Bryan Abreu

Abreu passed up a few relievers in Houston's high-leverage hierarchy last season. Serving as the Astros' primary setup man in the eighth inning, Abreu established career highs across multiple categories in 2023, including games played (72), innings (72.0), saves (five) and holds (24). The 26-year-old posted elite ratios and was one of five relievers last season to record 100-plus strikeouts, hitting that mark right on the nose after throwing far more sliders (58.7% usage). The right-hander's upper-90s fastball was also more effective (.165 BA, 37.3% whiff), supplementing his slider as a secondary strikeout pitch. Abreu was looking like Houston's future closer, and he could still end up in the ninth, though he's been pushed back down the ladder for the time being with the addition of Josh Hader. Read Past Outlooks