Astros closer Brett Myers’ $10 million option for 2013 will vest automatically if he finishes 45 games and doesn’t end the season on the disabled list, major-league sources told FOXSports.com.

Finishing 45 games isn’t the only way for Myers to guarantee his contract for next year, as his amended agreement with Houston includes a points system that would allow him to do so through other qualifications. But that is the most attainable path, considering Myers already has finished 20 of the Astros’ first 57 games.

Myers’ status has been compared to that of Francisco Rodriguez last year. Rodriguez’s $17.5 million vesting option for 2012 hurt his trade value, incentivizing the Milwaukee Brewers to use him in a setup role after acquiring him from the Mets so he didn’t meet his games-finished threshold.

Myers is a slightly different case. The buyout on his option for next year is $3 million. So, the effective cost of keeping Myers another season is $7 million. That’s a reasonable sum, for a converted starter who has the third-best WHIP in the majors (0.90) among closers with at least 14 saves.

To continue the comparison: Rodriguez ended up returning to the Brewers this year for $8 million. So, $7 million sounds about right.

“It’s not that scary of an option,” one rival executive said of Myers. “I wouldn’t imagine it’s going to be a huge hindrance (to his trade value).”

A number of contenders will be in the market for relief help leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, including possibly the Red Sox, Marlins, Tigers, Cardinals and Blue Jays.

— Jon Paul Morosi