The Houston Astros were one of the more active teams in baseball ahead of the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

Houston knew that it needed help for the starting rotation and in response acquired All-Star hurler Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays. Some thought Houston overpaid for a player who could end up being a rental.

Kikuchi shined down the stretch, though, and logged a 2.70 ERA across his final 10 starts after joining the Astros.

He hit free agency looking like one of the best hurlers on the open market. What made him stand out is that he could help a team in a big way, but his price tag surely would be lower than someone like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, or Blake Snell.

That seems to be the case and he found his next deal on Monday, but it isn’t with the Astros. Kikuchi reportedly is signing a three-year, $63 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

“Yusei Kikuchi to the Angels. $63M, (three years),” Heyman said.

Kikuchi has a 4.57 career ERA in 166 total big league appearances with the Seattle Mariners, Blue Jays, and Astros. This deal seems pretty fair after he had a 4.05 ERA overall ERA last year and a 3.86 ERA in 2023. If the Astros wanted him, they probably could’ve afforded a deal of this nature.

Now, the attention will turn back to Houston to find a way to replace him.