4 former Astros Players We're Glad Are No Longer With the Club

The Houston Astros seem to be one of the most efficient teams in Major League Baseball when it comes to bringing new players into the organization. Whether it's via amateur draft, free agent signing or trade acquisition, very rarely have there been misfires from the club over the past decade or so.

Since the Astros' rise to prominence began, the team has won two World Series championships in under 10 years. Through and through, it's one of the best-run organizations in the game.

As close to perfect as a team can be, we all know that nobody is perfect, especially in this game.

Let's break down 4 former Astros players that we are glad moved on from the team.

No. 4: RHP Jake Odorizzi

Odorizzi, a longtime member of the Tampa Bay Rays, has been a decent starter over the course of his 11-year career, but has never been able to elevate his game to the next level.

Coming off of a 2019 All-Star Game selection and an injury-riddle 2020 season, he signed a two-year, $23.5M contract with the Astros prior to the 2021 season and just never fully found his footing in Houston.

In the next two years, he made 36 appearances and wasn't able to gain the trust of Astros fans during his tenure on the club. He went 10-10 with a 4.04 ERA in 164+ innings and had a 102 ERA+, which technically is above league-average, but was a bit too erratic for fans to watch and was an easy trade candidate last year.

Sure enough, he was flipped to the Braves in exchange for left-handed reliever Will Smith and once he joined Atlanta, he had his doors blown off, posting a 5.24 ERA and 5.14 FIP in 46+ innings, further proving that he may have lost his way and was absolutely undeserving of a spot in Houston.

No. 2: RHP Pedro Báez

In what can easily be described as the worst contract James Click ever brought to the Astros during his time here, Pedro Báez' two-year, $12.5M deal just stunk up the joint from the get-go.

The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers reliever had experienced significant success as an oft-used middle relief weapon for the Dodgers for the first seven years of his big league career. As a matter of fact, an argument could be made that Báez was one of the best non-closer relievers in the league for a few years.

Shortly after Báez signed his deal with the Astros, he missed time in Spring Training thanks to a positive COVID test and then in the first month of the regular season was placed on the 60-day injured list with shoulder soreness.

He performed well in the extremely limited action he had in 2021 (2.08 ERA in four games and 4.1 innings), but this is not what the Astros signed up for when they signed him to multi-year pact.

Last year, he made three regular season appearances for the team before they had seen enough. He was designated for assignment on April 26th, exactly one year after he was placed on the 60-day injured list the year before.

Báez was no doubt a good intention signing by the Astros. He had been so good for so long for one of the game's best teams, how could this possibly change by coming to Houston? Injuries shoved him out the door before his contract could even expire and he is now a free agent with seemingly no real suitors for his services.

No. 1: RHP Gerrit Cole

Wait, what?

Yes, Gerrit Cole, the man who struck out over 300 batters in 2019 and won 20 games that year is a player that many Astros fans are glad to have off the team.

Most of this could be because he left the Astros to join the "Evil Empire" in the Bronx, the New York Yankees, but there are other factors to take into consideration as well.

First off, Cole has emerged as a whiner in the press, remember this? MLB's recent crackdown on "sticky stuff" has affected him perhaps more than any other pitcher in the game. While he still has been successful post-crackdown (13-8 last year with 257 strikeouts and an All-Star Game selection), the numbers definitely dipped.

Then there's his issues with umpires last year when a few strikes didn't go his way. Beyond that? He blamed Billy Crystal's first pitch on why he wasn't on his A-game in a start against the Red Sox.

He's a damn good pitcher, but the negative press is starting to build.

Alongside his antics on the field, Cole is also a very, very expensive pitcher that the Astros just wouldn't want to keep on the payroll. He performed at an ace level during his two years with the club, but his gigantic nine-year, $324M contract is just insane and just is not a smart business move to make by any team. He's going to be 37-years-old by the time his contract expires (assuming he does not exercise his opt-out clause), which could very well backfire on the Yankees.

Again, Cole was an incredible pitcher for the Astros and remains one of the top arms in the American League. However, his contract is going to be an albatross down the line and Houston should be grateul to have avoided this pending mess.

Of course, Houston had the last laugh. Never forget...