Houston Astros: The implications of the Wade Miley signing
After the Houston Astros sign free agent lefty, Wade Miley, what will this acquisition mean for the free agent market going forward?
Early Thursday, there were a dozen highly talented free agents still without a team. Wade Miley, a left-handed starting pitcher, was among them. As I covered not too long ago, many are left to wonder what is going on with league GM’s and owners. Some have signed, like the Houston Astros‘ Michael Brantley.
Well, one came off later that day, thanks to the Houston Astros.
In a move that came out of the blue, the spacemen added the 32-year-old to their roster on a one year deal for $4.5 million. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle was one of the first to confirm the news:
Can confirm the Astros are in agreement with free-agent starter Wade Miley on a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 31, 2019
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What makes this signing such a surprise is that owner Jim Crane mentioned to reporters at last week’s Astros Gala that there remains a possibility of a reunion with both Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez. Two of five Astros players from 2018 that are currently still unsigned, along with Evan Gattis, Tony Sipp and Martin Maldonado.
Acquiring Wade Miley almost assuredly nips the Keuchel reunion in the bud. Or does it? MLB Network insider and beat reporter, Bob Nightengale, had this to say shortly after news of Miley coming over to H-Town:
The #Astros, after signing Wade Miley to one year,$4.5 million deal, still hope to bring back former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel too
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 31, 2019
There’s only one problem with Nightengale’s assessment: He’s not quoting anyone directly from the front office. Additionally, there have been other reports that Keuchel has narrowed his search down to three teams. The Astros are mentioned, but so are the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.
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Can the Astros really afford to have two lefty starters in their rotation? It would be a nice luxury, but it doesn’t seem realistic. And with Miley stats, you get nearly the same production that Keuchel gives. Obviously, for less money, and we all know that money talks.
It will be interesting to see how this shakes up the market. Reunions would be nice for the Astros. However, the likelihood of them happening is shrinking fast every single day. Only 11 days until pitchers and catchers report to camp, so the other players on the market will need to be signed…AND QUICKLY!
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Even with the Miley signing, would you like to see Keuchel return to the Houston Astros? Why or why not? Where would you like to see the rest of the former Astros players sign? Who else would you like to see the Astros sign? Let us know below!