Houston’s season ended with a 7-3 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday, completing a Wild Card Series sweep and sending an 81-81 AL West winner into an offseason filled with decisions. The Astros are looking for a new general manager after Dana Brown’s August departure, while manager Joe Espada enters the final year of his deal with no assurance he will be back.
Key takeaways
- The White Sox swept Houston from the American League Wild Card Series, ending the Astros’ ninth postseason appearance in the past 10 seasons.
- Houston used a franchise-record 19 starting pitchers and issued an American League-high 650 walks.
- The club’s outfield combined for a .662 OPS, one of the weakest marks by an Astros outfield group in team history.
- Joe Espada owns a 256-229 regular-season record over three years, including two AL West titles, but his postseason record is 0-4.
- Relievers Bryan Abreu and Steven Okert are among Houston’s important free agents, while shortstop Jeremy Peña could become a trade topic.
A roster with too many leaks
The Astros made October despite playing .500 baseball, but the season exposed how far the club has moved from the group that reached eight straight AL Championship Series, won four American League pennants and captured two World Series titles. Houston last won it all four years ago and has now gone three seasons without a playoff victory.
Its winning percentage has declined in each of the last four years. The contrast is sharp against the 106-win 2022 club, particularly after the departures of core players such as Kyle Tucker, who was traded, and Alex Bregman, who left in free agency after the 2024 campaign.
Injuries tore through the pitching staff early and pushed Houston’s depth to the limit. The Astros stumbled to a 20-31 start, and the search for usable innings became a season-long chore. Tatsuya Imai and Ryan Weiss did not provide the expected help, while Mike Burrows, acquired from Pittsburgh in a three-team December trade, posted a 5.99 ERA before injury sidelined him for the final two months.
The front office responded throughout the year with waiver claims and smaller additions, but those moves did not solve a lineup that became too thin near the bottom. The 2026 club still has an imposing core in MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez, third baseman Isaac Paredes and Peña, but it lacked the athleticism, rotation stability and outfield production that had supported Houston’s best teams.
“This is not the time to point fingers,” Peña said, stressing that the club needs to study what happened and find ways to return better next year.
Veteran second baseman Jose Altuve offered an even plainer mission for the winter: Houston has to get back to making deep postseason runs and win again.
Espada’s future and the work ahead
Houston announced Aug. 24 that it was separating from Brown, who had been hired before the 2023 season to replace James Click. That left the organization without a general manager before the regular season was over, and it leaves Espada’s status as another central question.
Espada was promoted to manager a year after Brown’s hiring, following time as bench coach under World Series-winning managers A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker. He guided Houston to two division crowns in three seasons, though none of his four postseason games ended in a win. He said he wants a fourth season in the dugout.
Espada said he respects the organization’s process and appreciates having spent more than nine years in Houston, first as a coach and then as manager. He pointed to the division titles, Championship Series trips and World Series experiences he has shared with the club, saying he would welcome the chance to keep being part of those moments.
He also argued that the team’s foundation remains intact. Espada said changes will surely be considered, but added that a club featuring Altuve and Alvarez still carries the heart of a strong Astros team.
Peña’s own future could enter the conversation. He is not eligible for free agency until 2028, but Houston traded Tucker with one year left before his free agency, receiving Cam Smith, Hayden Wesneski and Paredes in a deal that has paid off. Peña said he loves Houston, the city and the organization, and hopes to stay for the long term.
The bullpen has another major item on the winter list. Abreu and Okert are headed for free agency, and Abreu would be particularly difficult to replace. Since his 2019 debut, he has recorded a 2.82 ERA, 25 saves and 392 1/3 relief innings, becoming a trusted late-inning arm for a club that has played many meaningful October games.
Espada called Abreu remarkable, citing the big outs he has delivered in the playoffs and World Series. He made clear that Abreu is the type of pitcher any manager wants waiting in the bullpen.
For now, the Astros enter the winter without certainty at the top of baseball operations or in the manager’s office. Espada said managing talented players in an organization built to chase division titles and World Series trips is every manager’s hope, and he remains grateful for the opportunity. Whether Houston gives him another season to guide its next version is one of the first answers the offseason must provide.
