Houston Astros
Although the Astros saw respectable numbers from their offense this past season, that barely helped propel them into the postseason. Their starting pitchers ultimately didn’t get the job done.
Joe Espada’s rotation was in shambles throughout the season, losing key arms to injuries, including Hunter Brown, Mike Burrows, Hayden Wesneski, Christian Javier, and Tatsuya Imai.
In part due to injuries, the Astros saw 19 different pitchers make a start in 2026, further showing that their rotation was never able to get into a consistent rhythm this past season.
Shockingly, only two starting pitchers surpassed the 100-inning mark this year. Peter Lambert was a workhorse, logging 155.2 innings, while Brown barely cracked the century mark himself, logging a total of 107.1 innings.
On a positive note, Lambert deserves more props for what he was able to accomplish this year. He single-handedly anchored the Astros rotation all season, while others either fought injuries or flat-out struggled to deliver quality results.
Heading into 2027, the Astros rotation is currently projected to consist of five right-handers: Brown, Wesneski, Javier, Lambert, and Imai.
In order to create some balance and deception in the rotation, an offseason addition of Rogers or any other left-hander could be the perfect puzzle piece in Houston.
Even though the Astros found themselves in the postseason for the 10th time since 2015, the 2026 season didn’t prove to be a smooth ride in Space City.