3 free agents the Astros can sign to redeem themselves and win the 2025 World Series

The Houston Astros’ first season under Joe Espada ended prematurely with a first-round loss to the Detroit Tigers. We’re used to including Houston in the ALCS every October, but those days are behind us. The Astros are approaching a fascinating turning point as an organization and could look very different next season.

Dana Brown has been quite open about his plans to cut payroll and “balance” the Astros’ financial obligations. After high-dollar contracts with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and others, Houston appears to be done spending top dollar. At least until Kyle Tucker hits the open market in a year. He’ll probably get a nice payday to stay here.

That puts the future of several key Houston free agents like Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander in question. This also means we should temper expectations about the Astros’ aggressiveness in the market. Just last winter, the Astros dropped $95 million on a reliever. Such waste doesn’t seem so likely this time.

The Astros are still prepared for battle, so this sudden change in strategy is a bit… unexpected. It’s no coincidence that Houston lost in the first round for the first time in nearly a decade, and now it seems like they’re reevaluating things. Anyone expecting a quiet, leisurely offseason in Houston will be bitterly disappointed. The landscape of this Astros team will change significantly.

Here are a few names worth keeping an eye on as the Astros look to return to the World Series in 2025.

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Again, we should all be skeptical of Houston’s willingness to spend top dollar in free agency, and Anthony Santander has made a significant amount of money. The Baltimore Orioles veteran managed the best season of his career, slashing .235/.308/.506 with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs, just in time for a new contract.

It is reasonable to question whether Santander can maintain this level of production. His batting numbers have been trending in the right direction for a few years now, but this is an isolated incident in the larger context of Santander’s career so far. However, at 29 years old, the right fielder should still have a lot left. Even though his home run numbers decline in 2025, this season was quietly Santander’s worst batting average since 2018. He should stabilize (even improve) in other areas.

The Astros can’t rely on Jason Heyward to stick around or be very productive next season, so outfield depth is an immediate priority. Santander is a set-and-forget quality, unlike Kyle Tucker, who would likely move to left field. He’s not necessarily a Gold Glove candidate, but Santander can hold his own as a corner outfielder while vastly improving Houston’s offensive profile.

Placing Yordan Alvarez and Anthony Santander in the middle of the lineup would strike fear into pitching staffs across the league. Houston will likely end up being outbid, but Santander won’t quite reach the pinnacle of free-agent deals this winter. He’s a second-tier star, and the Astros would be an easy opponent in any other year given their history of spending big.

The Astros spent the entire season trying to find a viable option at first base, but never really had success. There is absolutely room for an upgrade and few free agents have more cachet than Paul Goldschmidt, who is not expected to re-sign with the newly forward-thinking St. Louis Cardinals.

Just a few years ago, Goldschmidt was the National League MVP and one of the league’s most feared sluggers. Now, at age 37, the decline has begun in full force. Goldschmidt simply couldn’t reach his typically high standards this season, slashing .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs and 65 RBIs. Not bad, but certainly not at the level we are used to.

However, Goldschmidt finished stronger than he started, and the conclusion is hard to miss. In addition to this MVP award, Goldy is a four-time Gold Glove winner and a seven-time All-Star. He finished the campaign in the 92nd percentile in hard hit rate (49.6 percent), so there’s no doubt about Goldschmidt’s ability to crack leather when the opportunity arises.

This is the perfect meeting point for Houston between obvious talent and affordability. Goldschmidt’s age will prevent him from getting a big contract – he’s a one-year rental – but his bat can absolutely change the fortunes of this Astros team, especially when sandwiched between all the explosive hitters in the front half of Houston’s lineup is.

With Alex Bregman likely on his way out, Houston will need more power to keep the offense firing on all cylinders. Goldschmidt is undoubtedly a name to keep an eye on.

Blake Snell was the best pitcher in baseball after the All-Star break. In his last 10 starts, Snell went 5-0 with a 1.44 ERA and .130 opponents’ batting average, posting 84 strikeouts in 56.1 innings. The southpaw was on a different plane of existence — which included his first career complete game when he pitched a no-hitter against the Reds on August 2nd.

That was more than enough to make both front offices and fans forget about Snell’s terrible first few months. After waiting until spring training to sign a contract with the San Francisco Giants, Snell was initially plagued by injuries and rust. Snell has always been a second-half pitcher, but the disconnect has been worse than ever in 2024.

But who cares? When he’s so dominant at the end of the season, most teams are happy to accept a slow start. Snell was a 2023 NL Cy Young and he is point blank one of the most dominant arms in baseball at his peak. The Astros could run into their self-imposed financial limitations again, but Snell would dramatically improve an already solid rotation.

Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander are both free agents, so there are spots opening up in the Astros’ regular season rotation. The three-headed monster of Snell, Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown could be unmatched in the American League. Pitching staff depth is the surest way to build a contender. Houston won’t be short of hitting next season, but Snell bolsters the bullpen collective and puts the Astros back in the World Series conversation.