The Houston Astros have become quite accustomed to winning.
Making seven trips to the American League Championship Series and four trips to the World Series in eight years will do that to you.
However, things have been changing. Players, managers, general managers — heck even the ballpark’s sponsorship have all come and gone during this stretch of time. None of those things have stopped the inevitable Astros from winning.
This offseason, though, felt… different. Justin Verlander had returned again but now departed once more. Alex Bregman did not resign and ended up going to Boston. Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly were traded. It appeared like a departure from some of the Astros’ previous tactics.
Sure, players have walked and signed elsewhere. Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Gerrit Cole are just a few who have departed during this historic run for the franchise. Each time, Houston found a way to make up for the production. In some instances, the replacements outperformed the former stars. It has been a masterclass in organizational evaluations.
This time around, however, the front office has different leadership. Yes, plenty of the talent evaluators are still in place, but they have a new boss. We have yet to see Dana Brown truly put his stamp on the organization and continue the run of success that both of his predecessors have had.
With all that being said, this season is a prime opportunity for Brown to prove his worth, because plenty of the roster has his prints all over it.
The trade for Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski has a chance to bring back true value and player control moving forward. The acquisition of Christian Walker and moving of Jose Altuve to left field are also moves under Brown’s watch.
As the title of this column suggests, the Astros have a difficult task. They are not a franchise looking for their first glimpse of success. They have reached the mountain top — multiple times even.
Instead, they are trying to cook the same meal with different ingredients… or at least different seasonings.
The only core ingredients that remain from the original run of success are Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr. McCullers has not pitched in two years, and any on-field contributions from him would be a bonus. Altuve is a future Hall-of-Famer, yet is embarking on perhaps the biggest challenge of his big-league career: a move to left field.
Fortunately, Altuve and McCullers are not alone. Core pieces have been added over the years, such as Yordan Alvarez, Yainer Diaz, and Framber Valdez. This roster still appears ready to compete for the division title and beyond in 2025.
The start to the 2025 season has had a level of excitement that is different than recent years. The Astros’ consistency has left plenty of questions very much answered. This season has intrigue and doubt much like 2017 did.
In addition to Altuve’s move to left field, the Astros are going with a surprise opposite him in right field: Cam Smith. That’s right, the 2024 First Round pick of the Cubs who was acquired in the Tucker trade. He was a standout in Spring Training and is now set to make his big-league debut with less than 100 professional baseball games under his belt.
On the pitching staff, returning are Valdez and Hunter Brown, but the rest of the rotation is filled with hopeful question marks. While Spencer Arrighetti and Ronel Blanco had standout rookie seasons a year ago, it may be asking a lot for them to repeat that success. Wesneski also has promise but has never put together a full season in the big leagues.
In short, the Astros’ ceiling is as high as ever, but their floor is lower than at any point since 2017. That, as they say, is why they play the games.
Think of the TV show “Chopped.” All of the chefs are good. They all have produced plenty of great meals and do so quite often. What separates the champions on the show? The ability to adapt to the ingredients they are given.
We will find out if the Houston Astros can win their version of “Chopped” this season.
