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Astros Sign Steve Cishek To Minor League Deal

By Connor Byrne | February 9, 2021 at 4:20pm CDT

The Astros have signed veteran reliever Steve Cishek to a minor league contract, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The right-hander’s deal includes an invitation to major league camp. He’ll earn a $2.25MM salary with incentives if he makes the Astros’ roster, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The incentives could reach $1.5MM, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Cishek, 34, has taken a big league mound for six teams and generally been quite successful since he began with the Marlins in 2010. Although he has only averaged about 91 mph on his fastball, the former closer has 132 saves to his name and has registered a stingy 2.78 ERA/3.36 SIERA with an above-average 25.2 percent strikeout rate across 576 innings. Cishek has also been a durable late-game option, having piled up 54 or more innings on eight occasions.

While Cishek was effective as recently as 2019 with the Cubs, his production dropped off with the crosstown rival White Sox a season ago, which is why he didn’t get a guaranteed contract this winter. Cishek, whom the White Sox signed to a $6MM deal, mustered a disappointing 5.40 ERA/4.47 SIERA in 20 frames with the club. And though Cishek has usually induced grounders at a solid rate (48.9 percent), he posted a career-worst 32.2 in that department and also put up slightly below-average strikeout and walk percentages of 22.6 and 9.7, respectively.

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Houston Astros Transactions Steve Cishek

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View Comments (31)
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31 Comments

  1. DarkSide830

    4 years ago

    cmon DD

    Reply
    • VonPurpleHayes

      4 years ago

      @Darkside Yeah. This seems like a miss by the Phillies to me. So many good-buy-low relievers out there. Need to sign some of them.

      Reply
    • Phantom X

      4 years ago

      Agreed. This would have been the perfect signing. Damnit!

      Reply
    • ChiSox_Fan

      4 years ago

      Dumpster divin’!!!

      Reply
    • Unclenolanrules

      4 years ago

      Yeah good luck with your bullpen with Dombrowski. I like the guy as a GM but he sucks at bullpens. You better hope Phillies ownership buys a couple relievers over his head.

      1
      Reply
    • LordD99

      4 years ago

      Guys like Cishek and O’Day going for a little over $2M a pop seem like misses to me.

      Reply
  2. Cubsforever22

    4 years ago

    Good for Steve, hope he has a great season. Good dude.

    3
    Reply
  3. PapiElf

    4 years ago

    Besides an outlier 2020 season, he’s been a really solid arm who been able to throw innings. He’s a guy who would be good for any team (except the White Sox).

    2
    Reply
    • ChiSoxCity

      4 years ago

      He’s 34.

      Reply
      • itsgonnahappen

        4 years ago

        Hey, I’m 34! Are you saying my window for being a MLB pitcher is closing?! I guess I’ll start working out today before my chance slips away.

        What’s it take, 3 or 4 workouts to get in shape?

        Reply
  4. Guyh

    4 years ago

    She said she saw Steve Cishek sell seashells by the seashore ^_^

    14
    Reply
    • ChiSox_Fan

      4 years ago

      Childish!

      Reply
  5. BKS1110

    4 years ago

    Really solid pickup. No risk, potentially high reward.

    3
    Reply
  6. gallenofbeer

    4 years ago

    You get a minor league deal, you get a minor league deal, EVERYBODY GETS A MINOR LEAGUE DEAL! -Oprah (Probably)

    5
    Reply
  7. Very Barry

    4 years ago

    I don’t think Cishek has anything left. He gave the White Sox nothing last year. He threw an awful lot of innings with the Cubs. He has nothing left.

    1
    Reply
    • DarkSide830

      4 years ago

      yes, a few games worth of bad innings makes you washed up…

      5
      Reply
      • ChiSoxCity

        4 years ago

        He’s an aging RP, not a unicorn.

        Reply
  8. Hefty

    4 years ago

    As a Sox fan…he could bounce back but he missed too many spots leaving that sweeping slider over the plate far too often. Dude got tattooed almost every time he was brought in.

    2
    Reply
    • itsgonnahappen

      4 years ago

      2020 was a wash for half the league. You can’t start/stop/start and expect everyone to just play like they’re robots.

      Finely tuned athletic machines need to be finely tuned. And don’t spit in da ca ca ca coola

      Reply
  9. DCartrow

    4 years ago

    Can Meshach and Abednego be far behind?

    Between the three they’ll win Fireman of the Year in a walk, baby!!!

    Reply
    • raef715

      4 years ago

      well played but wouldnt it be Shadrach and Abednego behind Cishek?

      Reply
  10. Ducky Buckin Fent

    4 years ago

    Nice.

    They brought in a side armer to bang on the trash can. Clever.

    5
    Reply
    • YakAttack

      4 years ago

      Herr derr

      Reply
    • Michael Carder

      4 years ago

      Will you ever let it go?

      1
      Reply
      • Ducky Buckin Fent

        4 years ago

        Lol

        That’s my first trash can joke ever.
        I did enjoy the term “banging scheme” for a bit, however.

        Reply
  11. Dock_Elvis

    4 years ago

    Seemed like a very A’s type signing just about now.

    Reply
  12. Justanotherstrosfan

    4 years ago

    This is a good signing on the Astros part. Brent Strom has worked wonders with less than this. Possibly the closer that they didnt have for a buy low, bounce back type player.

    Reply
    • southern lion

      4 years ago

      Ryan Pressly will be the closer, at least to begin the season.

      Reply
      • lsujedi

        4 years ago

        Gross. But yeah he probably will be.

        Reply
  13. Dock_Elvis

    4 years ago

    Knock knock
    Who’s there?
    Quit asking questions! We told you two knocks was a change up.

    Reply
  14. PutPeteinthehall

    4 years ago

    Worth a look. Have to believe he wasn’t right last year. This style of pitcher has been known to be durable vs an over the top flamethrower. Might play until he’s 40 like Tekulve.
    Six million was an overpay. This years contract is more in line with the player.

    Reply

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