Happy New Year: Resolutions for the Houston Astros in 2023

Making new year resolutions for the Astros in 2023

Happy New Year 'Stros fans! 2022 sure was good to us!

We got the return of a healthy Alex Bregman, a long-term contract extension for Yordan Alvarez, another Cy Young for Justin Verlander, the debut of a prodigious rookie in shortstop Jeremy Peña, a sixth straight ALCS trip, a fourth pennant in six years, and of course, a second World Series championship in franchise history .

2023 sure does have a lot to live up to. So here are the new year's resolutions for Houston heading into 2023.

More at-bats for Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker may be the best player on the Astros. Yordan is a better hitter and Peña may have a slight edge defensively, but no Astro brings the level of excellence to both sides that Tucker does.

And in 2023, he may take it to another level. Almost no player in the game was as unfairly punished by the shift as Kyle Tucker. His .463 xwOBA when not shifted was higher than Aaron Judge's .458. Judge won MVP and hit 62 bombs. Tucker is in line for a monster season.

He can't afford to spend most of the season hitting sixth. He needs more consistent at-bats, especially since he and Yordan have proven they can handle lefty relievers together. Tucker in the second or third spot of the lineup is a must in 2023.

Not feeling the need to go left-on-left

Between Ryne Stanek, Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly, the Astros have five relievers that are incredibly effective at neutralizing lefties.

At times, Dusty has shown his old-school way of thinking and overcomitted to the left-on-left managerial style. He's tried to avoid with his his hitters and been overly reliant with it in his bullpen.

The Astros bullpen is dominant as constructed. Even with a healthy Blake Taylor or Parker Mushinski, Dusty doesn't need to go to a lefty just because a left-hander steps into the box. Trust your best arms to do their jobs.

A trade deadline splash

In 2017, the Astros went all in, landing Justin Verlander at the now defunct waiver deadline. In 2019, they traded a bundle of prospects for Zack Greinke. The last two deadlines have been more minor moves, acquiring names like Trey Mancini, Kendall Graveman and Phil Maton.

They head into next year with a great deal of flexibility and money to spend before hitting the tax. Houston has a great roster on paper. The money they have to spend will allow them to assess their potential weaknesses at the deadline before pushing their chips in, landing either an impact big or big arm.

Maybe they land a rental, or maybe they land a piece with some team control. Either way, Houston will need to capitalize when the trade deadline rolls around.

Long-term contract extensions

Earlier in the week, we reported on the rumors that the Astros have been in contact with Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and Kyle Tucker regarding contract extensions.

In a perfect world, all three are locked up for the foreseeable future come Opening Day. Those three are massive pieces to the Astros contending puzzle, both now and down the road. Valdez and Javier provide Cy Young caliber co-aces with a proven ability to handle the bright lights of October. Tucker is likely a top-10 all around player in the game.

If they aren't all extended before Opening Day, they may very well play themselves out of Houston's budget.

Additionally, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve could stand to be extended soon. Both hit unrestricted free agency in 2024. The Astros could stand to ensure both franchise legends finish their careers in The H by offering them another long-term deal.

Houston is elite, and for the most part, they're young. They need to extend their core to ensure they contend for the years to come.