Houston Astros Sign Veteran Left-Handed Reliever to Minor League Contract

The Houston Astros have brought in a reliever to the mix by signing him to a minor league deal.

May 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Steven Okert (16) reacts in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field / David Richard-Imagn Images

Despite there being no update on where the Houston Astros stand regarding the re-signing of their superstar third baseman Alex Bregman, they are still getting some deals done.

According to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, they have signed left-handed reliever Steven Okert to a minor league deal. He'll be a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, but will have a chance to make the roster where he'll earn $1.2 million if that does happen.

This will at the very least add more depth to the Astros organization if he doesn't get the call on Opening Day, but with only Josh Hader, Bennett Sousa and Bryan King as lefty options out of the bullpen right now, he could be in the mix.

Okert was originally a fourth-round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants back in 2012, and after four years in the minors, he made his Major League debut in 2016 where he posted a 3.21 ERA across his 16 appearances.

After he struggled the following campaign, the Giants primarily used him in Triple-A throughout 2019, and not at all during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Okert then opted to become a free agent in 2021 and signed with the Miami Marlins where he was for three years.

He spent last season with the Minnesota Twins, posting a 5.09 ERA across his 44 appearances, struggling with his command as evident by his 1.500 WHIP.

Houston is taking a flyer on someone with 272 games of Major League experience under his belt, hoping they can help him become the swing-and-miss pitcher he was with the Marlins when he struck out 176 batters in 146 innings pitched.

The Astros have shown an ability to do that, most recently turning Yusei Kikuchi into a dominant strikeout pitcher with them when he recorded the highest K/9 rate of his career.