It's officially official. The Houston Astros will not be repeating as World Series champions. The Astros lost Game 7 of the ALCS against the rival Rangers in embarrassing fashion and had to watch Texas celebrate on their home turf.
Now, as we head to the offseason, Houston has some difficult decisions to make as they attempt to reload for another pursuit of another World Series title. Dusty Baker is one of many Astros who won't be back in 2024. The Astros will need to find a new manager while also improving their roster. Replacing these three players shouldn't be too difficult, at least.
Houston Astros who won't be back: Jon Singleton
Jon Singleton had an interesting 2023 season. He began the year in the Brewers organization before being DFA'd in June. After clearing waivers, he had the option to go down to the minors in Milwaukee's organization or elect free agency. Singleton chose the latter and wound up signing a minor league deal to join the team that gave him his first shot in the majors, the Houston Astros.
Singleton was one of the top prospects in all of baseball when he was with the Astros. He was so good, in fact, that the team inked him on a five-year extension worth $10 million of guaranteed money before he even got promoted to the majors. After some struggles in the majors and several drug-related suspensions, Houston wound up parting ways with Singleton in 2018. To see him resurface with the Astros this season was really neat.
After a little over one month in the minors, the Astros decided to promote Singleton in August. Unfortunately for Singleton, when given the chance to play he really didn't do much. He had 12 hits in 62 at-bats, posting an OPS+ of 73 in 25 regular season appearances with the Astros. He did earn a spot on the bench for the Astros playoff run but had just two plate appearances. He struck out in a key spot in Game 6 of the ALCS that helped Texas force a Game 7.
The Astros will want to improve their bench, and they can do a whole lot better than Jon Singleton for that. Great story, not good enough of a player.
Houston Astros who won't be back: Ryne Stanek
The Astros have invested a lot financially into building a strong bullpen. Ryan Pressly, Rafael Montero, Kendall Graveman, and Hector Neris (assuming they exercise his club option are all set to make $8 million or above. This doesn't even include Bryan Abreu who is entering his first arbitration year after a breakout season.
With so much invested already and the need for a left fielder, the chances of Houston bringing both Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton back for the 2024 season feel slim. Maton had the better year in 2023 and is two years younger, so the Astros will presumably prioritize him, leaving Staneky to go elsewhere.
The 32-year-old Stanek has been a steady piece for the Astros in the last three seasons, posting a 2.90 ERA in 136 appearances. That's all great, but he did have a down year this past season for the Astros.
Stanek saw his ERA rise to 4.09 in 55 appearances and 50.2 innings pitched. He saw his strikeout rate decrease from 27.7% last season to 23.9% this season, and he saw his home run rate spike from 0.9% last season to 3.8% in 2023. He's still a decent arm, but regressed heavily and is a bit older. Houston can find a better arm for what Stanek will likely make on the open market.
Houston Astros who won't be back: Jake Meyers
Two third of the Astros outfield is as good as it gets in the game. Kyle Tucker is a perenial MVP candidate, and Chas McCormick broke out in a huge way, becoming one of the best center fielders in baseball in 2023. The third outfield spot, however, is where things get tricky.
Yordan Alvarez can play left field if the Astros need it, but the Astros would be better off with him being the primary DH. Michael Brantley played some left field when he was healthy, but staying on the field has been a major issue the last couple of years for him and he's set to hit free agency.
Jake Meyers was a guy Houston thought would be in their plans, but he simply hasn't developed into a good enough hitter to play every day. Meyers can hit lefties, but his .646 OPS against righties is hard to overcome. Using Meyers as a trade piece to get Houston a better outfielder or even another arm wouldn't be the worst idea.
Outside of Cody Bellinger who is going to make more money than Houston would probably feel comfortable spending, the outfield market isn't super exciting. Trading away Meyers who is a 27-year-old center fielder with tons of team control in exchange for a veteran who can help this team win now makes some sense.
