Chas McCormick’s catch in the 2022 World Series will live on in franchise history, but unfortunately for him, the outfielder’s career took a downward turn in the last two years.
McCormick put up a 117 OPS+ for the Astros from 2021 to 2023, looking like a sustainable piece of their starting outfield. But in his age-29 season a year ago, he inexplicably dipped to a 64 OPS+ in 94 games, and this season, it was a 59 in 64 games.
Though he was still under team control for another year before free agency, the Astros saw no reason to keep McCormick on what would have been a growing salary through arbitration. On Thursday, his time with the Astros likely came to an end.
According to the official transactions log of Major League Baseball, McCormick was waived and outrighted to Triple-A Sugar Land. But he has more than three years of service time, so he had the right to reject that outright assignment. Per a report from The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, McCormick has elected free agency.
Not only did McCormick struggle mightily over the last two seasons, but he dealt with several injuries, including a hamstring issue, a right hand fracture, and a left oblique strain.
In four playoff runs for the Astros, McCormick batted .250 with a .687 OPS in 33 games. Outside of the incredible ninth-inning catch he made in Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia, his best postseason moment was a two-run home run against New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in Game 1 of the 2022 American League Championship Series.
Rings last forever, and McCormick will always be remembered fondly by Astros fans. But there’s no time like the present for a fresh start.
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