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<\/p>\nHOUSTON \u2014 For the first time in eight years, the Houston Astros had an idle October. Ensuring they don\u2019t have another is general manager Dana Brown\u2019s responsibility, one that begins in earnest during next week\u2019s general managers meetings in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Brown and his lieutenants are scheduled to arrive on Monday afternoon. They\u2019ve already begun some offseason work and, along with manager Joe Espada, are in the process of finalizing Houston\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
After completing the coaching staff, here are the three foremost objectives Brown will begin to broach.<\/p>\n
Replace the lost innings<\/p>\n
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\u2019s ill-fated trade for Miami Marlins outfielder Jes\u00fas S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 and replacing the volume of his innings isn\u2019t going to happen with one outside acquisition.<\/p>\n
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\n Justin Verlander\u2019s availability will intrigue Jim Crane, who remains close friends with the future Hall of Famer. (Alex Slitz \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\u2019t in the business of paying those who do.<\/p>\n
Anticipating a full season from Cristian Javier should mitigate some concerns, but he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 by layering themselves with depth that, at the very least, has substantial major-league experience.<\/p>\n