4 Astros who are playing their way out of the team's 2024 plans

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All things considered, the Houston Astros are doing just fine. While they haven't been able to chase down the Rangers in the AL West just yet, that has largely been a function of how well Texas has been playing and the Astros have still be been holding their own. Both the pitching and the offense have been doing well and that is with Yordan Alvarez not really getting going again yet after his return from injury.

However, no roster is perfect and the Astros have some pretty interesting choices coming up once the 2023 season comes to an end. Sure, the extension talk surrounding Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez is likely to dominate the narrative this coming offseason, but Dana Brown and co. also have a few places on this roster that they need to sort out to keep this train rolling into 2024.

Here are 4 Astros who are playing their way out of the team's 2024 plans

Not every player on this list is a mortal lock to not be with the Astros next season and "generally" pending free agents are going to be avoided here with one notable exception. The primary goal is to look at guys who are under team control for at least 2024, but whose play has them at risk of getting trimmed off the roster altogether or may need to be a trade piece this coming offseason. The likelihood that all of these players will be gone is very low, but they all need to be looked at hard when the front office is making their final roster decisions going into 2024.

Let's take a look at four Houston Astros players that could be playing their way out of town.

Martin Maldonado

Anyone who has been reading this site the last few months likely predicted Maldonado's inclusion on this list. The bar for catcher offense is pretty low and for a long time, Maldonado's defensive excellence was more than enough to warrant including him on the roster. However, in 2023 Maldonado has fallen off a cliff not only at the plate, but defensively as well. Father Time is undefeated, especially when it comes to catchers, and it sure looks like Maldonado's time has come.

However, Maldonado does immediately break the rule of not including pending free agents, so what is the deal? The problem is that the Astros have an unhealthy attachment to Maldonado. Even with Yainer Diaz being the superior player by a wide margin, Maldonado continues to see regular playing time for Houston and there is a real chance that the Astros could try to bring him back again. The front office needs to resist that urge and find another catcher to put in a battery with Diaz (preferably a veteran one).

David Hensley

Whether or not David Hensley is on the roster in 2024 is not likely to move the needle much. The days of bench bats mattering in most situations are a thing of the past UNLESS you have a really deep roster and a manager that really likes to play matchups and the numbers which, well, isn't how one would describe Dusty Baker. However, Hensley's uninspiring play this season (in an admittedly small amount of playing time) should at least make Houston think a bit about his future with the organization.

The problem isn't the roster spot because the Astros have already sent Hensley back down to the minor leagues multiple times. The problem is that the roster yo-yoing they have done with Hensley is hurting his value and probably impacting his play on the field. Hensley has a track record of being a good hitting prospect with some defensive acumen. If Houston can't get that out of him at the major league level, they need to move him to a team that believes they can and get something of actual value out of him.

Jake Meyers

It was hardly a secret that Dana Brown was looking to trade from Houston's outfield depth at the trade deadline and at the top of the list of available options was Jake Meyers. This makes plenty of sense given that while Meyers is an excellent defender, his .230/.305/.392 line and 94 wRC+ leaves something to be desired. A quick look at Meyers' track record in the minor leagues seems to indicate that this is just who Meyers is as a player.

For a team that is really trying to build on the cheap or who is rebuilding, Meyers would be a perfectly reasonable everyday player. Sure, he can't really hit, but his glove provides enough value to make him appealing. However, for a team like the Astros who may be approaching the back end of their competitive window, they are going to need an outfielder who can hit. Trading Meyers to one of those budget conscious/rebuilding teams to shore up other areas on the roster should be a priority this offseason.

Jose Abreu

This is probably the least likely of the options to actually happen, but wow has Jose Abreu been bad for the Astros this season. Through 464 plate appearances this season, Abreu has posted a shockingly poor 75 wRC+ which is a career-worst for him by a mile while slashing .234/.291/.343. It is probably safe to say that Houston thought they were going to get more than that when they decided to sign Abreu to a three year, $58.5 million contract last offseason.

It is tough to bite the bullet after one bad season from Abreu and essentially write off nearly $40 million, but Houston may have to at least entertain the idea. At 36 years old and dealing with an injury as we speak, is there really a lot of reason right now to think that things are going to get better next season? Ideally, this current downtime with a back issue does Abreu a lot of good and he comes back looking like the hitter we are used to seeing. However, if he doesn't bounce back, the Astros may have a tough choice to make.

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