The former member of the Cleveland Indians is reportedly close to signing a deal with the Houston Astros, according to multiple MLB insiders.
While he was reportedly one of the players of interest in the Philadelphia Phillies’ pursuit for a new outfielder, Michael Brantley nevertheless remained on the free-agent market. Now, he’s apparently taking his talents to Texas, where he will, according to the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, be joining the Houston Astros on a deal worth $32 million over two years.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports adds that there is no option for either the team or player, while Jon Morosi of MLB Network confirmed the report. Passan also reported, in a separate tweet, that Brantley had previously discussed several two-year deals with a vesting option for a third year, though he evidently did not end up signing a deal of that kind.
Though a consistent player when healthy, Brantley, 31, has had his problems staying on the field; he’s only appeared in over 100 games twice over the last four years. Still, as a career .295 hitter (18th among active players), he carries a career OBP of .351 and has 87 home runs and 528 RBI to his name.
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A quiet speedster, his 118 stolen bases also place him 47th among active position players. He’s also added 248 doubles (58th among active players ) and 19 triples since reaching the majors in 2009 after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the 2005 draft.
A two-time All Star and a Silver Slugger, Brantley can certainly add a lot to an Astros team that, while not starved for offense, could always benefit from a little extra offensive help. Previously, the Phillies were the only team to show reported interest in him. MLB Trade Rumors ranked him as their tenth best free-agent this offseason, estimating that he’d score a deal worth $45 million over three years, ultimately landing in Atlanta with the Braves.
Though the deal with the Houston Astros has not yet been made official, many insiders, Passan included, have noted that there are still a few details that need to be cleared up. The deal should be made official soon, at which point it’ll be far easier to analyze the full breadth of the contract.