Houston Astros Rightfully Receive Awful Grade for Their Offseason Moves

What grade did the Houston Astros receive for their offseason moves?
Sep 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners  in the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park.
Sep 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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It has been a wild offseason for the Houston Astros, who after an early postseason exit for the first time in a long time, have reshaped the roster.

In 2024, the Astros saw a ridiculous streak of making the American League Championship Series come to an end. The Detroit Tigers were able to defeat them in the AL Wild Card Round, marking potentially the end of an era for the Astros.

However, despite the early exit, and Houston entering the offseason with a couple of notable free agents, they still appeared to have the pieces in place to compete.

Despite still being built to win, the Astros have seemingly reshaped their roster in an interesting way this winter. With a couple of trades and free-agent signings, there are going to be quite a few new faces in Houston this coming season.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently graded the offseason for the Astros. He gave them a grade of a ‘D’ highlighted by the loss of Kyle Tucker and the potential departure of Alex Bregman.

“For now, though, Bregman and Tucker are out of the picture and it's hard to make the case they won't be missed. Walker and Paredes are good fits for Minute Maid Park, but they're probably not going to produce the 8.8 rWAR that Bregman and Tucker put up in 2024.”

The first notable domino to drop for Houston this offseason was the decision to trade Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. With a massive contract clearly looming for him next offseason, the Astros decided to part ways with him now in order to try and recoup some young players and prospects.

What also appeared to be telling for Houston in the Tucker trade was them acquiring two players that can play third base, somewhat signaling that Bregman’s tenure with the Astros was over.

However, recent developments of another trade with the Cubs that sent relief pitcher Ryan Pressly north, have seemingly opened the door again for a potential Bregman return.

This has been a very strange situation for Houston, which it has felt has been a bit all over the place this winter.

One loss that might have flown under the radar a bit was starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi's signing with the Los Angeles Angels. The southpaw was an excellent addition by the team at the trade deadline last year and was one of the best pitchers in the second half of the season.

While the Astros do have depth and talent in the rotation, losing Kikuchi will likely be felt.

Overall, the poor grade of a ‘D’ feels warranted for the Astros, especially if they lose Bregman as well this winter. Losing two stars, one of which was under contract for 2025 will be hard to replace moving forward.


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