HOUSTON ASTROS
2025 finish: 87-75 (2nd in AL West)
Manager: Joe Espada (175-148, 2nd season)
Leading the front office: Dana Brown, general manager (3rd season)
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Largest luxury tax hit: SS Carlos Correa ($31.2 million)
Top returning players: SS Jeremy Pena (5.7 fWAR), INF Isaac Paredes (2.5), OF Jake Meyers (2.3)
Top returning starting pitchers: RHP Hunter Brown (4.6), RHP Cristian Javier (0.9), LHP Brandon Walter (0.8)
Top returning relievers: RHP Bryan Abreu (2.2), LHP Steven Okert (1.6), LHP Josh Hader (1.1)
ROSTER WATCH
Key additions: RHP Tatsuya Imai (free agent), OF/1B Joey Loperfido (trade), RHP Mike Burrows (trade), RHP Ryan Weiss (free agent), INF Nick Allen (trade), RHP Nate Pearson (free agent), LHP Tom Cosgrove (minors), INF Cavan Biggio (minors), RHP Kai-Wei Teng (trade)
Key losses: LHP Framber Valdez (free agent), OF Jesus Sanchez (trade), RHP Craig Kimbrel (free agent), RHP Hector Neris (free agent), OF Chas McCormick (free agent), INF Brendan Rodgers (free agent), C Victor Caratini (free agent), INF Ramón Urias (free agent), RHP Luis Garcia (free agent), OF Jacob Melton (trade)
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): None
Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai, of Japan, stretches during spring training baseball, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
KEEP AN EYE ON
The Astros had been to the postseason eight straight years and had won two World Series in that window, but an 87-win season in 2025 was not enough to snag a wild-card spot in manager Joe Espada’s second season. Getting back on track will be difficult with LHP Framber Valdez departing as a free agent, but the Astros hope to help cover that loss with RHP Tatsuya Imai, who signed for $54 million over three years after posting a 3.07 ERA in nine years in Japan.
DH Yordan Alvarez garnered MVP votes from 2022 through 2024 (.988 OPS), but injuries limited him to 48 games (.797 OPS) last year. He’s only 28, so a bounce-back year could also go a long ways toward keeping the Astros a contender in the AL.
Carlos Correa was better in 51 games (.785 OPS) in his trade back to Houston after starting the year in Minnesota (.704 OPS). Jeremy Pena, of course, is the shortstop, so Correa will continue to have to get comfortable at third base while proving he’s still a productive bat, even if he’s five years removed from the last time he earned MVP votes.
Fangraphs projection: 80.4 wins