On November 5, 2024, the Astros signed Steven Okert to a minor league contract. The move was unheralded, as relievers in their late 30s who sign minor league deals rarely make waves.
It was an easy move to miss, or to underestimate, but Okert could turn out to be one of Dana Brown’s best moves to date.
Okert’s contract contained a $1.2 million clause if he was promoted to the majors, with incentives and other options beyond the standard league minimum.
The lefty reliever was coming off a turbulent 5.09 ERA season that ultimately spelled his end with the Marlins. His K rate dropped from 11.20 to 8.41, the walk rate jumped over 4, and he allowed home runs at the highest rate of his career. It was fair to question if there was much left in his arm, but his XERA gave him some signs of hope – and the Astros have struggled to keep a consistent lefty arm outside of Hader in the pen, affording him an opportunity.
Looking back at his 2025, the 71.2 IP and 3.01 ERA provided 1.6 WAR, ranking him 4th among pitchers on the staff.
While those numbers stand out on their own as impressive, the advanced stats actually indicate that Okert was unlucky and actually pitched a level beyond those stats. His FIP (2.76) and xERA (2.56) indicate strong odds of repeating the success, although both his HR/FB and BABIP stand out as notable outliers of production above career expectations.
His K/9 jumped back over 10.5; he cut his walks and HR nearly in half to 2.39 BB/9 and 0.75 HR/9, respectively.
At 34 years old, Okert has a career 3.70 ERA in his 301.1 IP. As we head into next year, one has to wonder if he can keep this performance up and become another bullpen ace for the Astros.
What are your thoughts on Okert? Can he be our new bullpen ace?
I don’t view Okkert as a bullpen ace. But I think he can be quite solid. His slider is exceptionally tough