Houston Astros: Revisiting Michael Brantley deal after first season
By Ben Fadden
The Houston Astros made one of the best deals last winter by signing Michael Brantley, so let’s look back at his impact in his first season in H-Town.
The Houston Astros needed some outfield help before the 2019 season. They were losing utility man Marwin Gonzalez and so if they wanted to get back to the Fall Classic that was a move that had to be completed.
And by did Jeff Luhnow do that. After a long tenure with the Cleveland Indians, Michael Brantley wanted to be in the World Series again, so he signed a 2-year, $32 million contract with the Houston Astros to be the left fielder.
He was silently one of the best hitters in the American League in 2019, hitting .311 with over 20 homers and OPS north of .870.
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The Astros dealt with some injuries last year including some hitters in the middle of the lineup like Carlos Correa and George Springer, but with the help of Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley, the Astros were able to clinch the American League West again.
In the World Series, Brantley stepped up big in Games 3 and 4 on the road at Nationals Park, delivering 2 and 3 hits respectively to get Houston back in the series.
Of course, they couldn’t win one home game so that is why they lost to the Washington Nationals, but I’m not so sure they would have even gotten there without Michael Brantley.
The Astros still have his services for one more season, so they should be competing for another World Series appearance but it will be tougher in what will most likely be the first season without ace Gerrit Cole to lead the rotation.
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Although the Brantley contract is for only two years, it is no doubt going to be a successful $32 million invested for the Houston Astros because they got a guy who shows up every day and just does his job.