Héctor Neris, longest-tenured Phillie, leaves to sign with Astros

The Héctor Neris era in Philadelphia is over.

Neris, who had been the longest-tenured player on the Phillies, has agreed to a two-year deal with the Houston Astros, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Salisbury adds that the Phillies did “pursue” Neris this offseason, but ultimately he got a better offer elsewhere.

The 32-year-old had a 3.63 ERA and and 4.08 FIP in 74 games for Joe Girardi’s squad this past season. However, Neris fared much better pitching in the eighth inning in 2021, posting a 1.65 ERA in the eighth inning and a 2.70 ERA overall after the All-Star Break.

In parts of eight seasons with the Phillies, Neris posted a 3.42 ERA and 3.79 FIP. Neris will leave the Phillies with 84 saves, which is eighth in franchise history. Jonathan Papelbon is No. 1, with 123.

With his departure, Aaron Nola will become the longest-tenured Phillie. The former All-Star righty made his major league debut on July 21, 2015. With both Neris and Odúbel Herrera no longer in the organization, Nola is now the only remaining Phillie who was a teammate with franchise icon Cole Hamels. And even he was only briefly a teammate of Hamels, as the Phillies traded the lefty 10 days after Nola made his debut.

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