The Houston Astros are coming off a season where they finished with an 88-72 record, which was good enough for first place in the AL West. While their regular season was good, the postseason was not kind to them as they got quickly sent into the 2025 offseason by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card Series. While last season was not what they expected, things will be different in 2025.

Projected 2025 Starting Lineup

Catcher:	Yainer Diaz
First Base:	Christian Walker
Second Base:	Jose Altuve
Short Stop:	Jeremy Pena
Third Base:	Isaac Paredes
Left Field:	Chas McCormick
Center Field:	Jake Meyers
Right Field:	Taylor Trammell
Designated Hitter:	Yordan Alvarez

It never ceases to amaze how the Astros can develop their youth players and find other productive players. In their lineup for 2025, Christian Walker will be a welcome addition with Alex Bregman leaving the team via free agency. Christian had another excellent year for the Diamondbacks in the 2024 season carrying an average of .251 and slugging .468. He also boasted an average exit velocity of 91.2 mph, above the average for MLB players (88.5 mph average). So seemingly he will replace the pop in the lineup that Alex Bregman added to the lineup. Not only is Bregman leaving, but Kyle Tucker got traded this offseason to the Cubs, which will create a hole in the outfield. It remains to be seen who will fill that hole but the best guess is either Chas or Taylor Trammell. Although, this might be a spot that the Astros invest in this offseason.

Projected 2025 Starting Pitching Rotation

1:	Framber Valdez
2:	Hunter Brown
3:	Ronel Blanco
4:	Spencer Arrighetti
5:	Luis Garcia

What seems to be interesting for the Astros is the stability of their rotation. They will be returning 4/5 starters for the next season. The missing piece will be Justin Verlander but he did not have a great 2024 season so there should be someone that could fill that hole. At this time, it is presumed that Luis Garcia will have a shot at the fifth starter position but there is a considerable amount of time between today and spring training. If there is one thing that the Astros have been known for it has been their pitching staff. Over the past 5 years, most people would think of them when it comes to dominant staffs. I believe that in 2025 this staff should be able to upkeep that title. Framber, Hunter, and Ronel all sported an ERA under 3.5 last year. While some of this was luck as their FIPs were 3.25 (Framber), 3.58 (Hunter), and 4.15 (Ronel), they were still able to hold offenses back and didn’t allow too many baserunners.

Analyzing the Astros Focus for 2025

The Astros hold onto what seems to be a talented roster that is ready to repeat for an AL West Crown. This would make for a case to go all in for the next season. I believe that the Astros will and should make a few more moves throughout the offseason to shore up their team. I think the first place that should happen is in the corner outfield spots. The next place that I would look would be getting a fifth starter that could be a swingman for the bullpen if needed.

The first pitching target that I would look at for the Astros would be John Means. While last season he had another UCL injury resulting in another Tommy John surgery, he could still come back and be the pitcher he was a few years ago. If anyone could revitalize his career it would be the Astros. I think this move makes sense because it is a low-pressure deal as you could have a 1/2-year deal for Means to get back healthy and show his worth. If he returns to form, he will be able to fetch a decent haul in free agency after that contract. The issue seems that his last “good” season was in 2021 when he held a 3.62 ERA over 146.2 innings pitched. Then the next few seasons have been riddled with injuries. I think this would be a low-risk contract with a potential massive upside. Some of that upside rides on Means’s ability to throw his Knuckle Curve which has been historically one of his best pitches. However, there has been some downturn in the spin rate and the whiff percentage.

The next free agent that would be a fit in Houston would be Alex Verdugo. He is a batter who always squares the ball up and adds a defensive presence to your team. He would be perfect to hold down one of the corner outfield spots and let the others battle it out for one remaining spot. Also, I don’t believe that he should cost nearly as much as Tucker would, which would save money.

TL;DR

The Astros are coming off a good season and there is more than enough evidence to believe that they could have another stellar season. I think that the Astros are prone to make a couple more moves and fill the few holes that they have and with what they don’t fill they will add talented rookies into the mix, maybe someone like Jacob Melton. Otherwise, I think this Astros team is a lock for being a playoff team next season.

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