The Houston Astros are facing a complicated offseason, and it sounds like major changes may be coming whether the team wants them or not.
Astros general manager Dana Brown met with the media on Thursday, one day after the Detroit Tigers eliminated them from the playoffs with a 5-2 win in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series. Brown suggested that the Astros might have to cut payroll for 2025, which could lead to some difficult decisions for the organization.
Dana Brown on payroll: "I think we’re going to have to make some wise decisions as to – are there younger players that we can call up and put in certain roles to maybe save some money here and … allocate that money to other places. … We may have to get a little bit creative."
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) October 3, 2024
“I think we’re going to have to make some wise decisions as to — are there younger players that we can call up and put in certain roles to maybe save some money here and … allocate that money to other places,” Brown said. “We may have to get a little bit creative.”
The Astros entered 2024 with a payroll well over $230 million. The likes of outfielder Kyle Tucker and pitcher Framber Valdez are only going to get more expensive via arbitration, though over $50 million will come off the books with Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander set to become free agents.
The biggest question is how this impacts Bregman, who is undoubtedly going to want a hefty contract. The Astros want him back, but whether they can pull that off while also managing payroll is an open question. Bregman, for his part, may have offered his own hint about that on Wednesday.
The Astros have made the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons. This will be the first time since 2016 the team will not be playing in the ALCS.
