The Houston Astros enter the 2024 season without some familiar faces in the bullpen. Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, and Hector Neris will be on different teams this year.
After helping the Astros put together one of the best bullpens in baseball, they all have a chance to help a different team. Neris signed with the Chicago Cubs, Maton signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, and Stanek has finally made his decision.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Stanek has agreed to a deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Losing Stanek to a division rival isn't ideal, especially to a Mariners team that has a legitimate chance of winning the American League West.
In the 2023 season, Stanek didn't have his best stuff all year. He posted a 4.09 ERA in 50 2/3 innings pitched. In 2022, he posted a 1.15 ERA in 54 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 62.
If Seattle gets the 2022 version of him, they just added a massive piece to an already above-average bullpen.
There are some concerns for Houston when it comes to the middle innings, but as seen from their development over the past decade, it's tough to worry about it until it becomes an issue.
While losing Stanek, Maton, and Neris could be an issue for the Astros, adding Josh Hader gave them the best 7-8-9 inning punch in baseball.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Houston did reach out to their former reliever, but is uncertain if the talks were ever serious.
For Stanek, he gets another opportunity to play with one of the better teams in baseball.
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