On Friday, veteran outfielder Michael Brantley announced his retirement from the Houston Astros, but that doesn’t mean the Astros don’t want him back in some manner.
Following the announcement, MLB.com contacted with Astros owner Jim Crane about Brantley, who said that he wanted to talk to Brantley about a role with the organization as early as February, when the team reports to Florida for Spring Training.
“He was great in the locker room and could be a guy that could be helpful coaching or doing whatever he likes to do, particularly being down close to Spring Training,” Crane said.
Brantley grew up in Florida and went to Central High School in Fort Pierce, Fla., before the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He make his offseason home in Florida.
Held in high regard by Astros players, coaches and fans alike, Brantley hung it up after a 15-year career that saw him break in with Cleveland, an organization he joined as “the player to be named later” in a trade that got the Brewers pitcher C.C. Sabathia.
Brantley played 10 seasons for Cleveland, earning three All-Star Game nods and finishing third in American League MVP voting in 2014 when he batted .327 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI. With Cleveland he hit 87 home runs and 528 RBI with a .295 batting average.
The Astros signed Brantley in 2019 as a free agent, and in five seasons he hit 42 home runs and 192 RBI while batting .305 and earning two more All-Star Game bids. He also helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series, though he was injured to end that season, with a recovery that spilled over into 2023 that limited him to 15 games.
