Former MLB Executive Gives Astros Brutal Grade for Offseason Moves

The Houston Astros had a very busy offseason, entering the winter with a few needs that had to be addressed. But, as things moved along, even more holes on the roster opened up.

Atop their to-do list was finding an upgrade at first base.

Their signing of Jose Abreu ahead of the 2023 season was expected to solidify the position for a few years. He was consistently a middle-of-the-order producer for the Chicago White Sox, finishing on the MVP ballot four straight years before the Astros signed him.

That included winning the award in 2020.

Unfortunately, that was not the version of Abreu that Houston got. His production plummeted and he was released less than halfway through the three-year deal after an abysmal start to the 2024 season.

A -1.7 WAR was recorded in 35 games and 120 plate appearances with a ghastly .124/.167/.195 slash line that could signal the end of the road for his MLB career.

Replacing him will be Christian Walker, who signed a three-year, $60 million deal this past offseason.

Some fans will be weary of another mid-30 free agent signing at the position, but he is coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks after winning three consecutive National League Gold Glove Awards and averaging 32 home runs per campaign.

Unfortunately for the Astros, that was the only impactful addition that was made in free agency this year, with outfielder Ben Gamel signing a one-year, $1 million deal as the only other Major League signing.

That is far from ideal, especially when taking into consideration just how much talent that Houston lost this winter.

In free agency, star third baseman Alex Bregman departed, signing a deal with the Boston Red Sox. Starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi both left as well, agreeing to contracts with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels, respectively.

The biggest blow to the franchise was trading Kyle Tucker, with one year of club control remaining, to the Chicago Cubs in a shocking blockbuster.

Losing two franchise cornerstones in Bregman and Tucker played a huge part in Jim Bowden of The Athletic (paid subscription required) giving the team a rough grade of C-plus in his MLB offseason report card.

“The departures of Tucker and Bregman hurt their grade and signaled an end of an era for the Astros, who’ve made the postseason for eight consecutive years,” the former MLB executive wrote.

Outfield was already a weakness for the team with Tucker in the fold; without him, they had arguably the worst situation in baseball. That prompted the team to move their star second baseman Jose Altuve to left field, where the results have been pretty bad thus far, at least defensively.

While their overall grade isn’t great right now, there is one major positive to come out of this winter; star prospect Cam Smith.

Acquired in the trade package from the Cubs along with third baseman Isaac Paredes and pitcher Hayden Wesneski, he has been incredible during Grapefruit League games.

If he gets anywhere near his ceiling, that trade is going to age gracefully for the franchise, especially if Tucker leaves Chicago after one year.