It’s been a long time since we saw a playoffs without the Houston Astros. Some people will argue to their grave that the Astros weren’t ever a dynasty, but the fact of the matter is… they have been. They took the World Series winners to seven games in last year’s Championship Series (their seventh in a row), and of course won it all in 2022. By all accounts, the Houston Astros will still be a solid team in 2024.

Where were they in 2023?

Well, that’s a really silly question because I just told you that they made the ALCS. Although, they didn’t win get out of the American League Championship Series this time around. The AL West was very competitive between the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and the Astros.

At times it was their offense that kept them afloat while the pitching staff struggled. The injury bug also hit them but their depth rose to the occasion.

Key Losses:

Dusty Baker – There’s so much that you could say about the Astros former manager, but we’ll keep it short and sweet. He finally delivered on the one thing eluding his career, a World Series title. Besides that, he carried the organization through the fallout of the 2017 scandal.

Michael Brantley – The veteran left fielder hadn’t played since June 26 and called it a career prior to the start of the season. After spending 10 years with the Cleveland Guardians, Brantley spent the last five with the Astros. Despite being well into his 30s, he continued to hit for contact well.

Astros Bullpen – The Astros lost three key guys to their bullpen this last offseason: Hector Neris, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton. All of three of whom served different roles in the pen, but will need to be replaced.

Key Addition:

Josh Hader – Adding the best closer in the game could help the Astros out tremendously. With the loss of Stanek and Neris, this will move Ryan Pressly into a setup role.

The Houston Astros didn’t make too many roster additions during the 2024 MLB Offseason. They added Victor Caratini, Dylan Coleman and Declan Cronin. Although, I wouldn’t consider them to be key additions. Especially to a team that is destined to win close to 90 games this season.

Depth Chart:

Rotation: Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, J.P. France

Bullpen: CL Hader, SU Bryan Abreu, SU Pressly, Rafael Montero, Bennett Sousa, Seth Martinez, Peter Mushinski, Brandon Bielak

Lineup: 2B Jose Altuve, DH Yordan Alvarez, RF Kyle Tucker, 3B Alex Bregman, 1B Jose Abreu, C Yainer Diaz, LF Chas McCormick, SS Jeremy Pena, CF Jake Meyers

Bench: C Victor Caratini, 1B Jon Singleton, INF/OF Mauricio Dubon, OF Corey Julks

Where are they hoping to go?

If the Astros don’t make the playoffs, it would be a failed season. At least at this point with the roster that they have. On paper, it’s still one of the best in baseball. Will the Houston Astros reclaim the AL Pennant in 2024?

Win Projection: 90-92 wins

Odds to win World Series: +700 (via FanDuel)

Houston is projected to finish with more wins than the Yankees. The lineup should be as good as ever, but it’s the pitching staff that might see a downgrade.

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