Can Houston Astros Afford To Not Address Bullpen This Offseason?

The Houston Astros bullpen might not look much different from last year and that may not be a great thing.

Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Josh Hader (71) throws against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houstons Astros had one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball last year, but that unit did not receive much help from relief pitchers.

The Astros bullpen as a whole was average at best.

Their ERA was fine, stting at 3.66, but their FIP, WAR and blown saves each ranked in the bottom-10 of MLB.

They don't have any specific stats they dominated in, but weren't dead last in anything, either.

Overall, it isn't the most promising campaign to follow up the next year with pretty much the same squad, especially with the offense seemingly taking a step back.

Houston will need their pitching staff to carry them a bit more this season.

One thing that is certain is Josh Hader won't be leaving the closer role.

The Astros would likely prefer it to not be because of how much money they are paying him and rather elite results, but in reality, it is a little bit of both.

Hader was signed to a record contract in the 2023 offseason in hopes that he would continue to be a shutdown closer. He showed flashes of his normal elite self, but wasn't consistent at all.

The 30-year-old finished with a 3.80 ERA and 34 saves. He has had worse performances, but he has also had much better.

Ryan Pressly, whom Hader replaced, also saw major regression for much of the season after being moved back to a setup role.

He posted just a 2.63 in 24 innings of work over the final three months.

He has been the center of trade talks at different times, but remains on the team for now. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get moved once free agency dominoes continue to fall into place.

Bryan Abreu, Tayler Scott, Kaleb Ort and Bryan King all had solid campaigns and seemed to have earned roles in next year's bullpen.

One name that will be interesting to watch is former top prospect Forrest Whitley.

While Whitley has little hope of breaking into this starting rotation, he could still make a name for himself in the Majors as a reliever.

The 27-year-old pitched 3.1 innings of uninspiring relief this past campaign and will return looking to to crack the roster in what could be his final shot.

Houston also added a veteran arm in Miguel Castro, giving themselves another option who has MLB experience.

While their players might not be in much of a position to progress much further in their careers next, year, the Astros bullpen should have plenty of talent.

Now, it's just about getting that talent to live up to the hype.