, one pending free agent that the Astros should absolutely try to keep after this season is Phil Maton. Some may be wondering why Hector Neris isn't on this list, but he has a club option for 2024 worth $8.5 million. (EDIT: At least it WAS a club option until Neris hit 110 appearances with the Astros. It is now a player option and for those wondering, yes....the Astros should absolutely try to keep him if he declines that new player option if he doesn't cost TOO much). Maton makes a compelling case to stay around thanks to the combination of probable cost and his value to the Astros' bullpen.

Maton doesn't light up the radar gun like some of his contemporaries, but he checks basically every other box you want from a reliever. He does walk some guys, but not so many as to give everyone heartburn when he takes the mound. His ability to limit hard contact is absolutely elite and his curveball has been borderline unhittable for a couple years now.

While Maton isn't the sexiest reliever in the world, the guy has just consistently put up results and missed bats during his time in Houston. He isn't worth ponying up a lot of money for, but he shouldn't cost that as a 7th/8th guy with limited upside. This is the kind of reliever that you keep so that the team can spend to build the roster elsewhere.

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