Maybe he’ll find the magic again here in Houston
Ari Alexander of KPRC reported today on X that the Astros are signing former Astro bullpen ace Hector Neris. Neris, 35, was released earlier this week by his former team, the Chicago Cubs.
Although Neris’ ERA with the Cubs was not completely out of line with career averages, 3.89 compared to 3.29, his performance this year was a distinct dropoff from last year, when he posted a 1.71 ERA. He has also seen a drop in K% from 28.2% down to 23.5%, an increase in BAA from .172 to .243, and an increase in WHIP from 1.05 to 1.52. His peripherals were considerably worse than his ERA, with an xERA of 4.55, xFIP of 4.56, and a SIERA of 4.36.
Nonetheless, he still performs at a marginal major league level and was probably released because his $9m Cubs contract contained a player option for 2025 that vested when Neris hits 60 appearances, which he would have made with 14 more between now and October. Since Neris was released and passed waivers, the Astros can sign a new contract with him. However, they will have to make a move to find room for Neris on the 40-man roster.
The Astros have a long history of optimizing pitchers, most recently, Yusei Kikuchi. Perhaps the fabled Astros “Nerd Cave” can rediscover the magic that made Neris a shutdown relief option with the Stros.