5 free agents Houston Astros can sign to win 2024 World Series
Safe to say the Houston Astros' season was a roller coaster. After a bumpy start fueled by injuries, the team kicked into high gear at the right time and made it all the way to the championship series as the first place team in the AL West.
In a truly backwards ALCS, the Astros went up 3-2 with three straight road wins over the Texas Rangers, only to lose Game 6 and 7 at home. The nail in the coffin was an 11-4 blowout in the final game, with Rangers star Adolis Garcia silencing the crowd after a contentious and hard-fought series.
Houston Astros offseason outlook
Now, Dusty Baker's time with the franchise is finished. With Houston forced to reckon with a managerial change, on top of an important free agent period, the future could get dicey. Championship windows are preciously few and far between. The Astros will need to work diligently to maintain the current competitive core while supplementing it with the right talent this winter.
With several notable free agents set to test the waters, Houston's roster will look different in 2024. That much is certain. How different — and how much better or worse — is still yet to be determined.
Here are a few names the Houston front office should consider.
5. Brent Suter
Brent Suter enters free agency after a successful season for the Colorado Rockies. With multiple relievers set to enter free agency — not to mention the team's pitching woes in the ALCS — this could be a priority focus for Astros' the front office.
Suter posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.298 WHIP for the Rockies last season, allowing 65 hits and fanning 55 batters in 69.1 innings pitched. He appeared in 57 games with two starts, doing the majority of his damage as a middle reliever
Houston will have to contend with a fervent market for relievers this winter, but Suter should be relatively affordable for a player who posted respectable stats in a hitter's ballpark. He could relish the opportunity to transition from a bottom-dweller to a contender, too.