The Houston Astros’ 2018 Offseason Outlook

The empty spots.

The entire starting rotation and starting lineup remain intact. That’s not too bad for Jeff Luhnow. He has four roster spots to play with, and they are all complimentary pieces as opposed to glaring holes or free agent superstars.

BE – EMPTY (Maybin)

BE – EMPTY (Beltran)

RP – EMPTY (Gregerson)

RP – EMPTY (Liriano)

The Astros go into the 2018 off-season with a very familiar shopping list: an elite reliever, left-handed pitching, a left-handed bench bat, and overall hitting depth.

In theory, they could fill all but one of those in-house. Jake Marisnick immediately slides back into the role that Maybin occupied, A.J. Reed can take over as a big lefty bench bat, Tony Sipp is still under contract, Reymin Guduan is a hard-throwing lefty, and there are some exciting outfield prospects in the Astros’ farm system.

Don’t forget about Tony Kemp and Colin Moran, two young left-handed hitters waiting in the wings. Kemp showcased his defensive talents all season long and can play in the infield as well. Moran was tearing up the minors before a freak accident a few days after his call-up kept him out of MLB action for most of 2017.

Free agents?

Plenty of free agent names fit the profile as well. Wade Davis and/or Greg Holland would appear to be high on the team’s wishlist given the bullpen struggles throughout the Postseason. As evidenced by David Robertson, the Astros’ front office has no qualms spending big money on top free agent relievers if the repertoire, age, and contract are just right.

Mike Minor, Tony Watson, and Jake McGee could provide some much-needed left-handed relief. Maybe the Astros surprise everyone and lure Austin resident/TCU grad, Jake Arrieta. Brent Strom and the pitching staff were able to fine tune Verlander back into one of the league’s best pitchers. Imagine what they could do with Arrieta.

Logan Morrison’s sneaky good 2017 season could be worth targeting as well. Morrison has not played in the outfield since 2015, but he can DH and play first base. He will find a team willing to give him the years and starting spot he requests. Carlos Gonzalez had a down year in 2017 but could be a sound left-handed hitting option off the bench. He’ll most likely command a starting role on one of some suitors as well, but perhaps his fellow countryman Altuve could convince him to come to Houston.

Any trades?

Given the state of the organization going into 2018, it will be interesting to see if and when the Astros pull the trigger on a trade. The farm system is still very strong, and the Astros’ unwillingness to part with top guys has already yielded dividends. Bregman was a deal breaker in the Chris Sale talks with the White Sox, and Astros fans are eternally grateful that Luhnow and Co. had the patience to stand pat.

Giancarlo Stanton would be a dream, but it would require a significant outfield overhaul. A deal of that magnitude could greatly disrupt the team’s enviable clubhouse chemistry, an overlooked element that the Astros organization proudly prioritizes. It would be surprising to see the Astros trade for relief pitchers the crop of free agents and way the organization values its minor league talent, but the front office covets talented young players with years of team control and will pounce on the right deal.

The Astros are looking at a scary free agency in 2019. Keuchel, Gonzalez, Morton, and McCann join a host of franchise-altering free agent superstars (such as Manny Machado, Clayton Kershaw, and Bryce Harper) in 2019. Altuve’s $6.5 million option will most certainly be picked up.

Next: Astros: So long to Carlos Beltran

Given that so much of the team remains on the books for 2018, the Astros are in a good position to make occasional and minor pickups over the next two years to bolster the Major League squad without combating the sea of record-setting contracts in 2019.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***