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3 relievers Astros should target after Giants took Jordan Hicks off the market
With Jordan Hicks off the board, who can the Astros turn to on the relief pitcher market?
You can thank the San Francisco Giants for taking one of the top relievers off the free agent market. But oddly enough, the Giants believe they can turn Jordan Hicks into a starter. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Hicks signed a four-year/$44-million deal and is expected to be part of San Francisco's rotation.
That's an odd choice to be sure, but it does remove one of the more-coveted relievers out of the pool of available free agents. While the Houston Astros were supposedly monitoring Hicks' market this offseason, there are still several talented pitchers remaining on the open market.
Houston will need to refocus with an emphasis on beefing up the relief corps ahead of spring training. Pitchers and catchers report in just over a month, so which remaining free agent relievers should the Astros target?
1. Astros should target free agent LHP Matt Moore
You can never have enough left-handers in the bullpen, and Matt Moore is a very good one. While most of Moore's career had been spent with the Tampa Bay Rays organization, he's seen plenty of time in the American League West Division as well.
Moore had two separate stints with the Texas Rangers and was part of the Los Angeles Angels organization just last year. Moore was actually part of three different teams during the 2023 season and made 50 appearances while owning a 2.56 ERA.
Moore is a three-pitch pitcher who's fastball sits in the mid-90s. The southpaw can also mix in a changeup and breaking ball to keep opposing hitters off balance. Moore's 34.9-percent chase-rate was among the 98th percentile last season according to Baseball Savant. Moore also posted an above-average strikeout-rate and walk-rate.
Moore is starter turned reliever who's logged over 125 innings the past two seasons. The 34-year-old lefty is a reliable veteran who would bring stability to the Astros bullpen in 2023. He's not going to light the radar gun up like Jordan Hicks, but his stuff is effective.
2. Astros should target free agent RHP Mychal Givens
Mychal Givens is name many fans didn't hear in 2023, mainly because he spent almost the entire season on the injured list. Givens signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles last season, but only made six appearances out of the O's pen.
Givens suffered a knee injury early in the season, and then a shoulder injury eventually pushed the veteran to the 60-day IL. Givens was activated from the injured list in August, but immediately released by the Orioles despite working his way back from injury.
Givens will be looking for a bounce-back contract, and the Astros could offer him just that. The 33-year-old is no stranger to the be called upon in key situations, as Givens has 31 saves throughout his nine-year major league career.
In 2022, Givens posted a 27.3-percent strikeout-rate and a 3.38 ERA. For his career, Givens has over 500 punch outs and 3.42 ERA. Though most managers wouldn't turn to Givens as their closer, he still possesses the necessary stuff to get three outs in the ninth inning if need be.
Givens would be a relatively low-cost option, so inking the right-hander to an incentive-laden contract shouldn't be an issue. Of course, the Astros, and any team for that matter, will want to make sure that Givens is fully recovered from the injury he suffered last season. If he is, signing Givens offer the Astros a ton of upside after missing out on Jordan Hicks.
3. Astros should target free agent RHP Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson has been flying under the radar this offseason, and it's a bit of curious situation. Stephenson was 3-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 60 outings last season. Stephenson only logged 52.1 innings, but the numbers speak for themselves.
Stephenson owned a 38.3-percent strikeout-rate and 46.3-percent whiff-rate. Quite simply, Stephenson was a strikeout machine for the Tampa Bay Rays last season. SInce making the move from the rotation to the bullpen, Stephenson has often operated as a two-pitch pitcher with a fastball/ slider combo.
But last season, the right-hander added a cutter and went back to changeup as well. Stephenson was still able to keep his heater in the upper-90s, but turned to his cutter over 40-percent of the time.
The former first-round pick never found much success with the Cincinnati Reds, and was traded to the Colorado Rockies after the 2021 season. Unsurprisingly, his numbers skyrocketed in Denver's thin air, but Stephenson saw his numbers come back to earth after landing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and redeemed himself this past season with the Rays.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to Stephenson this offseason, as have other ball clubs. So if the Astros want to add the hard-throwing righty, now would be good time to get a deal done.
Slowly but surely, the relief market is beginning to dry up. Once the floodgates open, the Astros don't want to be left picking over the scraps. It's time for Houston to make a move and go get a solid reliever.
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