Carlos Correa believes Astros should run it back in 2026 banking on better health

The Houston Astros certainly have had better fortunes in 2025 if not for an inordinate amount of injuries. For the better part of the season, the club not only withstood them, but excelled.

For a moment, it looked like everything was coming together down the stretch. Yordan Alvarez was back and raking. 2021 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Luis Garcia returned after 28 months of trials and tribulations with the hopes of stabilizing the rotation. More and more, the Astros seemed to be healing up and in a prime position to close out strong.

Just as it appeared things were coming together, the injuries started piling up again. Alvarez went back on the shelf. Garcia was done after two starts. Half the bullpen would wind up on the IL. Jeremy Peña would get banged up with the season on the line. Though he avoided an IL stint, Jose Altuve, the team's lone ironman, played through pain, which sounds like it could have severe consequences.

There's reason to think that if healthy, the Astros could have been a more formidable squad. Just ask Carlos Correa.

Carlos Correa believes the Astros can return to dominance by running it back and banking on good health in 2026

Speaking after getting eliminated from playoff contention, Correa had some strong words for the state of the team heading into the offseason and looking forward to 2026.

"We have a great team when we’re healthy. On paper, we’re the team to beat. That’s how I feel going into next year. We’ve got to get our guys healthy. We’ve got to get Pena, Paredes, Yordan healthy and when you put our lineup together on paper going into next year it looks very interesting.”

While he has something of a point, there's more going on with Houston that should have the team take a long, hard look at which path it wants to pursue in preparation for 2026.

The starting rotation, already thin behind Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, is likely to look even thinner should Valdez bolt for greener pastures in free agency as expected. The Astros, in part by virtue of taking on part of Correa's contract in the deadline deal that brought him back to Houston, likely won't have room in the budget to win a Valdez bidding war or find an adequate replacement. And that's to say nothing about what it will cost to fill out the rest of the rotation with quality arms.

Furthermore, while Correa rattles off some impressive names in the Houston lineup, he neglects the fact that there are some serious holes in the outfield. Jesus Sanchez has been a massive disappointment since arriving in Houston. Cam Smith's up-and-down rookie season makes it questionable that he'll provide the boost the club needs in year two. Jake Meyers finally had a plus year with the bat when he played, but given his track record, a repeat in 2026 is far from a sure thing.

On top of that, there are rumblings that big changes might be coming to Houston's leadership structure. The Astros have yet to pick up Dana Brown's option for 2026. If a different front office leader is brought in, he could want to hand-pick his manager as opposed to hanging on to the incumbent Joe Espada. Furthermore, the retool-on-the-fly strategy was Brown's vision. A different front office leader could have some very different plans.

At the end of the day, Correa is right about one thing. The bones of a mighty contender are present, but more is needed. The most important man in the equation will be owner Jim Crane and how deep he wants to dig into his pockets. If history tells us anything, it won't be deep enough to save Houston from a similar fate in 2026.

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