Houston Astros Predicted as Big Spenders in Free Agency

Will the Houston Astros be big spenders in free agency this offseason?

Sep 7, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) hits an RBI infield single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

While the Houston Astros are trying to win another World Series, the organization is likely thinking about what a pivotal offseaon for the franchise is coming up. 

For the last decade, the Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball. Between trades, free agency, and developing players, Houston has been very successful with their decision-making, and it has resulted in a lot of success. 

This offseason is going to be an important one for the Astros, as they have a lot of players heading toward free agency and will have some big decisions to make. 

As of now, the current payroll for the Astros is just under $300 million. After the season is done, that is expected to drop in about half to $146 million. However, Houston is going to have to decide how much they are willing to spend on certain players, as they likely won’t be able to keep everybody in the next couple of years. 

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently spoke about the Astros being one of the biggest spenders in free agency for this coming offseason. 

“Houston already has issues at both the first base and center field spots in its lineup, and now it will need to either replace or re-sign Alex Bregman at the hot corner. That alone could make the Astros one of the biggest spenders in free agency, as Bregman has a market value (per Spotrac) of four years, $120M.”

“That's probably an underestimation, too, now that Matt Chapman got that six-year, $150M extension from the Giants earlier this month. Wouldn't be terribly surprising if Bregman signs the second-biggest contract this winter—behind Juan Soto, of course.”

After seeing the contract that Matt Chapman received, Alex Bregman is set for a very nice payday. This is good news for him, and bad news for the Astros. The decision on what to do with Bregman will likely be the hardest one for Houston to make, as he is going to be one of the top hitters available in free agency. 

Furthermore, with Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi also being free agents, the Astros will need to add at least one starting pitcher. Considering the struggles of Verlander this season and his age, this season will likely be his last in Houston. 

With some big decisions to make and money to spend, the Astros will be a team to keep an eye on once free agency starts.