Houston Astros: Forget other lefties and give Fernando Abad a chance

Even though the offseason has been mostly uneventful, the Houston Astros are a better team than they were last year. And they can be even better by making a quiet signing.

Other than a few arbitration settlements, the Houston Astros have been quiet since their acquisition of Gerrit Cole. It makes sense considering how stacked their current roster is.

However, general manager Jeff Luhnow can make some moves to improve his club even more. One recycled idea is to sign a left-handed reliever. And Fernando Abad could be a cheap, but beneficial option.

Houston currently possesses a few relievers that don’t struggle against lefties. Chris Devenski foiled lefties on the mound, posting a .111 batting average against and a measly .178 on-base percentage. But both Ken Giles and Will Harris consistently kept opposing players off base.

Nevertheless, the Astros lack left-handed options in their pen. Tony Sipp must rebound to keep a job in the majors, while Anthony Gose and Buddy Boshers might get an opportunity early on. Reymin Guduan and Cionel Perez are also on the roster.

Abad is a better option. While he struggled during his first stint in Houston, he was most reliable in three of his last four seasons. His worst ERA was a shade over 4.15, and that was back in 2015.

Though he isn’t overly dominant, especially against right-handers, he gets outs against lefties. The southpaw limited lefties to 26 hits across 39 2/3 innings in 2016 and 2017 combined. He registered 38 strikeouts in that span as well.

And he succeeded throughout much of his career with an effective repertoire. Hitters garnered nothing better than a .205 average against any of his off-speed pitches in each of the last two years. Abad limited opponents to a minuscule .185 average with his changeup in his first eight years.

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What makes Abad more appealing is his cost. Current free agents asked for loads of money, but the Dominican would be cheap. He received no more than $2 million in each of his first eight seasons.

The 31-year-old still has issues to work on before Spring Training arrives. He walks far too many players to be an efficient setup man. That doesn’t mean he won’t be serviceable in important situations.

Abad still isn’t the quintessential pitcher among his colleagues. Tony Watson deserves some publicity because of his past success. He had late-inning experience and pitched well for the Dodgers in the postseason.

But admittedly the Astros prefer to save money rather than spend a lot more at this point. There are many options left on the market. Some will remain even as Spring Training inches closer and closer.

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Yet, the Astros should take a chance on Abad. He would be a much safer bet than any of their current left-handed options – or Francisco Liriano.