With the Astros season coming to a heartbreaking end, it may be hard to turn the page to next season. But the Astros have several guys that are entering free agency, and we don't really know how their roster will shape up in 2020.
Here should be the Astros top priorities this offseason:
1. Meet with Gerrit Cole & Scott Boras
Ok, so the Astros will be paying around $58 million each of the next two seasons for Justin Verlander & Zack Greinke, so it's hard to envision a world where they would shell out another $230 million to bring back Cole, and have over half of their payroll invested in just three guys. Still, the Astros should at least meet with Cole, and see if he's open to taking a smaller deal to try to run it back for a title run with the Astros. It's a long shot, but they need to try.
2. Re-Sign Catcher Robinson Chirinos
Chirinos signed a $5.75 million guarantee last offseason, and the 35-year old catcher hit .238 wtih 17 homeruns and 58 RBI in an Astros uniform. Not to mention, he works extremely well with Verlander and many others on your pitching staff. Of the free agent catchers on the market, Chirinos' WAR is among the best. If the Astros offered a two-year deal worth around $12 million, that should get it done. And Martin Maldonado is also a free agent, but the Astros may be comfortable with Garrett Stubbs taking over the backup catcher role next season.
3. Offer Deals to Both Relievers Will Harris & Joe Smith
The likelihood of both guys being back isn't great. And the last moment of Harris' season won't be remembered fondly, but you have to remember how dominant he was for much of the season and postseason. Prior to the homeruns Harris gave up in Game 6 & 7, he had ten scoreless outings in the postseason. On the regular season, he had a 1.50 ERA, and gave up a total of ten earned runs all season. He will be highly sought after despite his bad moment in Game 7. Joe Smith missed the first half of the season after having offseason surgery for a ruptured Achilles. Once he returned to the bullpen, he made 28 relief appearances with a 1.80 ERA. He made ten postseason appearances, allowing just three runs with two of those coming in Game 7. If the Astros are able to bring back one of Harris or Smith, that's a win.
4. Target Another Rotation Arm: Who Will Be the Next Charlie Morton or Wade Miley?
Ok, forget about the last month of Wade Miley. Prior to his September collapse, Miley was among the ERA leaders in the AL, as he had a 3.06 ERA in 156 innings pitched. He was outstanding for a guy on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. Before the 2017 season, the Astros took a flier on Charlie Morton for two years, $14 million. It was a stellar find. Who could be the next low dollar, great value signing to take over one of the spots on the back end of the rotation? There are plenty of names out there, so here are a few to consider: Zack Wheeler, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda, & Ivan Nova.
5. Long Shots, But Shoot Your Shot: Lob a Call to Madison Bumgarner & Dallas Keuchel
For the first time in a long time, Bumgarner is a free agent, and the Astros were reported to have some interest in him at this year's trade deadline. Keuchel left in free agency prior to last season, and he appears to still be seeking that monster deal he desires. Both of these guys could very well be outside of the Astros price range, but may be worth sniffing around on if they want to join a World Series caliber team.
6. Upgrade Your 3rd & 4th Outfielder Spot
The infield is all back and fully loaded with Gurriel, Altuve, Correa & Bregman, in addition to your utility man in Aledmys Diaz. In the outfield, Springer and Brantley are both under contract one more year and not going anywhere. Josh Reddick still has one more year on his deal, but is the most likely candidate to be the odd man out. Kyle Tucker will certainly have an opportunity to earn the spotting start in left field in the spring. Jake Marisnick could likely be back as the defensive replacement and spot starter. But is there an upgrade out there for Reddick and Marisnick? Nick Castellanos, Corey Dickerson, & Jarrod Dyson could be a few possible names.
7. Is There an Offseason Trade to Be Made?
Jeff Luhnow has not been shy on pulling the trigger on an offseason trade. Last offseason, he traded for Diaz. The offseason before, he made the epic trade for Cole. The year before, he traded for Brian McCann. Is there a player out there this offseason that Luhnow covets and could pull off without giving up any high end prospects?
8. Get Ready for Rotation Competition
The battle for a starting spot in the spring should be a lot of fun. The return of Lance McCullers Jr. is an exciting one, because when he is healthy, he's shown to have tremendous stuff and can be one your best arms. Jose Urquidy really showed some great moments in September & October, as well as his five shutout innings in World Series Game 4. Do they consider Brad Peacock or Josh James for a starting spot? Could they bring back Collin McHugh to potentially compete for a spot? And then there's the rising star in Forrest Whitley and how quickly he progresses to making his big league debut.
No matter how devastating the end to the 2019 season was, there is no denying the future looks bright for the Houston Astros. Perhaps that is why Vegas has them pegged as the favorite to win the 2020 World Series heading into the offseason.