Houston Astros Need Contributors To Emerge To Overcome Top-Heavy Roster

Did the Houston Astros do enough to compensate for their loss of talent this offseason?

Sep 15, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco (56) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

For the better part of the last decade, the Houston Astros were the gold standard of what teams sought to be in the MLB.

They had advanced to the ALCS seven straight years, a streak that started in 2017. The legitimacy of that streak will be questioned by some forever because of the scandal the franchise was embroiled in.

Some likely rejoiced when that streak was snapped this past October by the Detroit Tigers, who swept the Astros in the ALWC, ending their season much earlier than many had predicted it would.

That loss could have very well signaled the end of an era with several of the team’s key contributors from their 2022 World Series-winning team moving on this offseason.

Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. Former closer Ryan Pressly was traded to the Chicago Cubs, the second blockbuster of the winter between the teams after star right fielder Kyle Tucker was also dealt there.

Signs are pointing toward star third baseman Alex Bregman also leaving town, becoming the latest homegrown star to leave in free agency after George Springer and Carlos Correa have done it previously.

On top of those champions, the team also lost starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi in free agency to the Los Angeles Angels. Jose Urquidy was designated for assignment earlier in the offseason as well.

That is a lot of talent for a team to lose in one winter, which raises the question; have they done enough to replenish the depth chart?

It is the No. 1 question surrounding the franchise heading into spring training in the opinion of Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and it is fair to question the moves that have been made.

Christian Walker was a nice signing in free agency to address first base. Isaac Parades, acquired as part of the return package for Tucker, can slide right into the spot vacated by Bregman.

Those two, along with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Yanier Diaz, are a solid foundation offensively.

But, the outfield was already a weakness for the team before parting ways with Tucker. With their current depth chart, they have arguably the weakest outfield group in the MLB heading into camp.

On the mound, Houston has an ace in Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown emerged in 2024 as a reliable top-of-the-rotation with a slight adjustment to his arsenal.

But beyond that, there are some question marks.

Will Ronel Blanco replicate the success he had last year? Some underlying advanced stats suggest that he had good luck on his side and could regress to the mean.

The Astros will also be relying on a number of players returning from injury to potentially round out the rotation, such as Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garica and Cristian Javier.

In the bullpen, who will step up and replace Pressly?

Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu are a strong one-two punch at the end of games but others will have to emerge. Tayler Scott is worth keeping an eye on with his dominant fastball, but more than three relievers will be needed to make it through the campaign.

With the lowest-ranked farm system in baseball, the front office has limited options to address the depth needs. Unless they are willing to cross the luxury tax again, they will need in-house options to emerge.

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