The Houston Astros have not been quiet this offseason. Earlier in the week, the team made another big splash in free agency.
On Monday, free agent outfielder Josh Reddick agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with the Astros. He was officially introduced by the team on Wednesday.
Reddick, 29, has had stints with the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was traded from the Athletics to the Dodgers back in August. Between those two teams this past season, he batted a combined .281 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs. Reddick’s best year of his career was in 2012 with Oakland when he hit .242 and had 32 homers and 85 RBIs. He also won a Gold Glove Award that season.
Reddick is a nice addition to the Astros outfield. Jake Marisnick is the team’s primary center fielder. George Springer mostly played right field for the Astros last season. This is the position that Reddick predominately plays. What this means is that either Springer or Reddick will have to move to left field next season. Both players have already expressed their willingness to play wherever manager A.J. Hinch wants them to.
Not only is he a good defensive player, but Reddick can also handle the bat relatively well. A dangerous left-handed hitter, he will undoubtably help round out the Astros lineup. This is a lineup that features a lot of talented right-handed hitters, including Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Evan Gattis.
The Astros have been very busy so far this offseason. Last Wednesday, the team added a veteran arm to their starting rotation when they signed Charlie Morton to a two-year, $14 million contract. One day later, the Astros traded pitching prospects Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzmán to the New York Yankees in exchange for catcher Brian McCan. Like Reddick, McCan is a power-hitting lefty.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has worked hard over the past few weeks to improve his team. After going 84-78 and missing the playoffs in 2016, he clearly felt as though he needed to address certain areas of the team. The Astros have plenty of talented young players. Between these players and the veterans that they have just added, Houston should be in decent shape for next season.
It’s unclear whether or not Luhnow plans to sign any other players before the start of next season. No matter what he chooses to do, this offseason will definitely be considered a success for the Astros.