NL East Team May Have Eye on Astros Free Agent Reliever

If the Houston Astros hope to keep Phil Maton, they may want to keep an eye on a certain team in the NL East.

If the Houston Astros are hoping to bring back their reliable reliever, Phil Maton, they should expect some competition.

Since Maton arrived in 2021 with Yainer Diaz in a trade for Myles Straw, he’s been one of the Astros’ most reliable set-up met.

With the Astros he is 8-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 162 appearances. He handled a high volume and helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series.

He’s 30 years old with 347 career innings and a 16-12 record. He has just two career saves and the Astros deployed him as a set-up man for Ryan Pressley. He also had 26 holds with the Astros and has 46 for his seven-year career.

There are plenty of good reasons to keep Maton. But at least one team — the New York Mets — have been linked to Maton as a potential landing spot, per The Athletic.

The Mets have some significant needs in their bullpen. In fact, the Mets have cleared 12 spots on their 40-man roster for the offseason, so getting a player like Maton and fitting him on their roster isn’t an issue.

The Mets’ bullpen is pretty bare at the moment. The Mets should get their closer, Edwin Díaz, after he missed all of 2023 due to an injury. The Mets also have a left-hander in Brooks Raley and a right-hander in Drew Smith.

The Mets are likely to be intrigued by Maton’s make-up, his lower arm slot and his ability to draw weak contact from hitters. Those are the same things the Astros like about him.

It may come down to money. Maton made $2.5 million in 2023, which was his final arbitration season. As he hits free agency, his services might get him double that, but likely not more.

On Saturday, the Mets hired former Astros executive Kris Gross to be their vice president of amateur scouting. That means they can pick his brain on Maton.

Maton was a valuable piece of Houston’s bullpen. The time to try and keep him is growing near.