HOUSTON — For the first time in eight years, the Houston Astros had an idle October. Ensuring they don’t have another is general manager Dana Brown’s responsibility, one that begins in earnest during next week’s general managers meetings in Las Vegas.

Brown and his lieutenants are scheduled to arrive on Monday afternoon. They’ve already begun some offseason work and, along with manager Joe Espada, are in the process of finalizing Houston’s overhauled coaching staff. San Diego Padres hitting coach Victor Rodriguez is a strong candidate to join, though a league source said on Tuesday that nothing has been agreed upon.

After completing the coaching staff, here are the three foremost objectives Brown will begin to broach.

Replace the lost innings

Thirty-six men threw a pitch for the Astros last season. Three of them are position players, five more have undergone significant arm surgeries and eight others were either released or traded during the 2025 season. One of them is Ryan Gusto, the lone major leaguer in Houston’s ill-fated trade for Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez.

Gusto threw 86 innings in an Astros uniform before being shipped to Miami. Only two Houston pitchers threw more: American League Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown and underappreciated workhorse Framber Valdez, who is now one of the most coveted pitchers on the free-agent market.

The Astros are bracing for Valdez to sign the sort of lengthy, lucrative contract that owner Jim Crane is loath to give. If and when it happens, Houston will confront a sobering reality. Few pitchers in the sport have been more durable than Valdez — and replacing the volume of his innings isn’t going to happen with one outside acquisition.

Justin Verlander’s availability will intrigue Jim Crane, who remains close friends with the future Hall of Famer. (Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

Since becoming a full-time starter in 2020, Valdez has thrown 973 innings. Only four pitchers have thrown more, and only one of those four has a lower ERA than Valdez: Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. Few pitchers like that exist on the open market, and the Astros aren’t in the business of paying those who do.

Anticipating a full season from Cristian Javier should mitigate some concerns, but he’s only thrown 71 2/3 innings across the past two seasons. Last season, Houston saw the problems in presuming full health and efficacy from pitchers returning from injury.

Signing Nate Pearson and agreeing to a minor-league deal with Peter Lambert is perhaps a signal of how the Astros plan to address the problem — by layering themselves with depth that, at the very least, has substantial major-league experience.

Justin Verlander’s availability will intrigue Crane, who remains close friends with the future Hall of Famer. In April, Verlander said there was “mutual interest” between him and Crane in a reunion. Verlander ultimately signed with the San Francisco Giants, but said in April he “would always entertain the idea of coming back here.”

Though Verlander will turn 43 in February, he did just throw 152 innings with a 3.85 ERA for the Giants — volume the Astros will sorely need. Dana Brown also promised to scour the trade market, specifically, for starting pitching.

It would behoove him to do so. Without Valdez or Gusto, Houston will return just two pitchers that threw at least 85 innings last year: Hunter Brown and left-hander Colton Gordon, who finished his first major-league season with a 1.419 WHIP and 5.34 ERA.

What is Jose Altuve’s role?

Last season, fate altered an attempt to transition Jose Altuve into the next phase of his career. Now, it’s worth wondering whether the franchise will try it again. Once Brown and manager Joe Espada decide, it will offer more clarity on Houston’s offseason needs.

Altuve accepted a position change last January and, throughout spring training, prepared to play predominantly left field. That he started just 45 games there is a byproduct of injuries across the Astros’ roster, which forced Altuve into more time at designated hitter and back at second base: the position Houston hoped he would abandon. Instead, Altuve started 63 games there.

Altuve’s defensive metrics at both positions are dismal, but analyzing that proficiency is somewhat performative. All of Altuve’s value is tied to his bat. Brown and Espada must decide where Altuve is best suited to perform offensively while keeping his age in mind.

Altuve will turn 36 in May and just finished his worst offensive showing since 2013. A right foot injury impacted him throughout September, but Altuve still slashed just .265/.329/.442 during a season in which he accrued just 0.5 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference.

Altuve sported an .816 OPS in 211 plate appearances as a designated hitter last season, higher than his numbers when playing either second base or left field. On perhaps any other team, the straightforward solution would be slotting Altuve as an everyday DH.

Yordan Alvarez’s presence will prevent that setup. Alvarez’s 114-game absence last season allowed Altuve to spend such ample time at designated hitter, the position Alvarez has occupied in 450 of his 677 major-league games.

Alvarez, like Altuve, is capable of playing left field. Neither man will win a Gold Glove, but both are competent. Espada has long been wary of overexposing Alvarez on defense and, before last season, vowed to “cut back” from the 53 games Alvarez started in left field during 2024.

Whether Houston can afford that now is a legitimate question. Alvarez and Altuve splitting time between designated hitter and left field may be the most sensible solution — and perhaps leave Houston in search of help at second base. Signing a veteran outfielder in a part-time role, maybe even on a minor-league deal, could also supply needed insurance behind Alvarez and Altuve.

Decide who to trade

Trades of some sort seem inevitable, be it to clear money from a bloated payroll, solve logjams in the infield and outfield or supplement the pitching staff. Last month, Brown even acknowledged the Astros are “going to probably be in the market, for sure, to trade for” a starting pitcher.

Limiting their pursuit of pitching to just the trade market is unwise, given the sorry state of the farm system, but the team may have enough options on its major-league roster to help compensate.

Catcher Yainer Diaz, center fielder Jake Meyers, setup man Bryan Abreu or, perhaps, shortstop Jeremy Peña would be the most enticing to other clubs, though trading Peña does not seem like a realistic possibility.

Moving one of Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker feels far more likely. Acquiring Carlos Correa at the trade deadline and playing him at third base leaves Paredes without a clear defensive position. Rival evaluators have long questioned Paredes’ defensive ability at second base — the lone vacant spot on Houston’s infield.

Paredes could move to first base, where Walker underwhelmed in the first season of a three-year, $60 million contract, but showed enough promise after the All-Star break to perhaps increase his value.

MLB Trade Rumors projects Paredes will make $9.3 million in arbitration this winter. Walker is due $20 million next season. Walker’s contract contains a limited no-trade clause, too, which allows him to block a trade to six teams.

Trading either player would free some payroll space. Logic may say that shipping Walker would clear more, but it’s difficult to imagine a team absorbing the entirety of his contract. That Walker will turn 35 in March and just finished his worst offensive season since 2021 only reinforces the thought.

Brown should listen to inquiries on both players. He must also ponder what best benefits the 2026 Astros: keeping Paredes’ pull-side power at Daikin Park, and his much-needed patient approach in the lineup, or parlaying his All-Star season into a deal that supplements other areas of the roster.