1 lightweight, 1 middleweight, and 1 heavyweight free agent targets remaining for Astros

The Houston Astros haven't done much more than sign a few odds and ends in free agency thus far, instead dipping into the trade market for their biggest splash so far with their acquisition of Mike Burrows.

With that said, the Astros still have needs, and while the free-agent class is starting to thin out, there are still players on every level of the market that can be of use to Houston. With that, we can take a look at their possible targets at the low, middle, and upper tiers for the market.

Adam Frazier is a perfect lightweight free agent target for the Astros

In cutting loose Ramon Urias and trading away Mauricio Dubón, the Astros have created a thin situation on the bench. While Nick Allen, who was acquired in the Dubón trade, gives them a glove-first option, they're going to need more, especially with second base likely to be a timeshare with Jose Altuve spending significant time in left field.

As a result, 34-year-old utility man Adam Frazier fits the bill. Frazier would give them an option who can play solid defense at second, third, and in the outfield, and as a left-handed bat, he'd help balance out what is a very right-handed-heavy roster.

Frazier's not the biggest offensive threat, but as he showed with the Kansas City Royals after he escaped the pitiful Pittsburgh Pirates, he can come close to average offensive performance, slashing .283/.320/.402 in Kansas City.

Tyler Mahle is the middleweight the Astros could bring in to shore up the rotation

The Astros are going to hope that Mike Burrows takes the next step in his development and reaches his ceiling in 2026. With that said, hoping that he can prove to be a true high-end No. 2 behind Hunter Brown and knowing that it will happen are two different things.

Even if Burrows works out as well as can be expected, the rotation still has question marks. Lance McCullers Jr. can't be counted on, Cristian Javier is still knocking off the rust, and the likes of Ryan Weiss, Nate Pearson, and Jason Alexander don't inspire much confidence.

That's where Tyler Mahle can come in. Mahle brings high-end upside, posting a 2.18 ERA in 2025, but brings serious injury concerns. He hasn't managed more than 100 innings pitched in a single season since 2022. Those injury concerns will keep Mahle's price tag in the $10 million range, making him an affordable, high-upside gamble to raise the ceiling of the rotation.

Zac Gallen is the heavyweight target that may or may not fit the Astros budget

Zac Gallen is the pundits' favorite Astros' free-agent fit, though whether or not Houston can afford him is the real question. In this pursuit, the Astros are hoping that a down year that saw Gallen's ERA balloon to 4.83, thanks to a serious drop-off in strikeouts and a rising home run rate, will depress his price tag, while simultaneously hoping that those bugaboos were one-off issues ready to be left in the past.

On the flip side, before 2025, Gallen was the epitome of a high-end No. 2. Durable and productive, from 2022 through 2024, Gallen threw the 12th most innings in baseball with 542, while posting the 13th best ERA at 3.20.

If Houston can squeeze him into the budget and he can revert back ot his pre-2025 performance, it would completely transform the rotation's outlook and vault Houston forward into legitimate contender territory.