NOVEMBER 23: The deal has been announced, meaning Reddick is officially headed to Houston.
NOVEMBER 17: The Astros have struck twice today: after announcing a deal to acquire catcher Brian McCann, the club has now agreed to sign free-agent outfielder Josh Reddick, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). So long as his physical pans out, Reddick will receive a four-year, $52MM deal, per the report.
Houston entered the offseason with an immensely talented roster that didn’t quite meet expectations in 2016. The message all along from GM Jeff Luhnow was that the organization would be aggressive in building around a core that includes top-quality players such as Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, and the fast-rising Alex Bregman.
With Yulieski Gurriel already brought into the fold in a mid-season international signing, it seems that the ’Stros are mostly set on the position-player side of things. But there are still some areas that could see tinkering. Depending upon whether the organization intends to utilize Springer in center, a new regular (or platoon partner for Jake Marisnick) could still be pursued. With Bregman seemingly ensconced at third, Gulieski could spend his time in the corner outfield or perhaps at first base, which is the other area that could conceivably see a new addition.
Like McCann, Reddick will bring a left-handed bat to replace an outgoing player. In this case, it’s Colby Rasmus, who returned to the open market after a disappointing 2016 season. Though the ’Stros had already dealt for Nori Aoki, who might have been in line for a similar role, it could flip him or simply not tender him a contract in arbitration.
Coming into the winter, the big question for Reddick was whether he’d be able to secure a fourth guaranteed year. While noting that possibility, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes wagered that he wouldn’t in a market that is relatively robust on the supply side in corner outfielders. But Houston evidently believes in Reddick, giving the 29-year-old a fairly hefty contract.
Of course, that kind of deal might even have looked light as of the summer trade deadline. At that point, Reddick was in the midst of a quality season for the A’s (despite missing time early with a fractured thumb), which led the Dodgers to make him their primary position-player addition. But Reddick was terrible in August, and ended up being used in a platoon capacity in Los Angeles.
That wasn’t quite the end of the story, of course. Reddick put up a blistering September and ended with a solid overall .281/.345/.405 batting line and ten home runs over 439 plate appearances. Given that he spent much of his time hitting at the O.Co Coliseum, that represented above-average production, though it fell shy of the .269/.326/.448 slash he put up over the two prior campaigns.
There are certainly some questions in Reddick’s game. First and foremost: his ability to hit left-handed pitching. Reddick has always carried rather significant platoon splits, but things didn’t improve last year, as he posted an awful .155/.212/.155 slash over 104 trips to the plate against same-handed pitching. And despite a history of delivering value in the field and on the bases, Reddick didn’t rate very well in either area last year (though DRS disagreed with UZR on the glovework, grading him as an above-average right fielder).
Still, it’s not as big a commitment as it seems when placed in the overall market context. Reddick’s deal represents something like the going rate for solid players who are capable of near-regular playing time. It’s exactly what the Yankees gave Brett Gardner in an extension and just shy of the older Ben Zobrist’s free agent contract from a winter ago. Other outfielders to land in this price range on four-year deals in recent years include Nick Markakis ($44MM), Nick Swisher ($56MM), and Michael Bourn ($48MM).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Astros getting sh*t done lol
yes sir they are doing what needs to be done and a starter and two bullpen arms are on the way
The starter already arrived.
he would better in the bullpen but yeah you are probably rigjt
Uh, you can have him. No solution.
Everyone that is hating on the Astros moves..
y’all are entitled to y’alls own opinion, but if you think we didn’t improve, then yalls baseball iq needs improvement!!
First off, if anyone has watched astros baseball, then you should know Brian McCann’s bat alone is a clear upgrade over Castros .210ba/11HR’s/35rbi’s
Between McCann/Gattis behind the plate, we are finally in great shape there!!
The Redick deal caught me off guard, even with a off year he had, plus injuries, he’s another upgrade over what we had!!
So excited to have 2 bats out of the starting lineup that can’t bat over .220!!
When you have rasmus, and castro batting at the bottom of your lineup, let’s just say it’s hard to get excited!!
McCann/Reddick stay healthy, we should have 7 solid batts, plus Gattis!!
Don’t see how this tandom they replaced won’t improve this team from top to bottom!!
Now let’s get Beltran, and trade some dang prospects, and get a real top of the rotation SP!!
Come again?
Jays dragged their feet. That is a reasonable deal if correct. Maybe they balked at a 4th year?
Happy about not getting him, his defense has gone downhill and he’s been injury-prone. Hoping we get Pierce or maybe swing a trade for someone
You want Jay Bruce?
