Houston Astros Star Reliever Not Expected to Return in 2024

The Houston Astros could completely remake their bullpen heading into the 2024 season with one of their star relievers expected to be on the way out.

General manager Dana Brown will get his first full offseason underway to put his imprint on the Houston Astros' organization.

A coaching search will take place after Dusty Baker retired. Brown inherited Baker as manager and will get the opportunity to hire one of his own to lead this franchise.

After the Astros were eliminated before reaching the World Series, he could be more compelled to make aggressive changes during the offseason.

One area that will certainly look different is the bullpen.

Two of their relievers are set to hit free agency with another having a player option to return for $8.5 million.

Ryne Stanek is one of those players who is expected to be on his way out of Houston.

The star reliever has been a staple in their bullpen since coming over in 2021.

That season he appeared in a career high 72 games and recorded an ERA of 3.42. Stanek took his game to the next level last year with an ERA of 1.15 across 59 appearances.

He has been one of the Astros' best relievers since joining the team.

But during 2023, Stanek regressed from what he had been since arriving in Houston.

The 32-year-old recorded an ERA of 4.09 across his 55 appearances. His strikeout numbers were down and opponent's batting averages were up.

This poor form translated into the postseason as well, where he had an ERA of 6.75, allowing three runs in four innings.

Houston's bullpen dropped in production from when they were the best unit in the MLB during the 2022 season to having the eighth-lowest ERA in 2023.

It's likely that Brown will look to bring in his own set of players this offseason and Stanek could be on his way out.