The Houston Astros made the first big move of their offseason when they promoted longtime bench coach Joe Espada to fill the managerial vacancy left when Dusty Baker retired. Here’s a look at what the team needs to do this winter to make his first season at the helm a successful one — and wash the taste of that ALCS loss out of their mouths.
Astros offseason preview
Season in review
The Astros went 90-72 in the regular season and snagged yet another AL West title, but they ended up falling to the eventual champion Rangers in the ALCS in seven games. Houston’s offense enjoyed another strong season from Kyle Tucker (29 home runs, 112 RBIs), along with 90+ RBI seasons from Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and free-agent acquisition Jose Abreu. Their pitching staff was gutted thanks to major injuries to Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy, so they leaned on rookies Hunter Brown and J.P. France, and also went out and re-acquired old friend Justin Verlander from the Mets at the Trade Deadline.
Pending free agents
Outfielder Michael Brantley and catcher Martin Maldonado are the team’s only position-player free agents, while the only free-agent pitchers are righty relievers Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton and Hector Neris. Neris is the biggest name amongst that crew, as the longtime Phillie had 1.71 ERA in 71 games last season, and allowed two runs in 6.1 innings against the Rangers in the ALCS. While Brantley only hit .278 in 15 games in 2023 and has missed most of the last two seasons due to shoulder trouble, he’s a five-time All-Star who still has one of the smoothest swings in baseball when healthy. He’s likely a primary DH at this point in his career, and is a prime candidate to get something like a two-year, $15-20 million deal.
Biggest needs
Solidifying the bullpen. The Astros still have a fearsome offense and plenty of pitching (especially given the potential returns of Garcia and Lance MCcullers Jr.) but they need to add some arms to their relief corp — even more so with the potential loss of Neris. While they’ll probably be in involved with some position players, most of their offense additions will likely be from a lower tier.
Best free-agent fits
I love the idea of the Astros adding Josh Hader. Not only would be become their immediate closer, but he’d also fill their need for left-handed relief help. Hader has a 2.50 career ERA and is coming off a season where he an incredible had a 1.28 ERA in 56.1 innings. If Hader ends up out of their price range, I could see them setting their sights on old friend Aroldis Chapman, who had a 3.09 ERA in 61 games with the Royals and Rangers last season and won his second World Series with Texas. While he has some… history with the Astros, he could be the perfect budget signing that the Astros have become known for.
Potential trades
The Astros don’t really have a ton of holes so there really isn’t a logical trade candidate out there as of now. They also traded their two top outfield prospects to the Mets in the Justin Verlander deal this past August, so their farm system is a little barren. Plus they’ll be getting starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Javier back at some point in 2024, so I can’t see them going out and giving anything up for a starter.