Typical hater reply lol. Oh I didn’t want that smooth swinging gold glover on a reasonable deal anyways he sucks. Such haters in Toronto all mad EE and Jose are leaving. Your team would’ve been better with reddick. Just stop
Agreed. And no draft pick either. Toronto fans are hilariously dumb.
Reddick a not great though. He’s a platoon player who gets hurt a lot and isn’t as good as he used to be. It’s dumb if you think otherwise
Spot on, dude.
At $13 mil per year he is getting paid as a platoon player. Good sign by Houston
Platoon players get $52 million now? Someone call Sean Rodriguez’s agent.
you didn’t want Josh Reddick because he’s injury prone… but you want Steve Pearce?
No he wants Steve pierce lol. 13 million is nothing to these teams these days. He’s a lefty replacing Rasmus who I remind you accepted the qo last year and made more than 13 million. And reddick is much better. No draft pick this is a great signing and is Toronto would’ve made the move Garuntee you wouldn’t be on here running your damn mouth saying they are stupid for signing him
I don’t know how these moves will work out, and it kills me to say this, but I’m starting to like the Astros a lot especially if Kuechell comes back strong.
Why does it kill you to say that? Rangers fan? [Not saying that in a bad way]
I’m a mariners fan, just making it harder for us to win a division and end the playoff drought, wasn’t super likely anyways.
I don’t know about that. If (and granted big if with any young pitchers) Walker and Paxton take steps, they look pretty solid in that division
A’s fan and I think the M’s still have a chance. If your pitching stays healthy and some of the youngsters like Vogelbach and O’Neill make an impact I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys get a Wild Card. You’re in a far better position than the Angels are lol. Not very far behind Tex and Houston either.
I could see Texas falling off this year but the Mariners always find a way to finish 1 or 2 games out of the playoffs. And another thing that happens is that next season an 84 win team will win the second wild card just because the Mariners won 86 this year and diddnt make it.
As an Astros fan I honestly want the Mariners to be our division rival.. You’re far.. FAAAAR more worthy than those damn Rangers..
Astros making moves today!!!
Nice job Astros dang gettin your work done
Uh, … nothing more than average, fans!
filling 2 holes on an already good team with average players goes a long way…?
Hope they get Edwin, im thinking they sign hammel too to get another veteran in there. Love altuve, would love to see him be clutch in the playoffs
It’s an okay move. They would’ve been better off just staying on the phone with the Yankees been getting Brett Gardner
*and
Nice pick-up.
Would’ve liked to see this guy with the birds on the bat.
God no… Reddick isn’t what Cards needed.
Who would you suggest the Cards get for the outfield?
Yeah Astros! Get some!
They have.
Thank god the bravos didn’t touch him with all of the reported interest. We didn’t sign him in free agency in his walk year shouldn’t want him now as he hits his mid thirties. McCann is washed up now. I love the reddick pick up by them very clean smart move for a solid player
lol McCann is far from “washed up”. but whatever fits your narrative as a fan. w/e makes you feel better
99 ops plus is washed up for the player he used to be
While both McCann and Reddick are good bats that will help the young core, let’s just say that neither are the impact bats expected when Cabrera and Encarnacion were floated out there.
Looks like Reed is being gifted 1B which I don’t like.
No Gurriel will go to first.
Great team so far for the Astros !!!
That’s a gosh darn good lineup right there.
Springer
Bregman
Altuve
Correa
Gattis
Reddick
McCann
Gurriel
Aoki
If the Angles make a move for a Dozier or some other 2B, the AL West is gonna be fun to watch.
Angels can’t afford dozier unless they include trout in the deal, their farm system is laughable.
Skaggs whichever good prospects they have left could get it done from what I’ve heard, and if not, they could always get Hernandez or even Utley.
Skaggs plus*
That’s the thing. Angels have no good prospects and the Twins won’t be interested in pitchers that have had their service clocks ticking for a couple years already. Skaggs is great but by the time the Twins are ready to compete he’ll probably be a year or two away from free agency which does them no good. Angels ain’t getting Dozier.
Yeah I’m not a believer it will happen either, but anything is possible really. I think they’ll get Hernandez though, and again, if not him then Utley.
Doubtful Angels can afford to trade away Skaggs anyways. Angels are pretty thin in starting rotation anyways and he is one of few legit major league arms. They have been assembling a lot of projects lately (a lot of them going to the AAA rotation), but you don’t want to rely on them.
the angels would have to trade Skaggs or Shoemaker plus Nate Smith or another prospects to get Dozier. I would rather give up a second round draft pick and get justin turner and still add pieces for the rotation
The Angels have no prospects their farm system is a joke
Yup. Hernandez is a nice supplemental piece, but there are too many question marks in rotation to thin it out for a supporting role player. If you gotta gamble, gotta gamble on FA’s, esp with a protected 1rd pick on hand.
angels are not getting hernadez. they are also not getting dozier. i’m prepared for another bad 2b.
