Astros weren’t named, but this pitcher’s mystery suitor feels suspiciously familiar

So, we have known for a while that the Houston Astros have been in search of starting pitching this offseason, but their financial constraints have made that tricky. Yes, some big names have come up, but there has been little explanation of exactly how the Astros would make any of them work unless owner Jim Crane changes his stance on the luxury tax. As a result, it has long been true that cheaper, riskier options were more likely, which makes the recent John Means injury news intriguing.

Means has had some truly rotten injury luck in his career. When right, he is a very solid middle-of-the-rotation lefty who can occasionally win you games all by himself. That injury history made him an intriguing potential buy-low candidate this offseason, including for the Astros.

Unfortunately, his 2026 season is over before it began as Means tore his Achilles' tendon the DAY HE WAS GOING TO SIGN somewhere. Aside from the fact that that is absolutely brutal for Means, it does make one wonder where he was about to sign, especially since the Astros feel like they were a real possibility.

John Means' injury torpedoed his deal with a mystery team, and the Astros feel like a prime candidate

We may never find out what team Means was about to sign with, although he very clearly said he had a deal in place. However, Houston does operate in the shadows on guys they like when they want to and again, they have clearly been exploring options to add rotation depth. It is very possible that the Astros were the team in question here, especially given Means' likely price tag.

However, the evidence is not overwhelming. Not only were the Astros not mentioned in connection with Means in the known rumor mill, but Means would be an odd target for the Astros in one specific way. The reason they want more starting pitching depth is because of the injury risks with other arms on their roster. Why exactly would they go with a guy who has already had two Tommy John surgeries to address that concern?

Again, it is a weird and heartbreaking situation, and hopefully, he is able to bounce back and continue his career somewhere. Still, it is hard not to think about alternate timelines when these sorts of things happen and whether or not Houston may have been in play.