Inside the Astros

Astros Made Right Decision To Not Re-Sign Last Year's Trade Deadline Addition

The Houston Astros didn't go after last year's trade deadline acquisition in the offseason, and that was the right decision.

Brad Wakai

Sep 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) walks on the field before the game against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park
Sep 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) walks on the field before the game against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros had another eye-opening offseason.

Known for letting their star players walk in free agency, the organization took things to the next level this past winter when they didn't aggressive pursue an extension with Alex Bregman and traded Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs in separate deals.

Those weren't the only departures, either.

Justin Verlander quietly hit the open market and last year's trade deadline acquisition, Yusei Kikuchi, became a free agent, as well.

The Astros never really pushed for re-signing either of them, and it didn't take long for Kikuchi to find his next home when he inked a three-year, $63 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels in late-November.

Despite Houston giving up a hefty package to acquire the southpaw, they made the right decision to not seek a new deal with Kikuchi.

For starters, he has regressed already with the Angels.

Through three starts, the lefty has posted a 5.00 ERA, giving up four home runs out of his 15 hits while only striking out 16 batters in 18 innings pitched with eight walks.

Prior to being acquired by the Astros, Kikuchi had only posted an ERA+ that was above the league average one time, the 2023 season with the Toronto Blue Jays where his 3.86 ERA was the lowest of his career over the course of a full campaign.

At $21 million per year, Houston made the right decision to not meet that asking price.

While he had a resurgence upon being acquired by the Astros last season -- posting a 2.70 ERA and 145 ERA+ across his 10 starts with the highest K/9 rate (11.4) of his career -- the finances just didn't make sense for the team.

Already pinching pennies when it came to the situation regarding Bregman, handing that amount of money to a pitcher who hasn't been one of the top in the game on a consistent basis would have been a poor allocation of resources.

It likely would have prevented them from adding Christian Walker to upgrade their first base situation, too, and there would have been no guarantee that Kikuchi would perform at the same level he did with the team in 2024.

There's still time for the left-hander to turn his season around with Los Angeles, and if that happens then this argument might be harder to make. However, even if does occur, the Astros made the smart move to not pursue a new deal.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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