Wish list unfulfilled as winter meetings finish
Luhnow looking for another lefty option to fill spot for late innings
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The winter meetings came and went without the Astros landing a frontline starting pitcher. General manager Jeff Luhnow will continue to explore the market, but whether a deal matches up with what he and his analytically driven front office deem an appropriate cost remains to be seen. While the front end of their rotation is by far the most important area the Astros could stand to upgrade, they also still seek a lefthanded relief pitcher to bolster an already strong bullpen. Tony Sipp — owed $6 million in each of the next two seasons — is back in 2017, but the team must protect itself in case his 2016 struggles persist.
Wilson on the radar
The Astros are open to acquiring a lefthanded reliever through either free agency or trade, but their preference is to address the need via a trade. They have shown interest in the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Wilson, according to industry sources, but are far from alone in that respect.
Currently, the Astros have four lefthanded relievers on their 40-man roster. Sipp, who had a career-worst 4.95 ERA in 432⁄3 innings last season, is the only one of those four guaranteed a 25-man roster spot.
Reymin Guduan, whom the Astros added to the 40-man roster last month to protect him from minor league free agency, and Ashur Tolliver, claimed off waivers this week from the Los Angeles Angels, are both likely to begin next season in Class AAA.
The fourth lefthander is Kevin Chapman, who is out of minor league options and who, along with outfielder Andrew Aplin, would be a candidate for removal from the 40-man roster if the team needs a spot this offseason.
Boone Logan, J.P. Howell and Mike Dunn are among the top lefthanded relief options still available via free agency, but Luhnow acknowledged on Wednesday it’s more likely the Astros will go the trade route rather than the open market.
“It’s going to continue to be something that we look at over the next couple days and weeks,” Luhnow said before adding, “I am expecting Sipp to have a good year for us and really contribute.”
Wilson, who spent part of last season as the Tigers’ set-up man, is one option as a trade target. He recorded a 4.14 ERA in 582⁄3 innings with metrics that suggest a degree of bad luck. MLBTradeRumors.com projects he will make $2.7 million in arbitration. He is under team control for two more seasons.
Aside from their need for another southpaw, the Astros feel their bullpen is in good shape. They return their top three lateinning options from 2016 in closer Ken Giles and setup men Luke Gregerson and Will Harris, and both of their long relievers with starting potential in Chris Devenski — who may actually get a chance to start — and Michael Feliz.
“We have righthanders that can get both sides out and that’s a big advantage for us for some of our guys,” Luhnow said. “But that left on left (matchup ability) is a powerful weapon to give a manager and if you have more than one guy it definitely helps your chances of winning those games.”
Devenski an option
Devenski, with his excellent changeup, is perhaps the righthander in their bullpen best equipped to get out lefthanded hitters, one of several reasons he may be better suited to stay in relief as opposed to starting. He held lefthanded hitters to a .229 batting average and .639 on-base plus slugging percentage over 188 at-bats against last season.
But the Astros still require another more traditional option to handle lefthanded hitters late in games. The need, Luhnow says, is the one the team is committed to filling.