3 moves from the 2025 Winter Meetings that Astros fans should be jealous of

The Houston Astros' tight budget will keep them out of most of the offseason frenzy. It's an unfortunate, but true reality. While the Winter Meetings ended up being a mostly quiet affair, there were a couple of moves that fans wish the club had the wherewithal to pull off.

When fantasizing about what could have been, it's important to remember that much of this is a pipe dream. Still, if we're talking about wish lists, it's important to blend reality with a little bit of fantasy to come up with a list of moves that would've delighted fans and put the team in a significantly stronger position to compete in 2026. These three stand out.

3 moves Astros fans wish Houston could've made at the Winter Meetings

Astros fans would've loved to have seen Houston sign free agent slugger Pete Alonso

The Astros would love to move on from Christian Walker, but apparently, interest is "minimal." That shouldn't be a surprise. Walker's contract quickly looked like one of the worst from last winter early on in 2025, and a decent second half (.799 OPS post-All-Star break) hasn't been enough to salvage his value.

But first base is a bigger issue for Houston. Yuli Gurriel had his heroic moments, but his up-and-down performance left the Astros clamoring for more. That led the club to take a swing on Jose Abreu in a move that brought nothing but pain. That failure brought the club to Walker.

Alonso would have represented something different. He's one of the game's premier sluggers, but he's also still in his prime. Abreu was entering his age-36 season when he landed in Houston. Walker came in going into his age-34 campaign. Alonso will be 31 years old next season.

A big-bopping first baseman has long alluded the Astros, and if they were in better financial shape, perhaps Alonso could have been theirs for the taking.

Signing designated hitter Kyle Schwarber would've been a dream come true for Astros fans

Throw logic out of the window for a minute. We all know Kyle Schwarber has no business playing the field. We know that Yordan Alvarez needs to be protected by DH-ing as much as possible. Jose Altuve and the other older pieces will need their turns at DH, too. The position is anything but open.

But let's imagine that you can get creative and find at bats elsewhere. Christian Walker hasn't done anything to prove he deserves to start at first base. Left field could be a part-time opportunity, and maybe you risk it with Alvarez out there more. That would allow you to bring in Schwarber.

Houston's lacked a left-handed presence (besides Alvarez) for far too long. In 2025, Houston received only 670 plate appearances from lefties, and those left-handed bats posted a league worst .653 OPS. There's no better way to fix that problem than acquiring a 56-homer lefty bat. The potential of Schwarber and Alvarez in the same lineup is enough to make your mouth water, no matter how implausible it might be.

Closer Robert Suarez would've brought relief to the Astros fanbase

Houston's biggest need is starting pitching, but we didn't see any of the top free-agent starters go off the board during the Winter Meetings, so instead, we're going to get creative. Technically, Robert Suarez signed the day after the Winter Meetings, but it's safe to assume that negotiations got down to the one-yard line during the festivities.

The 2025 NL saves leader is heading to Atlanta, not to become the closer, but rather as Raisel Iglesias's setup man, which made us think that this might be a creative way to bolster the rotation.

A theoretical bullpen of Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, and Suarez would shorten games dramatically, taking pressure off the Astros lackluster starters to go deep into games. Furthermore, signing Suarez would give the Astros another path; trading Abreu if the club believed that dealing the star setup man could bring back a more useful piece overall.

This is about creativity, and of course, having the resources to take risks. The latter doesn't apply to the Astros in reality, but for this thought exercise, it's worth thinking about whether or not an alternative path could lead to a stronger pitching staff as a whole.