Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reported the veteran outfielder agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal. It looked like Brantley was going north of the border until ESPN's Jeff Passan reported he hadn't reached a formal agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Prior to Brantley's return, the Astros were projected to have a $157.2 million Opening Day payroll, eighth-highest in MLB, per Cot's Baseball Contracts. Assuming Brantley's salary is split equally between 2021 and 2022, they would jump up to fourth, ahead of the Los Angeles Angels ($172.