Michael Brantley signs a two-year deal with the Houston Astros:

The Houston Astros have agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with outfielder Michael Brantley, according to multiple reports.

Brantley adds a needed left-handed presence to the middle of the Astros’ lineup, which is heavily right-handed with key cogs Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and George Springer. 

The 31-year-old Brantley, who missed most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons with injuries, enjoyed an impressive bounce-back season with Cleveland in 2018, hitting .309 with 17 homers and 76 RBIs. He also scored 89 runs in 143 games and posted an .832 OPS.

ESPN.com

The Astros are paying for about two WAR a year, which is what Brantley averaged over the last two seasons, one of them incomplete.    What I like is that Brantley went for a two-year deal.  That pays him enough to make him comfortable for life, but is short enough that if he plays well, he can can probably get a another two or three year deal at a much higher average value.  I still believe today’s free agents would do better driving up the average annual value with short-term contracts.