It’s an off day for your Houston Astros, and that might be the best news we’ve had all week. The team is 10-16, dead last in the AL West, 16 players on the injured list, and a team ERA north of 5.90. Yordan is swinging the hottest bat on the planet, Altuve looks like he turned back the clock, and none of it matters because the pitching staff is in ruins.
Eight questions. My answers. Your turn in the comments.
1. Is Yordan Alvarez the best hitter in baseball right now?
Yes. Ten home runs before May, slashing .298/.456/.747 (not to mention a 1.203 OPS), and I can’t think of many hitters in either league I’d rather not face right now. He leads the league in GP, HR, RBI, and TB, and he’s carrying this team in a way that should make every fan both grateful and angry, because a performance like this deserves a pitching staff that can hold a lead.
2. Who gets fired first—Dana Brown or Joe Espada?
Brown. Not because Espada is doing a better job, but because Espada is harder to replace midseason. Then again, unless you’ve forgotten, Omar López just won the WBC with Venezuela and is already in the clubhouse. Brown built this roster, and the holes are glaring.
3. Over/under on the date of that firing?
Memorial Day. Brown. If this team is still 15-30 or worse by the end of May, Crane will have seen enough. The question isn’t whether changes are coming; it’s whether he pulls the trigger before the holiday or after.
4. Was the Tatsuya Imai signing a bust?
I’ll take some flak for this, but it’s too early. You can argue the Astros overpaid—$54 million is real money—but the man has three starts. Every Japanese pitcher who’s come to the majors has had an adjustment period, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up five runs in his first MLB inning before becoming an All-Star. The clock is ticking, though. Make no mistake about that.
5. How many more seasons does Altuve have as a serviceable player?
You can argue he’s already past “impact” the way we used to define it. But he’s still serviceable, and at 36, he can still work an at-bat. The bigger question is when he stops being an everyday player, because he’s signed through 2029 ($33 million in ’27, $13 million each of ’28 and ’29). And who looks Jose Altuve in the eye and tells him to take a seat?
6. If the Astros are sellers at the deadline, what’s the rebuild timeline?
I’m afraid this organization is still in denial, which means they could get forced into a rebuild rather than choosing one, much like the Saints in the NFL. Keep Isaac Paredes, develop Cam Smith, and sign Jeremy Peña long-term. The biggest gulp? What to do with Hunter Brown. The haul they could get for him after this season would be staggering and could jumpstart a rebuild by three years. And then there’s Yordan Alvarez. Like Brown, he would bring a haul. Both are considered signed through 2028.
7. And if they are sellers, who goes? Two tradeable pieces if it comes to that: Christian Walker. He’s hitting well (right now). Power bat. Contending teams always need a first baseman at the deadline. And Isaac Paredes. I don’t want to see it, but the Astros don’t have many trade chips right now, and Paredes has value. Carlos Correa, Altuve, and a handful of others aren’t going anywhere.
7. Does Jim Crane deserve more blame than anyone?
Face it, Crane isn’t going anywhere; owners don’t fire themselves. But I wonder if the Luhnow/Hinch scandal made him skittish about giving a front-office exec real power. He needs to go back to the drawing board, find another Luhnow-type mind lurking behind the scenes, and give that person the authority and resources to build something.
8. What has to happen between now and June 1 for this season to be alive?
Get Hader, Brown, and Peña back healthy. That would go a long way. If those three are out for months, there’s very little hope of contending, no matter how many home runs Yordan hits. The offense is already awake, and they’re still losing, because you can’t outscore a 5.90 ERA every night.
BONUS: Should Crane Call Jeff Luhnow?
I think the call is worth making. You don’t have to hire the man, but if you’re looking for someone who knows how to build a winning organization from the ground up, his number is already in your phone. The news that should give you pause is that apparently, no other team has called him either. Has he been blackballed by MLB? Hinch came back and has done well, but Hinch was somewhat repentant. Luhnow? Not so much.
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
7 responses to “8 questions every Houston fan should be asking right now”
Thanks Chip – Dan does a tremendous job at this, but just like the Astros winning, the world is a better place when we all get some Chip.
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5. Altuve – I always thought the weird structure on the contract was so he could just retire after the 2027 season if he wasn’t feeling it. This way he would get the majority of the contract, and the Astros helped the AAV by having two lower years at the end in case he decides to stick around. I think a part of his decision will be based on whether or not 3000 is in reach, but not all of it. A bit of it will probably be how he feels too. Biggio was probably a detriment to the team in 2006 and 2007, especially the 2007 season, but we loved it, and one of the best memories of that park is his 3000th hit and the two of them hugging on the field. I will watch Altuve struggle down the stretch run of his career if it means I am watching Altuve. The other option is he is gone, and I don’t think he will be a Bagwell/Biggio and become a park regular. That’s what being a fan is about.
