The Houston Astros have come to terms with left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard on a minor league contract. Bedard figures to get a shot at cracking the Astros rotation in Spring Training.
Last season Bedard pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He started the season out strong but was released by August. He finished the year with a 7-14 record and a 5.01 ERA.
While signing Bedard at a minor league deal is a good low-risk deal for the Astros the team should not expect him to be a key contributor. Last season he had the worst WHIP of his career, as both his H/9 and BB/9 ratios continued to rise.
Bedard has not proven to be a healthy option for any rotation since the 2007 season. His most starts since then was 24 which happened in 2011 and 2012.
Five years ago Erik Bedard finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting. Of course, that was five years ago.
