The Houston Astros don’t exactly have a dependable pitching staff laden with proven commodities, so it’s been a surprising development this offseason when the Astros announced that Brett Myers would move to the closer role. With Brandon Lyon out, a move has to be made somewhere, but few predicted this would be the answer. However new general manager Jeff Luhnow says that both sides are excited about the move yet it’s also something that could change.
“I think for our team, right now, where we are and what we need, Myers in the bullpen is going to help us,” he told MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes. “We’ve got some options in the rotation and we really didn’t have good options for that [closer] role. He’s excited about it, and I’m excited to see how it works out. If it doesn’t work out, we can always go back to the other way.”
Myers threw nearly 450 innings the last two seasons in the Astros rotation and he hasn’t played the closer role since 2006 with the Philadelphia Phillies when he had 21 saves and a 4.33 ERA. However, Luhnow is out to make the team to be the best it can and his hire was likely to bring the unconventional given his analytical background. If it’s a fluid situation, perhaps the best response is a simple “why not?”