I think Reddick bats closer to top though. Have to split up those righties
Yeah I don’t like all the righties grouped up either, Hinch just seemed like he wanted to group Springer, Bregman, Altuve, and Correa up in the 1-4 spots last year and I’m not sure if that would change or not.
If the they can pick up another outfielder, even through trade or free agency, and move Aoki to the bench, its even better.
You think Aoki is better than several younger outfielders with better speed, defense, and power?
Pretty good signing, with their lineup next year they might be able to challenge for the wild card.
Gurriel not Gulieski just a heads up
Good for them. This is a solid pick up. I personally wasn’t too big of his work as a Dodgers so I wasn’t hoping we would bring him back but I do think he is a solid player and will help the Astros out. Hopefully he can stay healthy for them. They’ve had a pretty big day today. Wonder if my Dodgers will start making some moves soon. I know we made a few trades but I want to see them actually sign someone or make a bigger trade. Good for the Astros though on this signing and trading for McCann.
Now I wonder who the O’s will go after?
Find a washed up guy who will cost you a draft pick in February and there’s your answer
That’s how Duquette operates. It seems like the players that make the most sense for them are the ones they don’t try signing.
lol Cruz was washed up? Nice try.
Sorry should I say question mark instead?
Wow, if that Gurriel guy pans out like they think he will that is a crazy good young lineup for years to come.
Gurriel is 32 already. While a lot of the rest of their lineup is young, he is definitely not.
@Whyamihere
32 is so old? I’m not comparing abilities here.
Robinson Cano 34
Edwin Encarnación 33
Carlos Beltran 39
Adrián Beltré 37
Jayson Werth 37
Ryan Zimmerman 32
Ben Zobrist 35
Age is irrelevant,, David Ross, Bartolo Colon, Julio Franco, Jamie Moyer, Greg Maddux, Cal Ripken Jnr etc Enough said.,
Beltran has been declning for years, so has Beltre. Werth is a shell of his former self, Zimmerman has been on decline. Even Zobrist showed signs of decline. Colon isn’t pitching like he used to in 2005 either. Age matters a lot,
Beltre has actually been pretty amazingly consistent as he’s aged, especially defensively.
Beltre hit 300/358/521 in 2016 in 153 games.
I agree, and if you look at how many games/ab’s he’s had compared to those guys!!
If there was such a thing, I think he’d be a young 32 year old, with less miles on him compared to those guys, but we will see!!
I know watching Bregman, and Gurriel after about a month, of adjusting to big league pitching looked great!!!
If we can get Beltran or EE, plus a trade for a top tier ace type SP, this team could be scary!!
Why would you say that? The two guys they got today are about league average w bat and both declining.
So what does this mean for our chances to sign Encarnacion or another big bat?
The most likely move from here in terms of position players would be Mike Napoli at 1B
Am I the only person who thinks Reddick cannot hit left handed pitching? I just don’t get the allure of this guy looking at his stats against lefties.
What am I missing?
You are correct. He’s a long side platoon RF whose value was heavily tied up in D, but that declined badly last year.
OK thanks, I thought maybe I was going insane because nobody ever points that out, but I guess maybe it’s just because it’s obvious?
That’s a lot of money for a platoon player.
Still think I’m missing something??? Any of the sabermetrics guys on here able to relate this to WAR?
average $/war is about 8.5m. So even if he’s a platoon bat and decent rf, he’ll be worth the contract. you’re looking at less than 2 wins a season to break even.
$13M a year isn’t a lot of money for a 2-3 WAR outfielder. It’s about right.
Didn’t Reddick’s big wrist injury happen in Houston? Guess he’s trying to relive that nightmare again. He’s also a .194/.245/.388/.634 OPS in 110 PA in Minute Maid, so he’s not going there to pad stats, which he would do in Toronto, Baltimore or Texas. Matter of fact, Texas is the only AL West park he hits well in. Sure they’re all small samples, but 100+ PA isn’t -too- small. Just some moderately interesting notes on this. I think Houston could have done better but Reddick’s whatever, if he hits he’s good, if he doesn’t he isn’t.
padding his stats for what? his age 33 contract? I’m sure he took the deal that was most guaranteed money with a fit he felt decent with and counted it as a success to his life.