6. The Astros have to ask the hard question. This roster isn’t competing in 2026, at least so far. If all of the components can make them compete if Brown, Pena, and Imai are healthy, well, you just kind of start setting for 2027 now. Everyone important is signed through at least 2027, most 2028. But if you think the parts around the stars are not guys that can help the stars win by filling in gap days when Yordan doesn’t dinger or a starter that helps Hunter by also going 6 innings of 1 run ball, I think you have to reset. All of them have to go. You can’t do what you have done for years, which is let the very best walk while signing either the injury prone or “affordable” guys to big contracts, just not as big.
I once worked in an accounting office that had about 15 employees. I worked as the office supervisor, directly for the boss with 13 people working for me. That boss was terrible. She would take actions that constantly made people that were attractive to other firms leave, and the ones that were less attractive to other firms always stayed. We would hire someone else, and it was sort of the employee lottery if they were what we wanted. But if they were good, they didn’t stay long. If they were bad, she was quick on the jettison, but if they were mediocre, just good enough to not get fired, they stayed. Eventually, we had a bunch of mediocrity. All the best left. And I left after exactly 13 months because of it. That’s what the Astros remind me of.
You either think 2027 is still within reach, or you start moving guys now. And I mean all of it. Altuve and Correa are unmoveable. Everyone else, is. Start with the obvious. Yordan brings you a ransom. He can reset your minor leagues with another franchises 4-5 of their top 15 prospects. Paredes can probably still be moved for a young, controllable pitcher. Once Pena and Brown are back in the lineup and playing regularly, they both can also net you 2 top prospects and a few lottery tickets as well.
I would assume Brown would be loathsome to this idea because this time next year he will be working in the Royals scouting department. Crane would still be stuck under contracts for Imai, Walker, Correa and Altuve and probably doesn’t want a 150M payroll for a team that will finish under .500. So, I’m guessing we will keep hearing “the window will always be open” and they will sputter in at around 80-85 wins this year and next, with a bigger possibility that its south of that mark than north of that mark.
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Also keep in mind, Yordan’s contract is a full NTC for 27 and 28, but he is free as a bird in 2026. If he is ever going to be traded, it needs to be now, while he is healthy, and crushing the ball, and a NTC doesn’t interfere with the return.
And don’t get me wrong, you asked me the what if, but let me be clear, IF I was in charge, I would be letting it ride and trying to climb back in this thing.
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7. Most of what I said above. I don’t think, even if keeps his OPS north of .800 (which seems unlikely) that Walker is going to net you anything but some salary relief. If the rest go, it really doesn’t matter if he does or doesn’t, you aren’t paying anyone else anyway.
8. I would call Imai more important than Brown, because Hunter is more of a certainty. I think the adjustments he made are just built in. He doesn’t regress until he starts losing velocity 4 years down the road. But Imai, is the wild card. For this team to compete, he needs to be better.
Pena is also a big piece because it stabilizes things. Hader, well, they haven’t really been blowing saves, the pitching staff has been getting blown up before the 9th inning. But he certainly helps put the hierarchy back in order.
He should, but he won’t.
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Thanks for filling in for me Chip. I’m sitting in a hotel room in Fredricksburg ready to go while my wife and youngest son are getting rolling.
Steven always a lot to your answers and always learning something like the no trade on Yordan.
Not sure he’s the “best” but he’s the scariest. Such a looming presence at the plate – can hit a homer at any time – on a pace for 68 homers when Bagwell has the club record at 47
Espada in season – Brown after. I don’t think Crane wants to feel the wrath of the fans when a temp GM is responsible for the trade deadline ala the disaster when he had GM by committee
I think for Espada – 4th of July – Brown – right after they pack the lockers and head home.
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4. Way too early to call Imai a bust – hopefully the young man can pull it together. His one great start showed great potential – he needs to adjust quickly or he will become a bit of a target for opposing fans
5. The Altuve question is a tough one. We all love the guy but will we still love him if he’s batting .220 as the starting 2B?
6. If they are totally out of it at the end of June – they could spend July regearing but do they want to make big changes for the future with a lame duck GM or temporary GM. I just hope they right the ship – but that is hope
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I didn’t rightfully answer the Altuve question – I think he will be serviceable through 2027 and late career Biggio-ish after. I want to see him make 3000 and retire an Astros but not be a boat anchor
7. Jim Crane is the best owner the Astros ever had. Perhaps he was lucky to bring in Luhnow who was a game changer in how he approached the total rebuild and the analytics that put them ahead of the pack. But Crane was there when they needed the bucks to make big deals.
But he is to blame for the lack of direction since Luhnow left.
8. Between now and June 1 they have to stabilize the pitching – that means a healthy return of Brown, Imai, Hader and Sousa – and some better pitching out of Abreu and others who have disappointed. Wouldn’t hurt if someone like Lambert became this year’s Ronel Blanco
Bonus – I don’t think Luhnow will return the call. But you never know unless you ask.
Would they ask him to come here as the off-season consultant to make suggestions?
I think Luhnow would have to make a public apology to get back in. I don’t think he will ever do that unless….his soccer venture goes belly up
Thanks for the questions Chip – good job.
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