Houston Astros 'Want' To Re-Sign Left-Hander in MLB Free Agency

The Houston Astros reportedly want to bring their second-half ace back in MLB free agency.

Sep 19, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the third inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

When Dana Brown traded for Yusei Kikuchi, it seemed likely the left-hander would return to the Houston Astros in the offseason.

Fast forward to November, and there have been conflicting reports of that possibility taking place.

Brown's comments about Kikuchi returning didn't exactly sound promising, saying the Astros have guys returning who should help their rotation.

"Yusei had a really good run with us and as I said before we aren’t taking any options off the table to improve this club," Brown said, according to Michael Shapiro of The Houston Chronicle. "We knew how special he was with us when he pitched here and how receptive he was, but the fact that we do have a lot of those guys coming back, our rotation is going to be pretty stacked." 

While Brown's comments aren't too far off, they were a bit questionable.

He seemingly trusts the pitchers in his rotation who are dealing with injuries to be healthy. If Houston learned one thing last campaign, it was that they shouldn't bank on them to be ready to go.

That doesn't mean they need to bring Kikuchi back, but given he found the success he did during his short stint with the Astros, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

According to the latest report from ESPN's Jeff Passan, Houston is very interested in having him return next year.

"Yusei Kikuchi, left-handed starter: He's awfully popular, too, after shoving for Houston following a maligned trade from Toronto. The Astros want him back, and other teams expected to operate in the midtier pitching market -- the Cubs, Dodgers, Angels and, if they whiff on the bigger names, Blue Jays and Orioles -- could compete for the 33-year-old's services."

For Kikuchi and the Astros, the only logical thing for the team to do would be to sign him on a cheap deal. Some believe he could be looking at nearly $20 million AAV, which would be a rough price for a starter with an above-4.00 ERA for much of his career.

Granted, Houston may believe they unlocked something with him.

Outside of his ERA, Kikuchi has performed well throughout his career. He has above-average strikeout stuff, which should interest teams.

He's coming off the best stint of his career, and someone might be willing to pay him because of that. If the Astros are the team that wants to do that, they need to think long and hard about whether they should.