The Houston Astros have started up at spring training and will be entering a season filled with uncertainty.
There have been few better teams over the last decade in baseball than the Astros, but this now appears to be a team that will be in a transitional period.
After losing to the Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card Round last year, it snapped an amazing streak of making the ALCS for seven straight years. That type of consistency at the top of the mountain is hard to replicate in any sport, but the end might be coming soon for Houston.
This offseason, the Astros elected to trade their star outfielder Kyle Tucker with him entering the final year of his contract. This move was made with the franchise knowing that they would be unable to re-sign him with how the market is shaping up.
However, in addition to losing Tucker, they also saw Alex Bregman leave in free agency.
With two of the best hitters on the team now playing elsewhere, the Astros will certainly be taking a step back on offense. While Houston did make some additions, it’s impossible to replace two players like that in one offseason.
Recently, The Athletic (paid subscription required) gave the Astros a mediocre grade of a ‘C’ for their offseason moves.
The grade of a ‘C’ might be a bit generous for Houston, but this is a team that despite losing two All-Star caliber players, could compete for a playoff spot in the American League.
While much of the talk has been about the players departing, they did have some notable additions. In the trade for Tucker, they brought back most notably Isaac Paredes to be the replacement for Bregman at the hot corner.
Paredes is young with a lot of upside and an All-Star team already under his belt. In addition to the talented third baseman, the Astros did have an impact signing with Christian Walker coming in to play first base.
This was a position that was an absolute mess for the team in 2024, and Walker is not only a good hitter, but he plays defense at a gold-glove caliber level.
While the lineup will almost certainly be taking a step back, this will be a team that should be relying heavily on a talented pitching staff. The starting rotation for Houston should still be one of the best in baseball, especially considering how some of their young pitchers performed last year.
Overall, it was certainly a below-average offseason for the Astros. However, this is a team that still has talent and will likely win a good amount of games in 2025. Unfortunately, it does feel like the title window has closed.