Houston Astros' Unparalleled Run in Danger, Former MLB Executive Predicts

The Houston Astros have been one of the preeminient teams in Major League Baseball for the last decade.

Nick Ziegler | Mar 15, 2025

Feb 25, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros manager Joe Espada (19) enter the field for a pitching change against the New York Mets during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

With the offseason coming to a close for the Houston Astros, they will be entering uncharted waters this coming year.

For nearly the last decade, the Astros have been the benchmark in the American League. Prior to last season, they were in the American League Championship Series for seven straight years.

That impressive streak was snapped in 2024 by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card Round.

The loss might have been what spurred the flurry of moves that the franchise made this winter, with the team being completely revamped.

Players like Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Ryan Pressly, and Justin Verlander will not be playing in Houston this coming year, and some new faces will be trying to prove themselves.

While there is still a lot of talent on the team, there is also a lot of uncertainty. How well some of the offseason additions pan out has yet to be seen, and the Astros won’t just be assumed as a playoff team this year.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (paid subscription required) recently predicted that the poor offseason for the Astros would result in a third-place finish in the AL West and them not making the postseason for the first time in a long time.

This offseason certainly felt like the franchise was making the decision to close their current title window and go into a bit of a retool.

While letting some free agents walk was to be expected, the trading of Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly was the clear indication that they aren’t trying to win a World Series this year.

After such a long stretch of success, a time for change in the American League and the AL West might be coming.

With Bowden predicting that Houston would finish in third place in the division and miss the postseason, he had the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners ahead of them in the division.

The Astros were fortunate that the Rangers weren’t healthy last year, considering they were the reigning World Series champions.

For the Mariners, they had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, but simply couldn’t hit the baseball and score runs. The hope is that the return of Julio Rodriguez to form will help them improve in 2025.

Furthermore, even the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels spent a fair amount of money this offseason to improve their teams.

Overall, with the amount of subtractions that the team had this winter, it’s hard to imagine that they will be able to continue their success in the AL West.

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