Three future World Series champions Dana Brown should sign this winter to fix the Astros

The Houston Astros were expected to still be playing baseball at this point; after all, it’s been almost a decade since the franchise failed to match the LCS. However, this does not mean that Dana Brown and Co. can afford to sit and wait for the season Hot Stove: Houston may not be in this year’s World Series, but with a shocking wild-card win in the hands of the Detroit Tigers, what is considered the most pivotal offseason in recent history has officially begun. Alex Bregman is hitting free agency and it’s unclear what the team’s motivation is for bringing him back. There is a glaring hole at first base. The clock has started ticking on the long-term contracts of Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez – and if one or both decide to test the market next winter, tough decisions will need to be made.

Questions abound, and even though the offseason hasn’t started yet, that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done. Some of the answers can be found from players who will soon be on the biggest stage in sports; here are three pending free agents vying for a World Series ring that could make sense for the Astros this winter.

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It’s still more likely that the Astros and Tucker will reach an agreement at some point this offseason. If they don’t, however, Houston will suddenly find itself in the market for a contingency plan, and Hernandez will fit into that situation for a number of reasons. First, the familiarity: Hernandez started his career in the Astros’ system, and Brown played for the Toronto Blue Jays when the team acquired the outfielder from Houston at the 2017 trade deadline. It’s safe to say he’s a fan of Hernandez as a player, and he’s having his best offensive season yet – and with the uncertain futures of internal options like Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers – it’s safe to say he’s in good shape, even if Tucker stays for a while.

Houston has no shortage of pitching depth for 2025, with the emergence of Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti and the potential returns of Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, JP France, Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy. But there’s also a lot of youngsters and injury risk on that list, and while it’s unlikely the Astros will go shopping at the top of the market, adding another arm to the mix would make some sense (especially if contract talks with Valdez break down). . That’s where Buehler comes in: The right fielder has been plagued by injury tragedy over the past few years, but he’s started to look like his old self during the Dodgers’ postseason run. The further he removes himself from Tommy John surgery, the better he will get, and he feels like an obvious low-price candidate for a pitching development group that has averaged very high over the last few years. If Buehler’s health scares teams enough, he could be a real boost for a team like Houston.

Listen to me here. No, Torres is not looking to replace Jose Altuve at second base. However, with so many balls in the air this winter and a very weak third base market, it seems increasingly unlikely that Houston will be able to sign Alex Bregman. There aren’t many trade options available via free agency or the trade market, but why not get creative and move Torres to the hot corner? He held the position as a minor leaguer, and the New York Yankees briefly considered such a move when Jazz Chisholm Jr. acquired the team. at the final sale date. Torres is already taking some of the strain as a middle reliever due to his limited range, and a move to third could alleviate some of that burden while also giving the Astros an above-average advantage at the position. If Bregman is indeed out, Brown’s options will be limited, and this may be the best available.