Michael Brantley, Astros Agree on Reported 2-Year, $32 Million Contract

The Houston Astros officially signed left fielder Michael Brantley to a contract on Wednesday.  

According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, the deal is worth $32 million over two years. 

Brantley had spent his entire 10-year career in the majors with the Cleveland Indians, earning three All-Star Game selections.

The challenge for him has been staying healthy, but the veteran played in more games in 2018 than he had in any of the previous four seasons. This resulted in one of the best seasons of his career, featuring a .309 batting average with 17 home runs, 12 stolen bases and 36 doubles.

It was the second straight All-Star selection for the lefty, who finished the previous year with a .299/.357/.444 slash line. He also finished third in MVP voting in 2014 when he posted a 20/20 season and a .327 batting average.

While this ability to fill the stat sheet makes him a quality addition in his new location, the Astros have to be concerned about his ability to stay on the field.

Brantley only played 90 games in 2017 because of an ankle injury, while his 2016 season was limited to just 11 games due to shoulder surgery.

This past season was just the fourth of his career appearing in more than 140 games.

After a solid 2018, however, hopefully these types of issues are behind him.

The veteran will now bring his all-around production and vast experience to a team hoping to keep pace with the Boston Red Sox. The Astros won the 2017 World Series and followed it up with 103 regular-season wins last year, but they lost the American League Champions Series in just five games.

Adding Brantley provides the team with another big bat in an already deep lineup to potentially bring home another title.