The Houston Astros have made a key off-season acquisition by signing Josh Hader, who is set to join an already formidable bullpen that includes Ryan Pressly and the promising Bryan Abreu. This move is seen as a necessary enhancement to a bullpen that was good but not great, particularly with concerns over Pressly's age of 35 and his declining strikeout percentage, as well as Montero's disappointing performance last year. The signing of Hader, who has a history of being an exception among free-agent relievers with long-term deals, comes amidst rumors of the Red Sox looking to trade Kenley Jansen to reduce payroll. In the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels have also made a significant move by signing Robert Stephenson, a top free agent reliever known for his dominant second half with the Rays and his effective pitch mix, including a tweaked slider and a 96.8 mph fastball. Both teams announced their presence in the off-season, with the Astros also hosting their FanFest event.
“The most impressive thing about Zach’s development was his improved bat-to-ball skills with no loss in power,” “Very few hitters are able to shore up the swing-and-miss without losing that.” Zach Dezenzo Impresses @astros With Impact, Improved Contact https://t.co/w8DMj3CoBt https://t.co/lQEY8yqzim
THE TOP-150 UPCOMING FREE AGENTS https://t.co/WfS4rzphwo
upcoming free agent https://t.co/K1V3Uz8D33
They were elite https://t.co/nQjAfQiKXB
With Josh Hader in the mix, what's next for Ryan Pressly? https://t.co/cs4tKDBhNY
With Josh Hader off the market, where do the top remaining free agents stand? https://t.co/YZzzpTlnMH
Marlins’ Noble Meyer’s velocity is impressive. He throws in the mid-to-upper 90s and has reached 101 mph in a bullpen session. He spent the offseason working on his fastball shape and command. https://t.co/8dSHicxCTS https://t.co/9j3M3PG4gf
Former third baseman Ken Caminiti and former Spanish radio broadcaster René Cárdenas have been elected into the Astros Hall of Fame. Caminiti and Cárdenas were elected by the Astros Hall of Fame committee. They will officially be inducted Aug. 17
Brayan Bello is headed to Ft. Myers once Winter Weekend is over. His goal is to be the Opening Day starter and he's also excited about pitching in the DR in the exhibition series vs. Tampa Bay. His offseason focus has been sharpening the command of his slider.
The #WhiteSox add a former #SFGiants and #STLCards standout to their bullpen: https://t.co/Hbc2rVMKu3 https://t.co/6QHMnosRpP
ICYMI yesterday, the #Astros made one of the biggest free agent signings in franchise history: https://t.co/UKnDH5fkaV https://t.co/B5G3gEkVMn
Great to see Robert Stephenson cash in big in his first trip through free agency. His second half with the Rays was absolutely dominant: 24 IP, 39 K, 3 BB, 1.50 ERA He led baseball by a mile in both K-BB% and swinging strike rate over that stretch. https://t.co/XszIeCSWq1
The #Angels sign one of the top relievers on the free agent market: https://t.co/fdiCNTG4li https://t.co/dMlRTjcwPw
Evaluating the #Angels Robert Stephenson signing; what he brings & what could be next. Within: if they are hesitant to meet the high asking price of [Snell or Montgomery], loading up the bullpen and shortening games that way is an intriguing idea https://t.co/vm00Sv5doN
#Angels become the second AL West team of the day to add a late-inning arm in free agency https://t.co/fdiCNTG4li https://t.co/0QmT4DdZh4
A glimpse at new #Angels reliever Robert Stephenson. His bread and butter is his tweaked slider (classified as a cutter on Baseball Savant), which he throws 3x in a row to get three whiffs vs. Suarez. He also has a 96.8 mph fastball and a splitter. https://t.co/qvXODlc1kw
the Angels finally spent money and added a quality free agent! https://t.co/HOswZg8kDs
Now that Hader appears to be off the board, who will get the top remaining free agent reliever? https://t.co/Z9FfZIbDRH https://t.co/6eExjFfsEo
(what if hader [LHP] and pressly [RHP] close by committee)
Astros FanFest presented by @HEB is tomorrow! Here are all the Astros players and coaches who will be in attendance. https://t.co/v54Yw41hOH
the history of free-agent relievers who sign 4+ year deals is dismal. this price assumes Hader will be an extreme exception. https://t.co/eLdd4KQJNg
Elite free agent https://t.co/eX2VpFj2sv
I think my hot take on this Hader deal is that it was necessary because the pen was good, not great. Love Abreu. Montero had a bad year. Still like Pressly, but he's 35 w/ a huge K% decline. Hader helps a ton; they probably could still use another RP.
If the broke ass Red Sox are really looking to trade Kenley Jansen to shed payroll, I would imagine that Josh Hader finding a landing spot would expedite that process for teams in the closer market.
the 'elites' 😜🤣🤡🤡🤡 https://t.co/sPXWxGsz4q
it's not just that Hader is joining Ryan Pressly -- it's that Bryan Abreu might be better than both of them https://t.co/TTGHdfYbea
There's a lot to unpack here. But #Astros announce their presence in this off season. https://t.co/b4cg2hVYLG