Houston Astros Named One of Biggest Losers During MLB Offseason Thus Far

The Houston Astros have been one of the busiest teams in the MLB during the offseason to this point, but a strong argument can be made they have a worse roster right now than they did when they were eliminated from the Wild Card by the Detroit Tigers in October.

Since that time, they have lost starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi in free agency to their American League West rivals, the Los Angeles Angels. Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander doesn’t look like he will be back either.

One of the core players from their recent dynasty that definitely won’t be returning is right fielder Kyle Tucker.

He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in a blockbuster deal, with the Astros receiving Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and top prospect Cam Smith.

That deal is part of the reason why Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has named Houston one of the biggest losers in the MLB thus far this offseason.

“With an .888 OPS dating back to the start of 2021, Tucker has the 10th-best mark in the majors in that department, one point ahead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And Houston gave up its final year of team control on that three-time All-Star for a corner infielder who slugged .277 over his final 41 games last season, a long reliever and, mostly, a first-round pick in last year's draft. It might be a great long-term move, but it's a mighty strange one for a team trying to win in 2025.”

Since that article was published, the Astros did make a splash in free agency, signing first baseman Christian Walker, to a three-year, $60 million contract.

That is a major upgrade for the team, as they had to make an addition at first base.

Houston is a better team today than they were before adding him to the mix.

However, another reason this winter has been such a negative one for the franchise is that Alex Bregman remains a free agent with all signs are pointing toward him moving on, especially after the Walker signing, as the team would have to dip back into the tax to bring him back.

“Meanwhile, they have yet to re-sign Alex Bregman, which we all assumed was their biggest plan for the offseason. And given the position players they added in that Tucker trade and their failed attempt to acquire Nolan Arenado, it sure looks like they're thrown in the towel on bringing Bregman back,” Miller added.

Losing Tucker and Bregman would be a massive blow to an Astros team, that by all accounts, is still looking to contend in 2025.

There isn’t an in-house replacement in the outfield, which was already a weakness coming into the offseason.

Winning becomes a lot tougher without them and they are going to face a similar predicament with ace Framber Valdez, who is set to hit free agency next year.