These Astros players are as good as gone in Houston following swift playoff exit

Major League Baseball fans hoping to avoid seeing a .500 team win the World Series can officially thank the Houston Astros for coming through in the clutch. After getting booed off their home field in Game 1 of their Wild Card series against the Chicago White Sox, Houston didn't do all that much better in Game 2. Ace Hunter Brown didn't even make it through one inning, Yordan Alvarez was quiet once again and the Astros' beleaguered bullpen eventually caved in a 7-3 loss that sends the team home for the winter with a dispiriting sweep.

And so begins an offseason full of difficult decisions and potentially massive changes, the latter of which already began when owner Jim Crane decided to dismiss GM Dana Brown before October even began. Brown is far from the last big name who won't be in Houston when the 2027 season begins; the only question now is who else will join him on that list.

We’re trying to keep things realistic here, so that means Jose Altuve didn’t qualify. There is no reason to believe a team would want to take his contract on and expect him to waive his no-trade clause.

Manager Joe Espada

The minute the Brown news dropped, Espada was put on notice; no matter who Crane brings in as the new lead executive, they'll almost certainly want to install their own manager in the dugout. Espada entered these playoffs knowing that he needed a deep run to have any chance to make himself indispensable moving forward, and safe to say that didn't happen.

Is that entirely his fault? Of course not; this is an aging, misshapen roster with holes all over the place, ones that no manager could have overcome. But Espada has hardly covered himself in glory during his time with the Astros, either, and ultimately it's hard not to feel like a house-clearing is needed. (Whether Crane is the right guy to lead it is another question entirely.)

RHP Bryan Abreu

Abreu's likely final outing in an Astros uniform was weirdly fitting. He was largely brilliant, striking out six batters in 2.2 innings of work and showcasing some electric stuff. But he also made a back-breaking mistake, giving up a three-run homer to Chase Meidroth in the sixth inning that essentially put Game 2 out of reach.

The hard-throwing righty now heads off to free agency, where he'll undoubtedly look for a closing role after serving as Josh Hader's understudy. He's also going to turn 30 next April with a ton of tread on his tires, and his stuff backslid in an alarming way this season. Houston is probably better off letting that contract be somebody else's problem.

LHP Bennett Sousa

Considering that he turns 32 next April and had a 6.00 ERA over 30 innings, Sousa probably would have been a bubble player anyway. All of that came before he decided to rip Astros fans not only for booing, but also for failing to provide a capacity crowd at Daikin Park during their Game 1 loss. 

Sousa apologized ahead of Game 2, but we consider the damage done. If you don’t respect the fans, then there’s no reason for you to wear the Astros’ home uniform next year. He’ll nonetheless likely catch on somewhere, as so many veteran left-handed relievers do. Good luck taking Yankees or Red Sox fans on, Bennett.

1B Christian Walker

Walker was the other Astros player who insulted fans on Tuesday evening, though he at least has some job security. Houston owes him $20 million in guaranteed money next year and he has a six-team no-trade clause, though those organizations aren’t publicly known. If he were smart, he’d have ensured the Rockies and Angels are on there.

At this point, Walker is a competent run producer who best slides into the No. 6 or No. 7 spot in your lineup. With how badly the Mets handled the Pete Alonso and Jorge Polanco situations, watch David Stearns take on most of that $20 million in a salary dump.

RHP Cristian Javier

The fact that Cristian follows Christian will never not be amusing. Injuries have limited Javier to a 4.75 ERA in 132.2 innings since the start of 2024, and he’s due $21.4 million next year. So either the Astros will find a suitor, or they should prepare for him to spend even more time on the IL.

Hey, it sounds callous, but we just watched Hunter Brown fail to make it out of the first inning in an elimination game. Houston desperately needs to reset its pitching rotation, and sending Javier packing is a great place to start. Pun only partly intended.

OF Taylor Trammell

Credit to Trammell’s agent, because the fact that he’s even on Houston’s 40-man roster is remarkable. The veteran outfielder has played in parts of six seasons, and he’s only had a positive bWAR once. That should not be possible, yet his 0.3 bWAR over 43 games for the 2023 Mariners stands alone. 

Trammell gave the Astros a .626 OPS and -0.6 bWAR in nearly 300 plate appearances. He’s been worth -1.2 bWAR in 277 games for four teams, and the only value he provides is being able to play all three outfield spots.

Need we say anything more? 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow