3 free agent contracts Houston Astros should’ve matched this offseason
By Kevin Henry
Contract that should have been matched by the Houston Astros: Matt Strahm
Take a look on FanGraphs at the projected bullpen for the Astros to start the season and you will notice something striking about the relief corps. According to projections, Houston manager Dusty Baker won’t have a southpaw to call upon in relief to begin the campaign.
While there are certainly plenty of solid reliever choices for Baker (including closer Ryan Pressly and setup man Rafael Montero), adding a southpaw to the bullpen would seem to make sense, and so would the Astros matching the two years and $15 million the Philadelphia Phillies gave to Matt Strahm in December.
The 31-year-old left-hander saw action in 50 games for the Boston Red Sox last season, posting a 3.83 ERA/3.72 FIP/1.231 WHIP. Those numbers rose noticeably after Strahm finished the season on a down note, allowing at least one run in four of his last five appearances.
Sure, the downturn didn’t help, but Strahm will provide the Phillies bullpen a veteran left-handed option this season. Who knows, if the cards fall right, Strahm could be pitching against the Astros in a Fall Classic repeat rather than for them.