Houston Astros' GM Dana Brown told everyone the types of positions he was targeting this offseason and ahead of the Winter Meetings that are taking place this week.
With a loaded roster, really the only areas that he was looking to add was depth in the bullpen and a backup catcher.
He was able to accomplish one of those things earlier on Wednesday and has now pulled off a trade to add some relief help as well.
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros traded one of their young pitching prospects, Carlos Mateo, to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Major Leaguer, Dylan Coleman.
This is a cost-effective move for Houston who was able to acquire Coleman during his pre-arbitration status and will have him in their organization for likely less than $1 million per season.
The 27-year-old was exception for the Royals in 2022, appearing in 68 games and recording an ERA of 2.78 across 68 innings pitched. He held opposing batters to a .194 average and had a WHIP of 1.24.
It was a struggle for the former fourth round pick last year. He got off to a rocky start and was sent down to the minor leagues. Coleman was called back up in July before being sent down again at the end of August.
He only appeared in 23 games for Kansas City in 2023, finishing with an 8.84 ERA across 18 1/3 innings pitched. Opponent's batting averages increased to .261 and his WHIP ballooned to 2.02.
Still, this is a promising pitcher that the Astros were able to acquire that won't cost them much money. If they're able to get him back to the form he had in 2022, he could become an important piece for them.
Mateo played seven games for Houston at the rookie ball level in 2023. He had a 5.19 ERA across 8 2/3 innings pitched, but also struck out 12 batters.
This is a long-term project for an organization and the Astros were able to get immediate bullpen help for their Major League roster by giving up a 19-year-old prospect.
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