Houston Astros sign veteran reliever Pedro Baez
Pedro Baez agreed to a two-year contract with the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
In their continued pursuit of adding bullpen depth, the Houston Astros signed veteran reliever Pedro Baez on Wednesday night. Jorge Castillo of The Los Angeles Times broke the news.
Pedro Báez and the Astros have agreed on a two-year contract, per source. The deal is pending a physical. Báez, a converted third baseman, had a 3.03 ERA in seven seasons with the Dodgers.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) January 13, 2021
According to reports, the deal is worth a guaranteed two years and $10 million. Houston retains a $7.5 million club option for the third year in 2023 and a buyout worth $2 million. Baez may prove his worth in this deal, as the deal and buyout may both increase dependent on innings pitched.
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The Baez signing comes just a week after the Astros signed Ryne Stanek, a right-handed reliever who spent the past 1.5 years with the Miami Marlins. While neither contract fully addresses the Astros’ bullpen holes, the Baez deal prevails as the better one.
Baez owns seven years of MLB experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old righty pitches to a career 3.03 ERA and 1.096 WHIP. Last season, Baez saw action in 18 games, notching two saves while allowing six earned runs in 17 innings of work.
Houston found themselves just one game shy of another World Series appearance last season despite an incredibly average bullpen. The Astros’ bullpen ranked 15th in team ERA (4.39) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.6). Entering the offseason, Houston lost three relievers to free agency in Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski, and Brad Peacock. While the trio struggled with injuries last year, they combined to eat up 225.2 innings in 2019.
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Baez and Stanek add valuable depth to Houston’s bullpen, but the Astros still lack a reliable option at closer. The club also has serious issues to address in the outfield with three of last year’s starting options hitting free agency in October. Don’t expect Houston to be finished making moves this offseason.