If the goal for the Houston Astros was to spend as little as possible in free agency this offseason, well, mission accomplished.
From a free agency standpoint, the Astros have done the bare minimum as of the new year, handing out just one contract with MLB guarantees to one free agent — backup catcher Victor Caratini.
That is based on tracking by MLB Trade Rumors, which has tracked all free-agent spending for players that have signed MLB deals after the Nov. 6 cut-off to start free agency negotiations with other teams. The site is also not including trades and extensions in these rankings.
So where do the Astros stack up? Well, Caratini's deal was for two years and $12 million. The Astros’ spending is No. 19 in the Majors so far. It’s not the least any team has spent — but it’s close.
The following teams have handed out less in guaranteed money than the Astros to MLB free agents — the Milwaukee Brewers ($11.25 million), the Los Angeles Angels ($6.8 million), the Cleveland Guardians ($4.75 million), the Washington Nationals ($4.25 million), the Oakland Athletics ($1.5 million), the Tampa Bay Rays ($1.1 million) and the Minnesota Twins ($950,000).
The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the most in free agency, committing more than $1 billion, most of which was given to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Astros are hoping to stay under next season’s Competitive Balance Tax threshold of $237 million. It’s also unclear how lucrative their local television agreements will be in 2024.
Along with arbitration demands for several players, including pitcher Framber Valdez and outfielder Kyle Tucker, the Astros have made it clear they want to extend both Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.
It’s not clear if the Astros have the means to extend both, but reporting has made it clear that Altuve is the franchise’s priority for an extension.
For now, it looks like the Astros are keeping it lean as they prepare for Spring Training.
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