After the difficult season the Houston Astros battled throughout 2025, their upcoming campaign could be a fresh start for the franchise. The possibility of Framber Valdez returning is growing slimmer with each passing day, leaving room for an incoming free agent.
Throughout their history, the Houston Astros have demonstrated a willingness to spend. In fact, they were the first franchise to sign a player to a million dollar annual salary when they agreed to terms with Nolan Ryan on a four-year, $4.5 million contract in 1979.
The Houston Astros have been aggressive in the international market this offseason, first landing Japanese star Tatsuya Imai on a three-year deal. They continued that trend by adding eight international prospects during the opening of the 2026 signing period.
There's never enough prospects to sign for the Houston Astros, especially in the Caribbean islands. Cuban and Dominican talent is in a constant flux, an area where the Astros secured many ties.
According to Francys Romero, the Houston Astros have reached an agreement with international prospect Jack Valbrune, adding another promising young talent to their farm system.
Framber Valdez may have bet wrong in not taking the Houston Astros’ qualifying offer in November. But he’s still one of baseball’s best players. Valdez, who remains a free agent, was selected No.
Often, the biggest problem with complex statistics is that there is not a good enough frame of reference. I always try to include league average references for the new metrics that we come up with, but league average is not the only frame of reference available.
The Houston Astros have some terrific players and as Major League Baseball unveils its Top 100 players, the franchise should have a few players selected.
No matter how big Major League Baseball is, it still feels very small on the relationship side. People work for one team, then get hired for another. Before they know it, they're working alongside the same coworkers that worked with them on a prior team, setting a paper trail of familiar faces.
While the Astros and Yainer Diaz find themselves in an arbitration standoff, the 27-year old remains firmly entrenched as the club’s primary catcher in
This offseason, one question surrounding the Houston Astros has been how they are going to fill the need for a No. 2 pitcher behind Hunter Brown, with Framber Valdez likely leaving in free agency.
America's favorite pastime has more memorable performances than any sport. As such, figuring out which pitchers had the best seasons ever is no easy task.
By any measure, the Houston Astros are running out of easy ways to improve their roster. With the signing of Tatsuya Imai and the team operating near the Competitive Balance Tax, ownership has made it clear that more significant free-agent spending is off the table.
The 2025 campaign wasn't bad by any means for the Houston Astros, as they finished with 87 wins. However, hitting several bumps along the way to the finish line, the Astros fell short of the AL West division title and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Houston Astros added three new starters this winter, but it might not be enough. ESPN's latest breakdown still has Houston's rotation ranked 25th in projected ERA heading into the 2026 season.
The Houston Astros have, more or less, completed most of what they set out to do in the offseason. They added depth to the starting rotation, a utility bat to replace Mauricio Dubon, and avoided arbitration with the bulk of their protected players.
The Houston Astros have been able to stay competitive for the last decade thanks to a strong farm system. And now that their pitching staff has seen an overhaul over the last few years, Houston will need the next wave of pitchers to come through and succeed.
The Houston Astros are doing everything they can to make it back to the playoffs in 2026. The problem is that the Astros are having a slow offseason. Houston was able to add Tatsuya Imai, the top Japanese pitcher on the market.
The Houston Astros just agreed to pay Jesus Sanchez $6.8 million for 2026, but that doesn't mean he's staying. Previously, multiple teams have reportedly shown interest in the outfielder, and Houston remains open to moving him despite avoiding arbitration.
The Houston Astros had more than just their hands full when the arbitration deadline came around last week, as they had 13 players for whom they were trying to avoid a hearing for their salary for 2026.
The 2025 campaign presented the Houston Astros with unfamiliar territory. When Game 162 concluded, so did their season. For the first time since 2016, the Houston Astros watched all of the postseason from their sofas.
Astros manager Joe Espada and GM Dana Brown are entering the final seasons of their respective contracts. It’ll be Espada’s third season in the role and Brown’s fourth year running baseball operations.
The Astros officially introduced Tatsuya Imai at Daikin Park this morning. The surprising three-year deal continues what has been a pitching-focused offseason for a Houston team losing Framber Valdez to free agency.
The Astros announced they’ve designated reliever Kaleb Ort for assignment. That opened the 40-man roster spot to finalize their three-year free agent deal with Tatsuya Imai.