Astros baseball: we've got uniforms and everything.
The Red Sox acquisition of 3B Caleb Durbin will leave their fans wanting, but it essentially takes a trade partner off the board for the Astros. Did it also add a new one? With the big news coming down today that the Boston Red Sox have acquired 3B Caleb Durbin in a deal with the […]
about 9 hours ago | 0 reads
I also write a regular feature over at Battle Red Blog. It is called “Value of Things” and that title fits fairly comfortably with this piece and what is ultimately behind the lab. There are two separate questions when it comes to major sports teams. The first question is whether they are reasonably investing everything […]
about 15 hours ago | 0 reads
Last time, we took a look at the outfield and the platoon splits for our various outfield candidates. Today, we will do the same with the infield. I should note a couple of things before we move forward. The first and main thing is that we are looking at career splits for all of these […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
It’s starting to look like none of the parties will have a choice. The Astros have a logjam in the infield, that isn’t news. They have been open to discussions on both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker, that also isn’t news. However, we are now 6 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
With pitchers and catchers set to report to Spring Training in just a couple of weeks, the Astros’ farm system continues to take shape. While the system has undergone significant changes in recent years due to promotions and trades, there remains intriguing talent throughout the organization. Here are three prospects who could be poised for […]
6 days ago | 0 reads
I believe Houston needs to move on from their CF. Astros fans, here I am again, the voice of reason. A few weeks ago, I floated the idea that it might be time to trade Jeremy Peña. Now I’m back with another uncomfortable but necessary conversation: the Houston Astros should seriously consider trading Jake Meyers […]
6 days ago | 1 read
The deal now gives the Astros, or any new team, two years of cost certainty. Earlier today, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that the Houston Astros have come to a contract agreement with 3B Isaac Paredes on a 2-year, $22.7M deal. This deal having a second season with a club option (unless he finished Top […]
6 days ago | 1 read
It’s only a motion away. Could there be an Astros and Framber Valdez reunion? Maybe the odds are better than we previously thought? Monday night on AREA 45 on Sportsradio 610, I posed the idea of the Astros getting back in on Framber Valdez with a short term, high AAV type deal with opt outs […]
6 days ago | 0 reads
Every good analyst has to start with an acknowledgement of limitations. As much as we might want to rely on the numbers on the back of the baseball card, each season exists in its own universe. One of the axioms I always go by is that I don’t really start worrying or getting excited until […]
7 days ago | 0 reads
Joe Espada has been upfront about wanting to start the season with a six-man rotation. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows and Tatsuya Imai appear to have four of those spots locked up, but what about the other two? Here’s a list of contenders to watch with the start of spring training just a week […]
8 days ago | 1 read
We will continue to update this list with new articles as new information/acquisitions occur. Spring Training is almost here. Astros pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach February 11. This is the part of the year where that excitement starts to ramp up, it’s almost time for baseball to be back! Now that the […]
8 days ago | 0 reads
On Wednesday, the Astros officially announced their minor league staffs for the 2026 season. Below are some notes on the staff. Triple-A Sugar Land Mickey Storey returns to Sugar Land for his 6th season with the club. He also brings back pitching coach Sean Buchanan. Sugar Land did add a new hitting coach, Drew Saylor, […]
11 days ago | 1 read
In Economics, there is a fairly basic concept known as the law of marginal utility. We usually explain this to students through the use of pizza. Each slice of pizza is a little less satisfying than the one before it. This lesson is usually taught at a similar time as the law of diminishing returns. […]
11 days ago | 0 reads
Astros continue to look for pitching depth with option years. Thursday night the Houston Astros made a couple of roster moves as GM Dana Brown continues to look for pitching depth that still have options available on the contracts. First, Houston made a deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire SP Kai-Wei Teng in […]
11 days ago | 2 reads
The final review of the 2025 season will be looking at each position in the Astros farm system. Next up is the relief pitchers. BEST OF THE BUNCH Nick Hernandez Hernandez has been in out of the season for a few years. He had a dominant season in Triple-A posting a 2.12 ERA with 63 […]
12 days ago | 1 read
It often is hard to separate analysis and fandom. If you ask most Astros fan to name the best player in franchise history, most of them will name Jose Altuve. It makes perfect sense. He has an MVP award like Jeff Bagwell. Unlike Bagwell, he has two rings and perhaps one of the best postseason […]
13 days ago | 2 reads
Realistically, that’s probably a good thing for both the players and the Houston Astros. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve will not participate in this year’s World Baseball Classic, despite both players wanting to represent their home teams again. Correa has previously played for Puerto Rico and Altuve has previously played for Venezuela. Their absence is […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
Recently MLB Network hosts Houston native Robert Flores and Harold Reynolds released their own Houston Astros Franchise Favorite list, followed by another Houston native Brian McTaggart Astros beat writer for the Houston Astros. I figured why not weigh in the deep end of this pool. If you look at this graphic you will see the […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
The Astros Can’t Afford to Stand Pat and Dana Brown Knows It With FanFest now in the rearview mirror and the Super Bowl still dominating the sports calendar, it’s easy for Houston Astros fans to mentally hit pause before spring training truly begins. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: this roster is not finished, and pretending […]
13 days ago | 3 reads
We have hit the lull in between the hot stove league and Spring Training. There will be more deals made between now and then, but your Houston Astros are probably winding down their additions and changes. This affords us time to dive into some side conversations that could prove interesting. Last week, the BBWAA elected […]
15 days ago | 1 read
(All photos courtesy Houston Astros) The Astros hosted a successful 2026 FanFest on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Daikin Park. The 2026 FanFest wraps up a great week of Astros Caravan stops throughout the Texas community and represents the official launch of baseball season for Astros fans. The official kickoff of the 2026 season saw 10,420 fans participate in autograph sessions, photo opportunities, […]
16 days ago | 1 read
Since I was a child, TRISTAR has been a part of a yearly pilgrimage to the once Hobby Airport Holiday Inn, and now into the NRG convention centers. This show allowed 10 year old Brett meet baseball legends like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. and […]
17 days ago | 2 reads
This would be a significant change on the trade winds rumor front. According to former Fox 26 Houston Sports Director Will Kunkel, the Astros are not currently in trade discussions with the Boston Red Sox for OF Jarren Duran: Now, trade talks and rumors are a fickle entity, as not currently being in trade talks […]
17 days ago | 2 reads
Last time, we took a look at starting pitcher projections for ERA. We will do the same here for relief pitchers. Obviously, there is a ton to get into here and before we dive in we need to talk about some issues that come up with all pitchers. Certainly, hitting and pitching is partially reliant […]
18 days ago | 1 read
One Major Red Flag in the Astros’ Projected 2026 Rotation By now, Astros fans have likely seen the wave of national articles and social media posts projecting Houston’s starting rotation for the 2026 season. Most of the attention has understandably centered on Lance McCullers Jr. and his prominent inclusion in many of those forecasts. But […]
18 days ago | 3 reads