Astros looking to add closer, build dominant bullpen
While the MLB offseason is often unpredictable, one thing that is now crystal clear is the Houston Astros desire to add a closer.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported the Astros are ‘hell-bent’ on getting something done over the winter, and have already made several phone calls to express interest in various options.
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Among Houston’s top targets are Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds, Andrew Miller of the New York Yankees, and Brad Boxberger of the Tampa Bay Rays. They’ve also checked in with the Philadelphia Phillies about Ken Giles, who stepped in as closer after Jonathan Papelbon was traded to the Washington Nationals, and are said to be eyeing free agents as well.
Needless to say, it would be a major disappointment and a mild upset at this point if Houston doesn’t land a desired target. But the question is: does general manager Jeff Luhnow need to be this determined to add an impact arm in his bullpen?
That may ultimately depend on the price — whether it be prospects or money — required to land the reliever. Late-inning relief help isn’t a glaring need after Houston’s bullpen played a key role in their success last season. Long-time set up reliever Luke Gregerson handled the closer’s role well, and with Pat Neshek, Josh Fields and Will Harris helping bridge the gap, manager A.J. Hinch had steady options at the ready.
Of course, the Astros also know how volatile relievers can be. They are two years removed from having the worst bullpen in baseball. Granted, they had far less talent then than they do now, but banking on repeat success across the board can be dangerous. Continuing to add depth should keep them from falling into that discussion again.
Another wake up call likely came in the postseason, when Houston was six outs away from clinching their ALDS against the Kansas City Royals. Houston’s bullpen unraveled in the eighth inning of Game 4, allowing Kansas City to extend and ultimately win the series in Game 5. Having one extra top notch reliever that could cover an inning or more could have made a difference in that game and in that series, and easily could have changed the landscape of the entire postseason.
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The idea is to shorten games, which is exactly what those same Royals have done over the last two seasons. Even without closer Greg Holland in the postseason, they still had multiple powerful and versatile arms available. That remarkable depth was key to their success, and it’s why they’re also exploring additions to their bullpen this winter.
So that’s the Astros plan. It’s a difficult one to argue against, again given Kansas City’s success over the past two seasons. It remains to be seen which relivers the Astros value more though, or the lengths they’re willing to go to land them. ‘Hell-bent’ indicates we should expect some aggressive offers, but the market could lead it somewhere else entirely. Stay tuned.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
