The Astros have added a pair of talented right-handed bats to their lineup this offseason: third baseman Isaac Paredes and first baseman Christian Walker. However, they also parted ways with one of the premier left-handed hitters in the sport when they traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs in exchange for Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith. That means the ’Stros have a very righty-heavy offense; Yordan Alvarez is their only dangerous lefty bat. It also means Houston has a glaring hole in the outfield. Manager Joe Espada would prefer to scale back Alvarez’s playing time in the field next year (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic). That would leave Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubón, and Taylor Trammell to play the outfield. It’s not hyperbole to say that could be one of the worst offensive outfields among contending teams.
With all that in mind, general manager Dana Brown told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle) that he’s not finished adding to the roster. For one thing, he could still go after a left-handed hitting outfielder. Presumably, it won’t be one of the top remaining free agent bats, like the switch-hitting Anthony Santander or Jurickson Profar. Brown has downplayed the suggestion that he’s working under any strict payroll constraints. However, Chandler Rome recently said on the Foul Territory podcast, “From what I’m hearing, I don’t expect any more significant big-dollar additions.” That’s a speculative comment, but it’s informed speculation. To that point, Rome suggests the Astros would prefer to get back under the luxury tax in 2025. Currently, RosterResource puts them about $3MM above the first tax threshold. They are known to be looking to offload Ryan Pressly’s $14MM salary in a trade, but even a move like that wouldn’t give them enough flexibility to sign Santander or Profar without having to pay the luxury tax.
Less expensive outfield options for the Astros could include free agents Jesse Winker, Alex Verdugo, or David Peralta. They could also consider a reunion with Jason Heyward. Meanwhile, if they don’t bring in an outside reinforcement, Rome names Zach Dezenzo and Jacob Melton as two prospects to keep an eye on. Yet, neither is necessarily a strong solution. Dezenzo is right-handed and has very limited experience playing the outfield. Melton is a highly-regarded outfield prospect, but he struggled offensively at Triple-A in 2024. While he bats left-handed and has had success against right-handed pitching, his platoon splits against southpaws are so poor that he’ll have to take a big step forward before he becomes an everyday option for the Astros.
Turning to the pitching staff, Brown suggested he’s happy with his club’s rotation depth (per Kawahara). Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Luis Garcia, and Spencer Arrighetti will most likely make up the Opening Day rotation, while recent acquisition Wesneski offers insurance at Triple-A. However, the bullpen is an area where Brown could look to make an addition. The Astros arm barn was solid but unspectacular in 2024, and they have yet to make any moves to address the losses of Caleb Ferguson, Héctor Neris, and Seth Martinez. On top of that, all of those losses would pale in comparison to the potential loss of Pressly. The veteran right-hander has been a key cog in Houston’s bullpen for the past seven years. It’s understandable why the Astros are looking to trade him – he’s still making top closer money when he’s really more of a set-up man – but he’ll be hard to replace.
The Astros could pursue a similarly talented arm who will come with a slightly cheaper price tag, such as Chris Martin or A.J. Minter. Yet, that might not leave them with enough payroll left over to add an outfielder. Thus, they could prefer to bet on a cheaper option instead. Perhaps that’s a bounce-back candidate like Will Smith or Dylan Floro or an undervalued, high-upside arm like Danny Coulombe or Jalen Beeks.
