Astros make a big splash by signing pitcher Jake Odorizzi
With the Houston Astros hoping to get back to the World Series, you know it's going to be key for the team to get off to a hot start this campaign. They've gone ahead and made a move to help them in that department, as Jeff Passan is reporting Houston has signed starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi.
This news comes after it was announced that lefty starter Framber Valdez suffered a fractured finger in his pitching hand.
Right-hander Jake Odorizzi and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a two-year deal with a player option, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. The last big free agent is off the board.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 6, 2021
With Valdez expected to undergo surgery, the team has no idea when he'll be able to return this season. Jon Heyman is reporting that Valdez could potentially miss the entire campaign, which would of course be a huge blow for the Astros.
The initial recommendation for top young Astros SP Framber Valdez is for surgery to repair his fractured ring finger, and the early belief is that could mean he’d miss the 2021 season, as I just said on @MLBNetwork. But the team is getting 2nd opinions before commenting further.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 4, 2021
With that said, enter Odorizzi. The veteran starter has plenty of experience and has a 3.92 ERA over his 195 career appearances. He spent the past three seasons with the Twins, making the All-Star team in 2019. Now, he'll look to have a big year for Houston in '21.