The third leg of the Astros we will look at is the relief pitching. Right now, any plans for the bullpen in 2026 pivot around one unknown, which is at least unknown outside the team. What is the status of Josh Hader?
When we last heard, he had been diagnosed with a left shoulder capsule strain. In Astros’ medical-speak this is just short of requiring amputation. (Where is my sarcasm font?) There was discussion about trying to have him return during the playoffs, but when the Astros’ playoff hopes died, so did that dream. From the weekly updates during the season, it appeared he never resumed pitching after being placed on the IL way back on August 12th.
As a reminder, Hader was having an excellent year when he went down. He had made the All Star game and he had posted a 6-2 record with 28 saves in 29 opportunities and a 2.05 ERA. Now, when you look at the injured list status on the Astros MLB page, he is not listed. That might seem like good news, but unfortunately the way the Astros handle injury reporting in such a haphazard way, it means nothing.
Folks can talk about closer heir apparent, Bryan Abreu being ready to step in, but the latest view of that in the month and a half that Hader was out did not warm anyone’s heart along those lines.
The Astros need to add a high leverage arm to the bullpen for 2026. If Hader is missing significant time they may need two arms.
When you look at the Astros relievers making the most appearances in 2025 – here is what you see:
- Bryan Abreu (RH) – 70 games – 3-4, 2.25 ERA, 7 saves, very good season especially as set-up man – arb eligible in 2026
- Steven Okert (LH) – 68 games – 3-2, 3.01 ERA, 1 save, good year after a poor 2024 in Minnesota – arb eligible
- Bryan King (LH) – 68 games – 5-4, 2.78, 2 saves, good season after a very good half season debut in 2024 – Pre-arb eligible.
- Kaleb Ort (RH) – 49 games – 2-2, 4.89 ERA, 1 save, inconsistent season at times showing quite strong – Went on the IL on Sept. 5th with right elbow inflammation and no updates – Pre-arb eligible
- Josh Hader (LH) – 48 games – 6-2, 2.06 ERA, 28 saves – status as discussed above – entering third season of five year contract at $19 million/season
- Bennett Sousa (LH) – 44 games – 5-1, 2.85 ERA, 4 saves – Good season for Sousa, who had bad coffeecups with the White Sox in 2022 and the Brewers in 2023. After an almost perfect short stint with the Astros in 2023, he missed all of 2024 after surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. After his strong showing in 2025, he went down with the dreaded elbow inflammation in August and has disappeared from the injury update list after the season – Pre-arb eligible.
- Shawn Dubin (RH) – 23 games – 2-0, 5.61 ERA – Pitched well in May and June before being injured. He got bombed after returning and was waived and then picked up by the Orioles.
- Enyel De Los Santos (RH) – 22 games – 3-0, 4.03 ERA – He pitched excellently when he first was picked up by the Astros after being released by the Braves with a 1.13 ERA in his first 16 games. In his last 6 games this ballooned to 11.37 ERA. Arb-eligible.
- Craig Kimbrel (RH) – 13 games – 0-1, 2.45 ERA – Pitched about as solidly as anyone down the stretch. Free agent heading into 2026.
- Hector Neris (RH), Tayler Scott (RH), Nick Hernandez (RH) and Jordan Weems – Pitched poorly for the Astros in 2025 and were released
- Luis Contreras (RH) and Logan VanWey (RH) – pitched poorly in 2025, but are still in the organization.
- Jayden Murray (RH) – Pitched very well in a small sample size in 2025 – 0-0, 1.54 ERA. Still considered a rookie
- John Rooney (LH) – made his MLB debut in 2025, pitched one game, went on the IL and underwent surgery.
Potential help from the farm comes from mostly older relievers – such as 30 y.o. Miguel Castro 3-0, 5 saves, 2.29 ERA and Ray Gaither 1-2, 1 Save, 2.73 ERA at AAA.
Again, what the Astros do for the bullpen ties to the health of Hader and Sousa. For the first time in a long time, the Astros have a perceived relief need on the right hand side more than on the left hand side.
