Houston Astros General Manager Reveals Top Offseason Priorities
Now that the 2023 MLB season is over, it's time to start preparing for the 2024 campaign.
After falling short against the Texas Rangers in the ALCS, the Houston Astros have some work to do this offseason. Their most pressing need is finding a new manager to replace Dusty Baker, of course, although they apparently aren't in a rush to do so.
On the personnel side, the Astros have some roster issues that need to be addressed as well if they want to compete for a championship again in 2024.
In an interview with sports reporter Ari Alexander on Thursday, Houston general manager Dana Brown revealed his top offseason priorities.
According to the interview, one of Brown's main focuses this offseason will be replenishing the bullpen. He said that he'll need to replace Phil Maton, Hector Neris and Ryne Stanek, all of whom are set to become free agents this winter.
That indicates that Brown doesn't expect to re-sign any of them, which makes sense given that all are on the wrong side of 30. Brown said he'll be considering internal and external replacement options for the trio.
Brown also identified a backup catcher as something the team will need, saying that Yainer Diaz will be "the main guy" next year and take over for Martin Maldonado as the starting catcher. Maldonado is also headed for free agency and probably won't be back given his age (37) and lackluster production (.606 OPS in 2023).
Diaz, on the other hand, is over a decade younger (25) and is coming off an outstanding rookie season. In 104 games, he clubbed 23 home runs and 22 doubles while batting .282/.308/.538.
Fortunately, relief pitchers and backup catchers are both pretty easy to find. Brown acknowledged that the Astros still have a strong core and already have a lot of pieces in place to contend next year, so his offseason shopping list should be pretty minimal.
