...we somehow got worse after replacing the Guillormes, Shorts, etc. of the world and replaced them with deadline acquisitions.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6617098/2025/09/11/players-i-got-wrong-keith-law-2025-joe-ryan/ There’s a section where Keith Law admits he was wrong about Hunter Brown. Although he insists he said “he could be a number 2 starter”. If I remember correctly I believe he was insisting Hunter Brown was a reliever.
I’ve thought the same and am wondering why? Maybe the defense got worse? Losing Hader had an impact as well
I don’t buy that. There’s just as much argument for a veteran guy going from a losing team to a winning team having more energy/desire. Urias’ playing time has been so inconsistent there’s really no way to judge his production. Sanchez has been a disappointment but he has also had some bad batted ball luck. If you’re looking for who to blame for Houston’s offensive struggles in September, focus on Altuve and Walker (and to a lesser degree, Sanchez and Meyers).
Not sure if serious. 2019 was the most talented Astros team by far, despite losing the WS. If only AJ had used Cole in Game 7.
Those guys didn’t play very well and Guillorme had like 20 at bats. Paredes got hurt and the bullpen got a lot worse with injuries (Hader and Sousa) and regression / overwork. The Astros also were winning a lot of close games and that luck ran out. Basically the injuries caught up and luck ran out.
I believe Altuve and Walker are exactly who I (and most others here) expected them to be. Neither of them played up to their contracts. I am OK with that from Altuve, he has earned enough good will to warrant his contract without regard to his productivity. However he does not belong in a position where he must field the ball. He must DH or bench bat at this point in his career. That is not the case with Walker. His contract has been an overpay from day one. I would like to see Sanchez and Meyers traded this off season but both played as well as expected when on the field this season.
Go ahead and type up the eulogy for the 2025 Astros. Too many injuries, too many players who couldn’t step up (looking at Walker, Diaz, Sanchez, McCullers, and yes, Altuve). It’s hard to watch tonight’s game and see them contending next season, but on paper they should be pretty good.
Walter has less than one year of service time. I think there is zero chance he gets non-tendered making league minimum with 6 years of control left
Folks keep saying colossal collapse this and that. Go look at the tigers and the mets. Now these are colossal collapse.
I think the Tigers situation alone is far worse than what is happening with the Astros. Given the injuries, you can make the case the Astros shouldn't even be in this playoff fight. Meanwhile, the Tigers have squandered a double digit game lead in the division in the last couple weeks. It seems more and more likely they only make it in because the Astros can't get it together either.
I always considered this season to be a soft reset. We essentially lost Bregman, Tucker, and yordan. It’s a miracle they made it this far still in the hunt. Next season get some real relief pitchers instead of other teams trash, replace framber, trade Walker, and let’s roll
Totally agree with your first 3 sentences but the bullpen was badass this season despite being filled with “other teams’ trash.” Sousa, King, and Okert posted about $35M worth of production for dirt cheap and they were castoffs from other teams. Kimbrel and De Los Santos weren’t as good but weren’t the reason this team won’t make the playoffs.
