Inside the Astros

Should the Houston Astros Blow It All Up?

The Houston Astros are falling behind and with a questionable future outlook, should they consider ending the dynasty?
Dylan Sanders|
May 12, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) walks
May 12, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) walks | Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros still have a long way to go to get back into playoff contention. If they fall back behind pace, it might be worth considering starting the rebuild.

There are big names set to become free agents after this season and the farm system is lacking, but the roster still might be too talented to imagine starting over.

As Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer examined MLB's panicking teams, he urged them to avoid making the rash decision to blow it all up.

Justin Verlander and Alex Bregman are set to become free agents, if anyone were to be traded they would make the most sense.

Verlander got shelled in his outing against the New York Yankees, but has looked very solid outside of that. Given that and the fact that he has a no trade clause, fans shouldn't expect to see him moved unless things get really bad and he wants out.

Bregman would make much more sense as someone to trade, but that doesn't mean that it will lead to a 'fire sale.'

It would be a bit of a surprise to see him back in Houston next season, so they should absolutely keep an open mind to trading him and at least getting something back. It's also not like he has put up numbers that would be hard to replace.

The other option would be that the team's future is up in the air because of a lack of farm talent. They do have just one top 100 prospect, Jacob Meltion, but have a lot of players under contract that aren't that old.

Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez and Cristian Javier are all just 27 years old. Yainer Diez, Joey Loperfido and Jeremy Pena are younger. Jose Altuve is a bit older but is fresh off of a contract extension.

There is enough talent on the roster that will be here for the next couple of seasons that they should ride it out through this season.

The journey to the playoffs is still a bit long, but they have a few routes there. Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers have not taken advantage so the AL West crown is up for grabs.

The rest of May has seven games against the Oakland Athletics and three against the Los Angeles Angels before closing out with Seattle. This is a huge stretch for the Astros and will decide a lot as they begin to decide on their next moves.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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