Assessing Astros' Five Best Moves from Disappointing 2025 Season

No, Jason Alexander wasn't going to merit any Cy Young votes this season. However, he wound up playing a key role in keeping Houston's injury-marred starting rotation above water.

Alexander was claimed on waivers from the Athletics to shore up a rotation that got just 24 combined starts from Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti and Hayden Wesneski, three-fifths of the season-opening rotation for the Astros. The 32-year-old journeyman responded by going 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA across 14 appearances and 13 starts.

Astros Lead MLB in Challenge Success

Say this for Houston manager Joe Espada: he knows how to use his challenges. One area where the Astros ranked ahead of their competition was in challenging calls, boasting a remarkable 71.9% success rate on video reviews to lead the league, per prpeak.com.

Houston opted to challenge 32 calls this season, and was proven correct on 23 of them.

Cam Smith Makes the Opening Day Roster

When Espada informed an emotional Cam Smith that he had made the opening day roster for the Astros, it marked the culmination of what was a meteoric rise to the majors for a 22-year-old who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs just a year ago (he was included in the Kyle Tucker trade).

Although Smith's 2025 season wasn't always smooth, he showed flashes of potential through his speed (eight steals, 21 doubles) and gained invaluable experience by playing in 134 games and getting nearly 500 plate appearances at the major league level.

Carlos Correa Comes Home

The return of Carlos Correa to Houston was one of the biggest storylines coming out of the 2025 trade deadline. The 31-year-old, acquired from the Minnesota Twins for minor league pitcher Matt Mikulski, was reunited with the club where he had spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career.

Invigorated by a return home, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star quickly picked up where he left off in producing for the Astros. Correa saw a near-immediate spike in offensive production from his time in Minnesota, posting .290/.355/.430 slash line over 51 games.

Isaac Paredes Acquisition Pays Off

Isaac Paredes arrived in Houston with big shoes to fill - in more ways than one. Acquired as part of the blockbuster that saw Tucker depart the organization after seven seasons, the 26-year-old was tasked with filling the third base role vacated by another long-time Astro in Alex Bregman.

Under the pressure of replacing not one but two players who left championship legacies, Paredes hardly looked out of place in Houston. He hit the ground running with a sensational first half (.257/.357/.468 and 19 home runs) before being slowed by injuries that also prevented him from accepting an All-Star invitation.