Bochy didnt even make a difference with his own team who had about half the injuries we had so doubtful. If Abreu closes just a couple of his inexplicable blow ups we’re in. Of course Espada had a couple WTFs also, all managers do, WTF knows. Worst scenario losing on a TB. All those “it’s a long season” loses are glaring. Example: The get away day, extra rest, 2 of 3, punt lineups….FML
People are making too much of "what went wrong" down the stretch. The team was hanging everything on our 2 aces all season while being a .500 team when they didnt start. Once one of the aces starting pitching like crap down the stretch the house of cards came down. Injuries were probably the primary culprit to why this was a mediocre team, but ultimately it was a mediocre team. We overachieved if you look at all the underlying numbers. Getting an extra win or 2 to get eliminated early in the playoffs doesn't mean a whole lot to me.
We need a real ace. Big names with big talent, not question marks. This team was not good. They were ok. That’s not up to our standard around here anymore. It’s time to get back to paying for talent. When you look under the hood our top line outperformed their expected metrics, until they came back to earth, and our lineup had gaping holes.
The Astros have consistently fielded one of the highest payrolls in the league. “Paying for talent” is not the answer, and they’ve already been doing that. “Paying for talent” is how you end up with Christian Walker, Josh Hader, and Jose Abreu.
Trading for top tier pitching and developing pitching while filling in holes in the offense by bringing up one ROY candidate per year and trading to fill in another hole in the lineup each year was the formula the Stros used for years. This will probably be the 1st year in the last 5-6 years that the Stros won't have a top 5 ROY candidate.
If Cole is a 30/30 guy he will be a candidate. Blubaugh, Pecko, and Ullola could all make noise next year.
I personally think having two aces, where you win the vast majority of their starts - and being .500% outside of them in overall a winning strategy, especially when you consider the Astros had the worst injury situation in the league, and I read somewhere that it was the worst in nearly a decade in baseball. I think Framber's collapse is a huge reason - but the loss of Hader and Sousa was equally as bad.
I agree. I’m probably one of the few guys that would like to bring Framber if we can get him for 25m/4 or 30m/3, both of which are unlikely. Framber is one of the best innings eater in baseball which elevates your bullpen. My guess is we sign 1 FA innings eater (not an ace) and trade for another TOR (not an ace), trade Walker, re-sign Carratini, choose one of Urias or Dubon, jettison Chas, Sanchez, and the other fodder. Lineup next year: Pena SS Paredes 1b Alvarez DH Altuve 2b Correa 3b Diaz C Smith RF Cole LF Meyers CF Brown Traded for Javier FA innings eater Blubaugh/Alexander/Arrighetti? Hader Abreu Sousa Fill in the rest (Brown is a master a this). Bench: Dubon or Urias (hopefully Urias), Dezenzo, Carratini, Melton or Matthews Without injuries that’s a very competitive team. If Cole, Smith, or Myers falter make a trade at the deadline.
It is certainly possible - Brown is going to be very flexible to try and get as much done with the resources he has to use. Caratini is an example, if he is cheap they want him back - if Framber's market collapses, they want him back ---- but like everything it is with the caveat that it is "at the right price".
I haven’t been able to find it on the internet, but if there is a strike or lock-out for the full year in 27, do all the player’s contracts automatically move out a year? For example so Alvarez’s contract would go through 29 instead of 28?
I would assume that it would have to be something that would get worked out between the union and the owners in their next CBA?
I have read a bit about this and it is far from clear, but my understanding is that guaranteed contracts are not paid during the lockout but the timelines are not changed, and that players would not accrue service time, so pre-arbitration and arbitration players would have their timelines “extended”. For Houston, it would just mean “losing” a year of Walker, Javier, Altuve, Hader, Correa, and Alvarez while extending the control of all the other guys by one year. From that perspective a lockout has the biggest impact on players for which the lost season comes during their peak earning year. Walker and Hader do NOT want to lose the 2027 season to a lockout.
NO SIDE represent ME in these discussions. I just want to watch baseball on TV on ONE CHANNEL, preferably by streaming so I don't need cable. Home or away shouldn't matter. Just let me click on a link that let's me see the game no matter who broadcasts it. But they are only interested in appealing to the same fools who pay $100 for a NYC pizza. My reaction is to rediscover Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass after looking at some memes reminded me of my favorite music as a kid. His style was his own. Sometimes Ameriachi, sometimes Amercallipso and sometimes a romantic vocal. It's a sanity saver.
Hmm... Morey changed the medical staff in Philadelphia this NBA off-season... why can't the Astros do the same? https://www.theringer.com/2025/10/01/nba/philadelphia-76ers-joel-embiid-paul-george-injury-updates Morey spent the offseason evaluating every department of the organization. Nurse did his own assessments, too. “To be honest, there was a lot of pissed-off-edness,” he said recently. Numerous employees were soon let go or replaced. Coaches. Physical therapists. Medical staff. (Morey seems particularly excited about working with a New York–based orthopedic surgeon named Dr. Jonathan Glashow, whom he name-checked multiple times on media day.)
The answer to that has a high impact on whether we will need a multi-year reset or not. It is another challenge in a long list of challenges that Dana has been saddled with. I think he is the man for the job.
The modern marketplace says you need to spend Half a Billion Dollars for a player who spends 75% - 90% of their time on DL.
This team is at a cross roads. During the golden era, they had top 5 ROY candidates every year. This was the second year in a row without a ROY candidate. *Now I have to mention that they gave Cam Smith a chance and he simply failed. But they failed him, not the other way around. He had no business staying on this team once he started struggling. He needed to be in the minors getting the development and experience they robbed him of by keeping him on the 26 man all year - HE WASN'T A RULE 5 PICK !! ( end of rant) This team, currently, has a 2 year window due to control length of current players. They are also old. 25 different players who were 30 or over played for this team in 2025. In order to set the 2028 team up for success, while they also still have plenty of talent to compete in 3026 and 2027, they need young, cheap controllable players not more expensive veterans. This team needs to plan on giving Miguel Ullola 15 and A.J. Blubaugh 25+ starts ( A.J. is more proven and has higher floor) out of Spring Training. Then move on if they fail but stop jerking guys up and down a couple of starts at a time throughout the season. If they still don't have 3 playoff starters from: Brown, Blubaugh, Ullola, Javier, Arrighetti, Alexander, McCullers, Blanco, and/or Wesneski at the deadline then add a guy like Kikuchi Zach Cole, Zach Dezenzo, and Cam Smith have all flashed enough to deserve a chance. Melton and Matthews probably need more AAA time, but have the talent. Instead of bringing in another veteran position player give them a chance to win a job in Spring training. April- June are for figuring out what you have and what you need. Then fix your holes in July. Don't sacrifice 2028 during the 2025-2026 offseason before even knowing if you have any holes. Get a backup catcher to pair with Diaz. Start Walker, Altuve, Correa, Paredes, and Yordan 4 out of every 5 games. Start Pena and Meyers everyday to keep more stability (Hit Meyers 9th and only 9th. Period) Keep Dubon to be a defensive replacement for Altuve and Yordan. Give the other 3 roster spots and 2 starting spots to young guys who could turn into "tent post" players in 1-3 years. If none have seized the jobs and become proven starters by July then pivot to veterans at the trade deadline.
