Former Astros bullpen favorite reportedly rejoins Houston after surprising Cubs DFA

When the Cubs DFA'ed and released former Astros bullpen ringer Héctor Neris on Tuesday, it was pretty clear that he wouldn't remain a free agent for long. Neris had his troubles in Chicago; his decent 3.89 ERA over 44 innings didn't quite capture the sense of dread Cubs often fans felt while watching him, as he produced a few too many close calls for comfort.

Neris also had a team option for 2025, which the Cubs probably wouldn't have exercised anyway, and which would've become a vesting option if he'd pitched enough. Cutting him off early just officially freed up $9 million for them to work with in the offseason and try to crawl their way back up from what very well might be a losing season this year.

But a reliever with the kind of resumé Neris has was never going to stay a free agent. On Thursday morning, Ari Alexander reported Neris would be returning to Houston on a new deal with the Astros, which was then corroborated by Jon Heyman.

Hector Neris is reported to return to the Astros after being dumped by the Cubs

Before Neris left Houston in free agency last season, he pitched a career-best year out of the pen as occasional closer and more frequent set up man. He gave the Astros 68 1/3 innings when he was mostly unhittable, walking away from the season with a 1.71 ERA. He declined his $8.5 million option last year and only signed with the Cubs for $500,000 more in free agency, a far cry from the three-year, $50 million deal he was reportedly aiming for.

However, now is the perfect time for Neris to return, if the Astros can get him back into the shape he was in last season. Houston is sitting very comfortably atop the AL West as the Mariners continue to slip and slide their way down and out of playoff contention, but the Astros will still have an uphill battle to fight if/when they don't clinch a bye over the Guardians.

It could be that the full-time closer role just didn't suit Neris well in Chicago. In Houston, he'll go back to his usual seventh or eighth inning routine, and that could make all the difference.