Houston Astros Face Rebuild Decision After Joe Espada Firing

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Houston Astros Face a Choice Between Rebuilding and Reloading

The Houston Astros struggled, and their success felt like a house of cards. They fired several people during the race, including their general manager, and now have a new manager, a new GM and new leadership across the organization.

It remains unclear whether Houston will begin a complete rebuild. Owner Jim Crane is aggressive and heavily involved in day-to-day operations. He has also brought in Jeff Bagwell, despite his lack of experience, to oversee much of the organization.

Crane has experienced both sustained winning and extended losing. He previously gave former general manager Jeff Luhnow the authority to tear down the roster, endure multiple 100-loss seasons and build through players such as Correa, Springer, Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Dallas Keuchel. Once the Astros became competitive, Crane supported moves for players such as Gerritt Cole and Verlander.

That approach worked. Houston developed its players, won consistently and captured championships. The cheating controversy remains part of that history, but the Astros still would have won many games without it. Crane also made the successful decision to bring in Dusty Baker, who led the team to another World Series.

The key question is whether Crane is willing to wait another three or four years for a rebuild or wants to build again around Yordan Alvarez and Altuve. Without Alvarez, starting over would be an easy decision. With him, Houston must either construct a competitive roster or risk wasting the prime years of one of baseball’s best hitters.

Trading Alvarez would allow the Astros to stock up on talent, with many teams likely willing to offer substantial returns. If Houston keeps him, however, it cannot surround him with a roster filled with Double-A players for a season.

The pitching staff is another major concern. Outside of Hunter Brown, the rotation was described as horrendous. Houston signed Ibai during the offseason, but the move was a complete bust. Burrows and other pitchers did not provide enough, several middle relievers took a step backward, and Javier never returned fully healthy.

Hater was identified as a player Houston should trade regardless of its broader direction. Even if the Astros try to reload, they are unlikely to return immediately to the level they reached three or four years ago, making him less relevant to their plans for the coming season.

Houston fans should be able to accept a short rebuild after experiencing so much winning. That path could lead to one of the offseason’s biggest questions: which team would acquire Yordan Alvarez? A trade could create a bidding war, although that remains uncertain.

Ultimately, Crane could choose either direction. What is certain is that a new era is beginning for the Astros, with a new general manager, new leadership and major organizational changes ahead.