Bottom line, while the Astros may be spending on bringing in starting pitching, they need to look for help for the bullpen at the same time. They don’t have to hand out another Hader-esque contract, but they do have to improve an area where they have had some luck in adding in pitchers with questionable resumes and having them do well.
What do you want to see the Astros do for the bullpen?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
15 responses to “Astros’ offseason: Is there any real relief in sight?”
Speaking of that Hader-esque contract, I think most of us were pretty leery. I do think our FO (that includes owner Crane) is dumb more than they are smart.
The pen is loaded with question marks, Hader leading the way. I have to assume we’ll see a batch of Nate Pearson type deals in the coming weeks.
We really need Alimber Santa and Miguel Ullola to miraculously discover the strike zone this winter.
What a fun 4th quarter for the Broncos. Giants might be getting another new coach tomorrow.
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I would prefer a batch of Nate Pearson types than getting another big contract pitcher like Dylan Cease, whom I suspect might be a disappointment like Walker. Every since the 22 championship when Crane let the GM leave, it seems the Astros have made poor choices with their additions to the club. It’s time for some frugal economical management even though it might involve younger players. Some will not work out, but some might. I’ve been impressed with the reports of Astro players in the Arizona Fall League.
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Morning Larry, I’m not worried about Jim Cranes money. I just want to see smarter personnel decisions.
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I don’t think the Hader signing was bad. We managed to swindle some teams for guys like Maton and Pressly in the past, but they will make you overpay for the proven relievers. His injury history was spotless before this August. There was a lot made out of him not pitching more than 1 inning in games for the Padres before free agency, but if you look back at those games there weren’t any they lost because they didn’t pitch him. I hate to keep piling on Christian Walker, but Hader’s is similar in money but far more valuable to the team due to performance and how he is leveraged. The key is whether he can come back from the injury. However, the team does have to be concerned about spending money. If you’re not going to make the playoffs then losing draft positions, compensation picks, and international bonus money to sign players that don’t get you over the hump doesn’t make sense. Given Hader did not return this year it makes me concerned for 2026. I think the best move is looking for some solid 7th/8th inning guys and letting Abreu take another shot at it if Hader isn’t ready in the spring. If you end up with a surplus of bullpen arms in July you can always move someone. I would not go after any starting pitchers unless they’re coming here on a prove-it deal. I have hopes Javier can give us quality innings. If LMJ is a 4 IP starter then your expanded bullpen will be worthwhile. You can’t just eat his contract, I don’t think, and the bullpen doesn’t seem a fit.
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Devin, if we’re patient we’ll find out how that Hader deal works out ultimately. Most capsule injuries should have him back for Opening Day, but some versions can take a long time to fix.
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A couple things:
Each Team’s Penalty For Signing A Qualifying Offer-Rejecting Free Agent – MLB Trade Rumors
The most fascinating part is paging down to find the Astros are “in limbo” on whether they exceeded the luxury tax in 2025.
I like to go by Spotrac which shows the Astros $4.4+ million over the tax
Having a number of sons in the accounting business – I understand that not everything is clear in these situations. I wonder about the 2025 Minor league buried contracts – guys who had been on the major league roster for a period but were on the minor league roster when the season ended. I’m not sure why Logan VanWey (pitched in 9 games) counts $236K or Shay Whitcomb (played in 20 games) counts $254K. Sure they were both on the roster longer than that – but not that much more.
It feels like if they were they that close to staying under the tax that they should have done it and re-set it. But again – they may be playing the long game vs. the reworking of the CBA where the luxury tax penalties may go away or change significantly.
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I wonder if Seattle fans are a bit hacked off that their Game 7 ALCS with the Blue Jays (7 PM Central) will likely last beyond the kickoff time for their football team’s game with the Texans (it is set for 9 PM central time). Early in the football game we may be hearing cheering at odd times as the fans are tracking their baseball team in Toronto.
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I read on MLBTR that the O’s are looking for a big bat. Yordan fits that slot to a T. Trade him for one of their good position prospects(Irish?) and a good starting pitching prospect(Bateman) and another young prospect (Beavers?). We need good prospects and we don’t need big payroll. Yordan is a legend in that park. They have a ton of payroll room and Yordan fits their need. We have Altuve to replace him at DH and then we will have a better defensive outfield.
