Astros trim 2025 rotation depth with surprise roster decision on injured pitcher

The Houston Astros certainly have a payroll crunch this offseason, which is exactly why general manager Dana Brown said that the Astros may need to get "creative". One of the reasons why Houston may be compelled to get weird with how they manage their roster is because of trying to cover for all of the injuries on their pitching staff, including Jose Urquidy.

Urquidy has been a bit of a polarizing figure amongst Houston fans. While occasionally a very useful rotation arm, the idea of using him the bullpen has been toyed with for some time now, as his lack of swing and miss stuff makes him a high variance starting option over a large sample. His usage became a moot point in 2024, as he started the season on the IL with a forearm strain and ultimately needed Tommy John surgery in early June.

Most just assumed that Urquidy would remain with the Astros in 2025 and would eventually factor back into the team's plans once he was healthy again. Instead, Urquidy cleared waivers right before the 5 PM EST start of free agency, and the Astros are letting him hit the open market.

Jose Urquidy is now a free agent after Astros decide to move on

Urquidy's injury certainly clouded his future a good bit, but this move is still pretty surprising. Since 2020, Urquidy posted a 3.98 ERA in 70 appearances and had become a fixture on the Astros' pitching staff. He was also only estimated to receive around $3.75 million in his last year of arbitration as well, which could be a bargain given current prices for quality arms.

However, Houston's move might mean a couple things here. One, saving a few million by letting Urquidy go could be the difference in the offers they give out to Alex Bregman or others this offseason, given how close they are to the luxury tax. It may look like penny-pinching, but there is a financial reality the Astros have to contend with.

Furthermore, Urquidy's injury may not be resolved until late in 2025, based on the timing of his surgery. Sure, there is a chance that he rehabs quickly and is right as rain in 12 months, but teams are moving away from those ultra-aggressive rehab timelines with pitchers in order to guard against recurrence of arm troubles, and that could mean that Urquidy wouldn't be back until well into the second half of 2025. Houston may just feel as though keeping Urquidy around isn't worth the money, since his return is anything but certain.

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