Astros’ Waiver Claim Could Become Impact Player

After three of its relievers entered the open market this season, the Houston Astros were only able to add one bullpen player via trade since they were unable to be active in the free agency market.

As a result, Dana Brown has said they will fill a large number of their relief needs for the upcoming season with inside candidates.Who those players might be is unknown as of now.

The Astros’ top pitching prospects have been starters at the minor league level and might not be ready to immediately fill into a Major League bullpen role. Maybe they use last year’s rookie starters, Hunter Brown and J.P. France, as relievers later in the season like they did during the playoffs.

One player who could become the impact reliever they’re looking for is their late season waiver claim, Bennett Sousa.

In five games and 6 1/3 innings pitched with Houston, the lefty allowed zero runs, only one hit and struck out eight on his way to retiring 19 of 20 batters.

Because the Astros claimed Sousa off of waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 3, he was ineligible to be carried on their postseason roster because it came after the Sept. 1 deadline.”If not for that rule, Brown acknowledged Sousa would have made all of the Astros’ playoff rosters. Now, he may be in line for a more permanent role,” writes Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

In the baseball world, Houston has gained notoriety for having a dearth of left-handed pitchers on their team. In the modern era of baseball, it is uncommon to have lefties in the bullpen, which has contributed to some of their previous playoff success.

Going forward, the Astros may turn to Sousa as a way to offset left-handed batting because they are in dire need of their own players to contribute this coming season.

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