Yordan gives the O’s too many LH bats, but they can move another one of them in another deal
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That reminds me of when the Astros traded a slugging first baseman Glenn Davis to the Orioles for 3 prospects. Too bad we didn’t hold on to all of them.
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As I remember – Steve Finley, Curt Schilling and Pete Harnisch??
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Well, remember the Red Sox traded Schilling and Brady Anderson to the Orioles. The Orioles traded us Schilling, but after using him as a reliever we flipped him to Philly for Jason Grimsley. Schilling was pretty good in 1993 as a starter for Philly despite not striking many guys out, but somehow became a great power pitcher in 1997 at the age of 30 and maintaining that overpowering stuff into his late 30s. Grimsley, of course, was pretty bad at Tuscon so we just released him and he found his way to the Indians where he would make his greatest contribution to MLB by stealing an Albert Belle, corked bat from the umpire’s locker room a few years later. Steve Finley eventually got traded for Operation Shutdown, Derek Bell, and became the world’s skinniest power hitter (until Cody Bellinger/Christian Yelich) at the age of 30. Pete Harnisch had a couple good years for us and then a bad one, got traded to the Mets for a bag of balls, and we fairly mediocre until putting up some good seasons in Cinci in his early 30s. So, not throwing out any accusations here…but the one guy who needed some pharmaceutical help for his back didn’t get it in Baltimore and ended his career early and none of those other guys will be remembered for what they did in Houston, unfortunately.
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So, I am a mess today. Though I did not stay until the end of the game – I stayed up for three quarters of the Texans awful game against the Seahawks that started at 9 frigging PM central time. The Texans are toast this year after that terrible performance. So, I’m thinking we will have two sports in a row not making the playoffs – but the Rockets better make it. (And they start tonight with two more Seattle connections – Kevin Durant joined the Rockets and was a former Seattle Supersonic and…the Rockets are playing the OKC Thunder – who used to be the Sonics)
And keeping with the Seattle theme – the Mariners pulled an old Astro trick (look back to 1980 and 1986) where they were close to going to the World Series, but coughed up the lead late in the game. And the guy applying the Heimlich to them was of course George Springer with a clutch 3 run homer to put them ahead 4-3.
On the radio they said that was the first homer – 7th inning or later in a 7th game CS game to bring a team from multiple runs down to the lead – ever. (It is a very particular list).
Unlike a lot of people here in Houston I was not particularly against the M’s going to the World Series. I know they are our “rival” but I don’t feel the hate I do with the Yanks, Rangers or Dodgers.
I have to pull for the Blue Jays now, because I want the Dodgers to choke on that over-payment, they are pulling with every over-signing they perform. But I fear that Dodger pitching juggernaut will prevail.
Oh well – enough of that. Go Rockets!
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I have no reservations admitting I’d been pulling for a Milwaukee-Seattle matchup since Houston got eliminated. Hopefully Springer and the Blue Jays have a little more magic in them.
Don’t give up on your Texans yet. They play in a garbage division. The Colts are out to a solid lead, but still play Houston and the Jaguars twice each. In prior years I said their only chance was to get home field throughout to win the AFC, but if a few teams continue to stumble I’m less concerned about the road matchups that could be there in January at this point.
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Devin – normally I would be with you – but I think the Colts are for real and the Texans have lost to the 4 good (not great) teams they played and only beat a terrible Titans team and a Ravens team that is terrible without Lamar Jackson.
I think the Texans need 10 wins to make the playoffs requiring what I think is unobtainable 8-3 the rest of the way. The Colts play the Titans this weekend so that is a 7-1 team unless a comet hits them.
Even if 9-8 gets the Texans into the playoffs – this offense is not going to carry them to 7-4 the rest of the way.
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I was really surprised the Jays were able to get to the M’s pitching over and over during that seven game series. Even with Woo’s injury, I thought Seattle was balanced and in the best position to meet up with the Dodgers. Now I’m wondering if the Jays might keep hitting, even against a very well rested LA staff. At the same time, Toronto’s arms must be falling off.
Dan, no hoops for you tonight. Go to bed.
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