Historically, when someone thinks of the best hitter on a given team, a lot of the time it's a first baseman. From Hall of Famers like Todd Helton and Jim Thome to current sluggers like Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the Houston Astros are looking to rebound in 2026. Houston is on the hunt for starting pitching this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Pirates struck out in their pursuit of free agent Kyle Schwarber to add a big bat to their lineup. They did not strike out on Friday in the trade market.
The first three-team trade has happened (pending medical clearances) as the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays have made some significant moves today.
The stars were out in full force during the 2025 World Series. From Max Scherzer in Toronto to Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and of course, Shohei Ohtani, in Los Angeles, there was no shortage of the game's best under the brightest lights.
It has remained a quiet offseason for the Houston Astros and general manager Dana Brown so far. That really should not come as a surprise, given the Astros are not blessed with a ton of money to spend.
The Houston Astros face a critical offseason with their starting rotation in shambles. Multiple pitchers are recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Framber Valdez is unsigned in free agency but unlikely to return.
The 2025 MLB season saw the end of what was an eight-year postseason streak for the Houston Astros after the club was ousted from the playoff picture during the final weekend of the regular season.
There may be no harder position in baseball for a team to nail than catcher. The Joe Mauers and Buster Poseys of the world are far and few between, and some teams struggle for a long time to find a long-term catcher.
This is shaping up to be an offseason of change for the Houston Astros in terms of their pitching staff. Framber Valdez is likely gone in free agency, and that leaves a hole at the top of the rotation for general manager Dana Brown to fill.
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.
Retaining key players for the Houston Astros has been tumultuous to say the least. Each time a player receives All-Star recognition or MVP status, or is just straight up valuable to a team, their value increases.
The name of the game this offseason for the Houston Astros is starting pitching. Uncertainty surrounds the starting rotation for Houston in 2026, as injuries ravaged the group last season. While Hunter Brown is the clear ace of this team, Framber Valdez will likely move on.
The Houston Astros are a team that, for quite a few years now, has been sustained by veteran talent, primarily players they have developed over the years through exceptional drafts.
It has been a quiet offseason so far for the Houston Astros and general manager Dana Brown. There are multiple needs the Astros have going into 2026, and maybe the biggest is replacing the potential loss of left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez in free agency.
The Houston Astros had an interesting 2025 draft class. Headlined by high school star Xavier Neyens and LSU standout Ethan Frey, an organization not well known for their farm system added some notable names this past draft.
It happened with Kyle Tucker. It happened with Alex Bregman. It happened with Gerrit Cole. It will happen to Jeremy Pena. Since Jim Crane bought the Astros organization, he has been one of the most long-term cost-effective owners in the MLB, who has still remained competitive.
The week of Winter Meetings for the 2025 offseason have come and gone. This wasn't a massive one by any means as more often than not those lay the foundation for the big deals to come and not where the players actually sign, typically.
The Astros kicked off the offseason by downplaying the idea that they would consider dealing away either third baseman Isaac Paredes or first baseman Christian Walker to clear the infield logjam the summer’s Carlos Correa trade created, but more recent reporting has suggested at least some discussions involving Paredes with the Red Sox.
The Houston Astros have a primary focus this winter: acquiring starting pitching. It’s evident that for a team to go deep in the postseason, having a good starting rotation is crucial. Right now, the Astros’ starting pitching depth is weak.
The Houston Astros are further opening up their offseason playbook. Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shane Baz has emerged as a target in the Astros’ search for starting pitching, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported on Monday.
Framber Valdez has established himself as one of the premier groundball specialists in modern baseball, driven by an arsenal built on late arm-side movement, downhill plane, and shape deception.
As we enter the Winter Meetings portion of the offseason calendar, movement should start to heat up as it does every year. Trades typically get to the finish line while agents, players, and teams have more interactions with each other than they do at any other point in the offseason.
The Houston Astros have sent outfielder Taylor Trammell and right-hander Logan VanWey outright to Triple-A Sugar Land. Chandler Rome of The Athletic was among those to pass the info along.
Sánchez had a very poor finish to the 2025 season, batting .199/.269/.342 over 160 plate appearances after being acquired from Miami at the trade deadline.