HOT STOVE
Houston Astros decide the fate of two World Series roster players
The Houston Astros have decided to decline a mutual option for DH/1B Trey Mancini. Mancini is now a free agent, with the Astros opting for the $250,000 buyout.
Add 1B Trey Mancini and LHP Will Smith to the Astros’ free agent list. Both had options for 2023 that weren’t picked up. Mancini had a $10 million option for ’23 (with a $250,000 buyout) and Smith had a $13 million option for ’23 (with $1 million buyout).
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) November 9, 2022
Astros relief pitcher Will Smith is now a free agent as well, with the team declining his $13 million option. Smith's struggles continued after being traded to Houston at the trade deadline in a deal that sent starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to the Atlanta Braves. Houston hoped to correct some of Smith's issues, as he was ineffective with Atlanta in 2022, but unfortunately a change of scenery wasn't enough to get Smith back on track. He finished the season with a 3.97 ERA, and didn't see any action in the postseason.
Trey Mancini was a different story, much was expected of him when he was traded to the Astros from the Orioles, where he was batting .268 on the season. After coming to Houston, Mancini batted under .200 and was unable to provide the offensive output the team had hoped for.
Mancini was able to contribute in the postseason with his glove, however, after Yuli Gurriel was injured in Game 5 of the World Series, and he had to step in and play first base. Trey made a game-saving play at first base in Game 5 and recorded a hit in Game 6 contributing to the Astros World Series win over the Phillies.
These are just the first two dominoes to fall as the Astros have more decisions to make in free agency with several key players.
Michael Brantley, Yuli Gurriel, Rafael Montero, just to name a few.
