Veteran outfielder Michael Brantley returns to the Houston Astros after the free agent agreed to a two-year $ 32 million deal, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
Brantley, 33, continues to boast a high contact percentage, a low stroke ratio and polish on the plate. In 46 games with the Astros in 2020, alternating between leftfield and DH, Brantley batted. 300, with five homers, 22 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.840.
He has hit at least .300 in five seasons since 2014, keeping most such seasons in baseball on par with four others during that period. He has also batted in just 10.1% of his at bats since 2014, the third best in baseball in that period, with a minimum of 2,000 at bats.
Fox 26 in Houston was the first to report that Brantley and the Astros had agreed to the deal.
Brantley also signed a two-year $ 32 million deal when he joined the Astros for the 2019 season.
Injuries have plagued Brantley during his 12-year career with Cleveland and the Astros, in which Brantley has an average of .297, 114 homers, 640 RBI’s and a .794 OPS. He has been an All-Star four times and in 2014 he finished third in the MVP voting.
Previously, ESPN had reported that Brantley had agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, which had already reached a six-year $ 150 million deal with former Astros teammate George Springer, sources confirmed.