Under-the-radar Astros bullpen candidate holds key advantage over his competitors

We've now got less than a week to go before Opening Day and the remaining roster battles are being whittled down in camp. There are still major question marks about how the Astros will manage their bullpen spots to open the year, as there are a handful of pitchers still in the mix.

One player that might surprise us and make the Opening Day roster is righty Luis Contreras. He's been effective this spring and he's coming off a strong performance in 2024, where he pitched to a 1.74 ERA with a 27.8% strikeout rate in 46.2 innings at Triple-A Sugar Land. He did make his major league debut in Houston last year but threw just six innings with the Astros. He got a bit unlucky but the stuff looked solid when he was on the mound.

One big advantage that Contreras has in the race for one of the final bullpen spots is his roster flexibility. Whereas many of the other relievers in the mix are out of minor league options, Contreras can still be shuttled back and forth between Houston and Sugar Land. That flexibility could prove useful for Astros GM Dana Brown and the front office as they build out the roster in the early going.

Astros' righty Luis Contreras has a leg up in the battle for one of the final bullpen spots in Houston

While players being out of options can typically lead to them getting the early chances, there's one notable exception in Houston right now. Many seem to be running under the assumption that lefty Steven Okert will make the Opening Day roster. Okert signed a minor-league contract back in November and isn't currently on the 40-man; he's just in camp as a non-roster invitee.

The fact that Okert isn't currently on the 40-man, and that he'd have to be subsequently designated for assignment in order to move him off, is arguably part of the case against him. Add in the fact that the Astros will have to pay him $1.2 million if he makes the major league club out of camp and that's yet another factor that favors Contreras.

It's not just Okert, either. Kaleb Ort has had some ups and downs throughout his career and is by no means a lockdown pitcher. He also has yet to pitch in a spring training game and it seems like he's going to start the year on the IL.

Even if Lance McCullers Jr. is ready to go for Opening Day, Contreras seems to have a leg up in this race. His minor league options and his spring performance lead us to believe that he'll start the year in Houston working low-leverage innings out of the bullpen.

If and when players start to get healthy and the Astros need to make some moves, Contreras can be sent down to the minors without penalty to make space. It hasn't been announced yet but don't be surprised to see Contreras on the Opening Day roster this year.

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