Houston Astros cut bait with controversial closer Roberto Osuna

The Houston Astros have released Roberto Osuna.

The Houston Astros overcame quite the justifiably noisy offseason to make it to the ALCS, but they ultimately fell short against the spreadsheets of the Tampa Bay Rays. While they will try to retain a good chunk of their core as they try to get back to the postseason in 2021, but Roberto Osuna will not be a part of their revamped 2021 team.

Jake Kaplan of The Athletic confirmed that Osuna has been placed on outright waivers. Osuna was due to make around $10 million in 2021, but new general manager James Click decided to cut bait.

Roberto Osuna barely played in 2020 due to his injury

Osuna broke into the league at the age of 20, and he almost immediately became one of the game’s most lights-out closers. While Osuna’s ugly, career-defining domestic violence incident ended his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he quickly found a home in Houston. In 93 games as an Astro, Osuna pitched to a 2.45 ERA and saved 51 games. 2020 was a bit of a wash, however, as Tommy John surgery ended his season after just four appearances.

Ryan Pressly, a 2019 All-Star, was handed the ninth-inning role by Dusty Baker, and he posted a 3.43 ERA while saving 12 games for the ALCS-bound Astros. It’s easy to see that Pressly handling himself well factored into this decision, as the bullpen-starved Astros that are already down Josh James clearly have tons of confidence in Pressly.

Osuna’s injury might have ended his career in Houston, but he will only be 26 next year and he is coming off a season in which he led the league in saves. Even with all of his baggage, Osuna will likely have a few teams interested in his services considering how deadly he has been in the postseason.