Astros: Three bold predictions for the regular season

As the regular season begins on April 1, the Houston Astros are still dealing with injuries to pitchers, relying on prospect for depth and looking at a shell of a Word Series team. Although this team won’t look fully complete until June, there is still a lot to be excited about.

While being the frontrunner for the American League West, there are always bold predictions to make about a team that has a high ceiling. With a fully healthy squad, this Astros team could make a deep run into the postseason, while the future of expiring contracts are still a question mark to be answered.

In 162 games, here are three bold predictions for the Houston Astros.

There are a few banged up players entering the 2021 season, and while not having an exact timetable on most of them, the Astros have been a team of progression. We have seen this in the past five seasons, especially with the postseason in 2020.

With the goal always being the last team standing, Houston might be looking at their final season with that in mind. As the contracts of Zack Greinke, Carlos Correa, Justin Verlander and Yuli Gurriel are coming to a close, next offseason might bring in a new wave of Astros’ players.

1. The Astros will have the best lineup by October

As Yordan Alvarez makes his return to the Astros’ lineup, after only playing in two games in 2020, my first bold prediction will be that the team finishes as the best lineup in baseball. With a healthy Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa entering 2021, you can’t expect these guys to be battling the same injuries and internal demons this season.

There have been countless reasons to why the the sign stealing scandal didn’t benefit these players, and to make it even better, only four players in the lineup were on the 2017 team. As the hate can be used as full, the team is sending out four All-Star players, while two others are due to receive votes in Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. While balancing a good set of right-handed and left-handed bats, MLB.com currently has the Astros listed as the sixth best lineup in baseball. If they hit to their potential, they are due for a big offensive season.

3. The Astros will make a trade to clear space and add a blockbuster arm or bat

Some fans were anticipating a possible trade to free open space to not border the luxury tax threshold, but at this moment, nothing happened and Steve Cishek has been released. While his veteran arm could’ve been helpful down the stretch, it looks like the Astros will rely on prospects for depth.

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As seen in 2017, the Astros went after that strong starter to help end their regular season with Verlander, and for 2021, they could be looking to do the same. GM James Click has been a slow mover to say the least, but he knows what he is doing and has ideas brewing that we don’t. He is not Jeff Luhnow, and that is perfectly fine, if he makes a move at the trade deadline.

A fan speculation of being traded has been utility player Aledmys Diaz, while the team shouldn’t sacrifice more minor leaguers as one of the worst rated farm systems in baseball. There isn’t much the Astros can move to free open space as Verlander and Greinke won’t be on the radar of opposing teams to trade for, meaning a few lower contract arms could be on the move, if the team looks to go big on a key addition. The offense is pretty much set, so if the Astros could possibly acquire an All-Star starter without blowing up their farm system even more, then it is their best bet to go after it.

If these three bold predictions shake out during the regular season, this Astros team has a great chance of making another World Series. While the team won’t look the exact same compared to the past few years, there is talent, and by progression, Houston could stand at the top of the AL by the end of the regular season.

In the end, these are bold predictions from someone high on the potential of the team that he writes about. If one of the core contributors falls off due to injury, then there is a good chance the dynasty is coming to a close. With Correa waiting for a possible extension before Opening Day, it would behoove the Astros’ front office to get this done now to solidify a successful future in the offense and shortstop position.