Former Houston Astros Reliever Signs with NL Central Contender
The Chicago Cubs are in agreement with Hector Neris on a one-year, $9 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Neris, who pitched for the Houston Astros during the last two seasons, earns a chance to compete for the National League Central with the Cubs.
It was expected early in the offseason that the Astros were going to lose Neris, Ryne Stanek, and Phil Maton. That looks to be the case now that Neris has signed with Chicago and the other two receive interest from other teams.
In his two seasons with Houston, Neris did all he could to help this team compete. He was one of the top relievers in baseball in 2023, posting an ERA of 1.71. His FIP of 3.83 shows that there could be some regression, but the Astros won't need to worry about that now.
Houston made their big move when they signed Josh Hader to a massive five-year, $95 million deal. Hader's arguably the best reliever in baseball over the past decade and is a massive addition to a World Series caliber team like the Astros.
The bullpen is still lacking depth, but as the organization has shown in the past, they have faith in young players to do the job. That looks to be the case as they attempt to get back to the World Series.
Neris won a World Series with the team in 2022. In his three appearances in the 2022 World Series, he posted a 0.00 ERA and struck out four in 2.0 innings.
