McHugh and the Astros avoided arbitration Friday by agreeing to a one-year contract, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The exact terms of the agreement are not yet known. McHugh had been purely a starter for four straight seasons but transitioned full-time to the bullpen last year with excellent results, posting a 1.99 ERA and a 33.2 percent strikeout rate in 72.1 innings. With the Astros having lost a good chunk of last year's rotation to injury and free agency, however, McHugh could well transition back into a starting role in 2019.