Astros miss opportunity to sign ideal first base target before he even became available

To say that Houston Astros first basemen struggled would be an understatement. Astros first basemen ranked tied for 24th in the majors with an 87 WRC+ and 28th in the majors with -1.4 fWAR.

Jose Abreu was supposed to be the solution at the position in the second year of his three-year deal with the Astros, but he struggled so mightily to the point that he was released in mid-June. Eight other players saw time at first base over the course of the season, but nobody stuck.

With that in mind, upgrading the position in the offseason with an external addition would make the most sense for the Astros. Signing a player like Pete Alonso or Christian Walker would obviously be the most ideal scenario, but with the Astros still needing to re-sign Alex Bregman and with a substantial amount of money having to go to players like Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker in the not-too-distant future, it isn't as if the Astros have an insane amount of money at their disposal.

One first baseman in the tier below Alonso and Walker could've been Rhys Hoskins. The second year of his deal with the Milwaukee Brewers included a player option worth $18 million for him to decide on. Rather than hit the open market and see what he can get, Hoskins elected to exercise his option, locking him in as a Brewer for the 2025 campaign - removing an ideal Astros target in the process before they even had a chance to sign him.

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Astros miss out on Rhys Hoskins before even getting the chance to sign him

Hoskins signed a prove-it deal with the Brewers last offseason after missing the entire 2023 campaign due to a torn ACL. He was a solid run producer as evidenced by his 26 home runs and 82 RBI in 131 games, but his .214/.303/.419 slash line left a lot to be desired. Rather than risk getting less on the open market, Hoskins predictably opted in, giving himself the chance to cash in next offseason perhaps coming off a bit of a more well-rounded season.

Hoskins at his best would've been a perfect fit for the Astros. Not only does he come with immense power, but he also has an elite eye. He had a 13.5 percent walk rate in his six seasons with the Phillies and even led the league in walks in 2019. That dipped to 10.3 percent this past season, which is part of why he didn't get on base as much as MLB fans had been accustomed to during his time in Philadelphia.

A move to a deeper Astros lineup while playing half the time at the hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park with the left field Crawford Boxes might've allowed Hoskins to have an excellent 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, that fit isn't going to come to fruition now with this update.

Where the Astros do end up looking for first base production remains to be seen. There are other non-Alonso/Walker options in free agency like Carlos Santana, Paul Goldschmidt and Josh Bell, and there's always the trade market as well, but Hoskins really did feel like an ideal fit. Fortunately, upgrading from what they had in 2024 shouldn't be too difficult.