HOUSTON -- Only hours after it appeared the Astros were set to lose outfielders George Springer and Michael Brantley to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency, which would have been a devastating blow for their chances to return to the playoffs, the club struck a deal to keep Brantley.
HOUSTON -- Only hours after it appeared the Astros were set to lose outfielders George Springer and Michael Brantley to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency, which would have been a devastating blow for their chances to return to the playoffs, the club struck a deal to keep Brantley.
On a frenetic Wednesday in which rumors about his future swept across social media, Brantley calmed tensions in Houston by agreeing with the Astros on a two-year, $32-million contract, a source told MLB.com. The deal, which is pending a physical, has not been confirmed by the Astros, but is expected to be finalized soon.
Keeping Brantley in an Astros uniform through the 2022 season helps Houston soften the blow of losing the dynamic Springer, who is reportedly headed to the Blue Jays on a five-year, $150-million contract after spending the first seven years of his career with Houston. Reports earlier Wednesday said Brantley was following Springer north of the border, but the Astros met their goal of being able to keep one of their key free-agent outfielders.
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. were among those to celebrate Brantley’s return on social media, with McCullers addressing the Springer loss on Twitter: “I know [Springer isn’t coming back] and it makes me sad but I am very happy for Spring. He was a hell of a player and teammate. … He is an Astro all timer and will be missed for sure.”
Instead of having two open slots in their outfield, the Astros now have one position to fill in center with the departure of Springer. Brantley is likely to start in left field again this year, with budding star Kyle Tucker in right field. The Astros will have to find a starting center fielder, but bringing back Brantley is a huge plus for a team expecting to contend in 2021.
The steady Brantley, who will turn 34 on May 15, originally signed with the Astros as a free agent in October 2018, also on a two-year, $32-million contract. Over the past two seasons, Brantley batted .309/.370/.497 for the club (a 126 OPS+), with 27 home runs and 112 RBIs in 194 games. The left-handed batter is a .297/.354/.440 (116 OPS+) career hitter over 12 seasons for Cleveland and Houston.
Last year, Brantley hit .300 with 15 doubles, five homers and 22 RBIs in 46 games and had an .840 OPS that was second only to Springer on the club. He was terrific in the playoffs, hitting .346 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 13 games, finishing with an 11-game hitting streak.
Brantley started 19 games in left field and 26 at designated hitter in 2020. However, with DH Yordan Alvarez expected to return to the lineup this coming season after having surgery on both knees, Brantley figures to spend most of his time in the outfield going forward.
The Astros will be hard-pressed to replace Springer’s production in center field. He was named the Astros’ Most Valuable Player for 2020 after hitting .265/.359/.540 with 14 home runs, 32 RBIs and 24 walks, including a big second half in which he hit .316/.380/.653 with nine homers and 15 RBIs in 25 games in September. He led the club in OPS and was a sparkplug at the top of Houston’s lineup.
The departure of Springer is the first from among the Astros’ position-player core that helped it win the World Series in 2017. Brantley came aboard prior to the 2019 season, and the Astros came within eight outs of winning a second World Series title that fall.
In addition to Brantley and Tucker in the corner outfield spots, the Astros return their entire starting infield -- Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Correa and Yuli Gurriel -- for 2020, their starting catcher, Martín Maldonado, have a solid rotation and have beefed up their bullpen in recent weeks by signing Ryne Stanek and Pedro Báez.
Losing Springer is a huge blow, but keeping Brantley changes the tenor of what had been a relatively quiet offseason for the Astros and what had been shaping up as a calamitous Wednesday.
Brian McTaggart has covered the Astros since 2004, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow @brianmctaggart on Twitter.
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