6 former Astros players that Houston could reunite with this offseason

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The Houston Astros should be looking to make significant changes to their roster in an ideal world. While the team did just make a run to the ALCS, the Astros also lost some fairly significant pieces from their bullpen and even their lineup once the 2023 season came to an end and could use some upgrades at other roster spots as well.

Unfortunately, that is going to be easier said than done as Dana Brown has already expressed this offseason that Houston is not going to have a lot of payroll flexibility going into 2024. Combine that with the need to hopefully extend Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, and Kyle Tucker and you have the recipe for a quieter-than-hoped-for offseason. However, nothing is set in stone and there are some familiar faces on the market that could be interesting options for the Astros even if a couple of them are long shots.

Here are 6 former Astros that the team could reunite with this offseason

Just to be clear: this isn't a list of recommendations. In fact, there are a couple of guys here that would be decidedly disappointing additions back to the roster. However, the goal is to cover a wide ranges of potential outcomes this offseason and there is a real possibility that the Astros retreat to familiar waters and sign guys they know well for cheap instead of making meaningful upgrades. However, there is also the (slight) chance that Dana Brown surprises all of us and is more aggressive than he is letting on. If that happens, we'll have some options for that as well.

Let's take a look at some former Astros that could end up back in Houston before the offseason concludes.

Martin Maldonado

Martin Maldonado was a fine player for a long time with the Astros and no one should argue otherwise. Maldy never could hit much, but his management of the pitching staff and defensive ability ability more than made up for that....until last season. In 2023, not only did Maldonado's offense continue to dip, but his defensive acumen left him as well which resulted in one of the worst seasons in all of MLB.

When Maldonado hit free agency and Yainer Diaz was declared the every day catcher, it was good news all around. The problem now is that Houston needs a backup catcher and one option that has been repeatedly floated around is the Astros bringing Maldy back. There certainly better options available at the moment on the free agent market when it comes to backup catchers, but don't underestimate the Astros' inability to quit Maldonado.

Phil Maton

While Hector Neris hitting free agency got the most press (more on him in a moment), losing Phil Maton as a free agent was no small loss for the Astros' bullpen. After a couple mediocre stints with the Guardians and Padres, Maton really found himself in Houston. Over the last two seasons, Maton has posted a 3.42 ERA while striking out 10 batters per nine innings pitched. While he isn't the guy you would prefer to use in high leverage situation, Maton excels as a 6th/7th inning guy that is dependable.

The good news for Houston is that there is still a chance Maton could return. While the Mets have already been rumored to have their eye on Maton for their bullpen and there are almost certainly several other teams in the running, Maton's asking price isn't likely to be beyond what Houston could do this offseason. Given his success with the Astros, a reunion makes a ton of sense even if such a move only starts to get the Houston bullpen back to even with 2023.

Hector Neris

This is where things get tougher because the amount of money in play for Hector Neris is fairly substantial. Neris was a revelation for the Astros in 2023 as he posted a 1.71 ERA while missing bats at a high clip. His 3.83 FIP does seem to indicate a certain amount of good fortune when it comes to balls in play, but his track record is still one of a very productive reliever.

Unfortunately, all of those appearances this past season resulted in Neris' contract option for 2024 being converted into a player option. Once the season ended, Neris decided to leave $8.5 million next season on the table and declined that option in search of a bigger payday which he absolutely deserves. The good news is that Dana Brown has already said he has reached out to Neris' camp and bringing him back is on the table. However, Houston is going to have to show some more willingness to spend this offseason or the Astros need to shed some payroll before such a reunion is even a possibility.

Josh Hader

Josh Hader is famously a part of one of the worst trades in Astros history when they sent Hader to the Brewers back in 2015. Hader would go on to become one of the best relievers in the game while the Astros got to wonder what might have been. While Hader's 2022 season was a bit of a disaster, his other six seasons have been tremendous including 2023 where he put up a 1.28 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 56.1 innings of work while making his fifth All-Star team.

Hader is going to be incredibly expensive to sign, especially for a reliever, and again, the Astros have made it well-known that they seem to be operating under some payroll constraints. However, there has been enough smoke out there that those limitations aren't set in stone and what better way to address their need for a strong lefty reliever than by bringing Hader back to Houston? Hader would instantly make the bullpen a strength of the Astros' roster which would lessen the need to find a starting pitcher that can eat a ton of innings.

Chris Devenski

On the other side of the coin, we have budget options to address the bullpen. With all of key departures from the Astros' relief corps, Houston may need to be creative in filling roster spots while not breaking the bank. One option is a guy that was in Houston's bullpen from 2016-2020 (and was good for the first couple of years), Chris Devenski.

Again, it is important to not oversell Devenski as he has been a guy that has had to bounce around the league ever since he left Houston. However, he still throws in the mid-90's doesn't walk a lot of batters, and does get some swing and miss even if his strikeout numbers aren't overly exciting. For a team that is just going to need some bullpen depth, the Astros could do a lot worse.

Will Smith

So the Astros do need a lefty reliever and unfortunately, the best left-handed bullpen arms on the free agent market are going to be in high demand. However, one lefty arm that could be an option (although probably shouldn't be) is Will Smith who spent half a season in 2022 terrifying Astros fans, but generally getting a decent result.

Smith's best days are long behind him. He was stellar with the Brewers and Giants and his postseason performance with the Braves has been well-documented, but he is pretty much a 4ish ERA guy who doesn't get ground balls and gets harder than one would want from a guy with his profile. However, his slider is still a fantastic pitch and assuming he isn't looking to get big time money, he is a lefty that could very well be on Houston's radar.

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