Astros designate reliever Pedro Báez for assignment

ARLINGTON —  Pedro Báez’s tenure with the Astros is over.

The team announced the veteran righthanded reliever was designated for assignment before Tuesday’s game against the Rangers. He had an 11.57 ERA in three appearances this season.

Báez, 34, was touted as a prized relief acquisition when he signed a two-year, $12.5 million contract with the Astros in free agency before the 2021 season, but he threw just 6 ⅔ major-league innings for Houston over the lifetime of the deal, which in retrospect is the worst contract of general manager James Click’s tenure. 

The Astros cut ties with Báez six days before a 14-pitcher limit on MLB active rosters goes into effect May 2-29. The 13-pitcher maximum originally set to begin after May 1 will instead go into effect May 30, the league announced Tuesday. 

“I don’t know that there was one single thing that made the decision,” Click said. “Ultimately, we weren’t seeing the progress that we had hoped to see to get him back to the form that he was in when we signed him. And especially with the impending roster restrictions in a few days, I felt like it was best to make the decision today.” 

Báez’s contract included a $7.5 million club option for 2023, and he is still owed a $2 million buyout for that year. 

Báez made his big league debut for the Dodgers in 2014 and spent his first seven seasons in Los Angeles. In 2017, when he posted a 2.95 ERA over 66 appearances, his average fastball velocity was 97.2 mph, but it steadily decreased each year. It was 96.1 mph in 2018, 95.8 mph in 2019 and, by his final season with the Dodgers, had dropped to 94.4 mph. In his two seasons with Houston, Báez’s fastball velocity averaged 90.4 and 89.7 mph. 

Click said the Astros could not figure out the reason for Báez’s velocity decrease.

“This wasn’t a question of effort or work ethic or commitment,” Click said. “Part of the frustration for all of us I think is the not knowing where the velocity went. He came into camp in good shape. He did everything we wanted him to do. He worked with Wes, our new trainer, to try to get some of the velocity back, and just nothing seemed to work. And so it’s just frustrating for all of us, but it is definitely not a lack of effort on his part. He’s been a tremendous professional throughout this entire process. You know, he wanted to be out here. He wanted to help us win. He wanted to compete. But it just wasn’t coming out.” 

Little went right for Báez in an Astros uniform. He contracted COVID-19 during spring training in 2021 and then suffered a shoulder injury while working his way back into pitching shape. 

Báez didn’t make his Astros debut until Aug. 10 last season, but his fastball velocity was down, and the Astros shut him down after four outings. 

This spring, Báez got off to an inauspicious start, walking two and throwing 12 of 23 pitches for balls during his Grapefruit League debut while his fastball was clocked at 88-90 mph. 

Things didn’t improve once the regular season arrived, with Báez getting touched up for three runs in two-thirds of an inning April 9 in a game the Astros led by 10 runs. He faced six batters, with four reaching.

Báez then gave up three more runs in two-thirds of an inning in his next appearance a week later at Seattle. Ironically enough, his last Astros outing was a perfect ninth inning in a home loss to the Angels on April 19. 

The Astros informed Báez he had been designated for assignment following Monday night’s 6-2 loss to the Rangers, in which he did not pitch. 

“That was a tough decision. It just wasn’t working,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We just couldn’t figure out: What was the best position to put him in? Because he was becoming himself, but he wasn’t the same guy that we signed. He was the same quality guy off the field.” 

To take his place, the Astros recalled righty Seth Martinez from Class AAA Sugar Land. Martinez appeared in three games in 2021, posting a 15.00 ERA.

Although Martinez has not worked more than one inning in any of his four most recent outings for Sugar Land, Click said the Astros might discuss using him as a long man while Cristian Javier is in the starting rotation. 

“Seth, to be honest, I’m not sure exactly how he does it, but he generates results — particularly with the fastball, particularly against righties — that give us a lot of confidence,” Click said. “He’s gonna be a very effective right-on-right weapon right now. We’re going to continue to work with him on the full repertoire.” 

More Astros News