Chance to compete on a decent young team, larger market, good farm system, solid money and years. Yeah sounds like a pretty logical fit if i’m in his position.
Not sure Deke if his platoon issues were in the original article (been awhile since it was first posted and I know they make updates) but it is included in the article now. Reddick is far from a perfect outfielder, but he should be a solid addition to the Astros.
Yeah it’s not awful. Bit of an overpay but in the ballpark. I guess that’s what you have to do to wrap guys up early.
The thing about his platoon issues is that it’s relatively easy to find right-handed batters who can mash lefties. Steve Pearce, for example. And a lot of those guys are cheap, quadruple-A type players. Franklin Gutierrez is a free agent and he fits the bill perfectly.
If you have a player with a massive platoon split you’d prefer it to be from the left side because 70% of major league pitchers are right-handed.
Both MLBTR and Heyman predicted him at 3/36. Does that mean everyone else goes up?
No, it means the Astros overpaid (twice in one day!)
This is good news for dexter fowler’s camp
Good point! What do you think he is in line for now?
He has a QO attached, so you have to take that into account, probably something similar to this
Why? They play different positions and Fowler is a switch-hitter who’s much better from the right. They’re not in the same market.
Perfect signing for the Astros
Make a big splash and go out and trade for Cutch from the Pirates and use him as a corner OF
They just signed a corner outfielder? Get Cutch and use him as a CF, that I can see.
Who do you see starting in the OF? And if Aoki is in there you are better off going after Cutch.
Marwin Gonzalez is a very undervalued utility player. He’s capable along with less seasoned players such as teoscar Hernandez, Preston Tucker and Jake Marisnick. I do agree on making a splash but considering the prospect depth in the outfield, I’d go for either signing encarnacion or trade their young prospects for some top shelf pitching.
Agree with ya 100% Margo is one of the most undervalued true utility player in baseball!!
When his bat is hot, you can stick him anywhere in the infield, and even put him in the outfield, and he never complains.
I agree I’d have him playing over Jake, even though he’s a great defensive OF..
Luhnow said they would spend more, and go over last years payroll, and if memory is right, we are still $18M under last years payroll!!
So again I agree with you go after EE, or even Beltran, and trade our young prospects for a top shelf SP..
Not a particular fan of Reddick. Never have been. He’s not horrible- like I can see him getting 1.5-2.5 WAR a year in this contract which isn’t that bad, but his defense is falling off, his on base numbers are poor, he’s injury prone and power doesn’t age particularly well. When that powers gone, all he’ll have to fall back on is his .260 average.
Good for Houston for going for it, but it rarely works out (see 2016: ARI, CWS/ 2015 SD CWS/ TOR 2013/ MIA 2012)
Hate the McCann trade too. They gave up a potential front end starter who throws 99, a possible late inning reliever who throws 102-103 with control and took on an additional $11,500,000 annually for a catcher in his age 33 and 34 season. While he might provide some power and a decent club house presence, the chance of decline is astronomical.
You obviously don’t watch the bottom of our batting order!!
Rasmus .206ba/15HR’s/54rbi’s 121k’s in 369Ab’s
Reddick .286ba/10HR’s/37rbi’s 56k’s in 398Ab’s
Castro .210ba/11HR’s/32rbi’s 123k’s in 329Ab’s
McCann .242/20HR’s/58rbi’s 99k’s in 429Ab’s
Many more boring stats that proves the Astros letting go Castro for McCann, and Rasmus for Reddick, will improve this ball club!!
I think when it comes down to the bottom of the order with runners in scoring position with less then 2 outs, we have a better chance of those two players making contact then what we had!!
Now I know we didn’t sign all stars, or guys in there prime, but with them mixed in with these group of
Springer
Bregman
Altuve
Correa
Gurriel
Gattis
It’s hard not to think this club will score more runs then with the other 2!!
Now we are still $18M below our original payroll, with our gm stating he’s going to spend more then our original payroll!
so they either add EE, or Beltran, and Trade our prospects, for a top of the rotation type pitcher!!
Ugh. This contract looks worse than the Andre Ethier deal. Reddick isn’t a special player. Not a game changer. I’m surprised Houston was this aggressive in signing him.
I like the moves the Astros are making. Lunhow is sending the signal that they don’t want players with a QO attached. I see plenty of risk in McCann, Reddick, Noki, and Morton, but it’s low risk for the club.
The Astros still have a great farm and lots of pitching prospects. They’ve gotten better without depleting the future.
Now the question is if they’ll trade for ace or two their chances with depth.
Is he not on the top 50 list?