The World Series champion Houston Astros declined their 2023 options for first baseman Trey Mancini and left-handed reliever Will Smith, MLB.com reported Wednesday.
Mancini had a $10 million option with a $250,000 buyout and Smith had a $13 million option with a $1 million buyout. Both players will enter free agency.
Mancini, 30, batted .176 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 51 games with the Astros after being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in a three-team trade on Aug. 1.
He was 1-for-21 at the plate with one RBI in eight postseason games, but his stellar defensive play at first base in Game 5 of the World Series helped to preserve Houston’s 3-2 win in Philadelphia.
Mancini is a career .265 hitter with 125 home runs and 372 RBIs in 752 games with the Orioles (2016-19, 2021-22) and Astros. He missed the 2020 season while battling colon cancer.
Smith, 33, was 0-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 24 relief appearances for the Astros after being acquired from the Atlanta Braves in an Aug. 2 trade for right-hander Jake Odorizzi.
Smith is 31-34 with a 3.59 ERA and 91 saves in 513 games (17 starts) with the Kansas City Royals (2012-13), Milwaukee Brewers (2014-16), San Francisco Giants (2016, 2018-19), Braves (2020-22) and Astros. He was an All-Star in 2019 and won a World Series with Atlanta in 2021.
–Field Level Media