By Jordan Sigler

Did the Houston Astros Roster improve this offseason?

The Houston Astros roster will look a lot different in 2023. The Astros parted ways with Justin Verlander in the offseason. While they decreased their pitching lineup, the Astros picked up a big-time bat in Jose Abreu. One MLB insider wasn’t impressed with one of their moves.

The Astros will come into the season hot off a World Series win in 2022. This Astros club doesn’t seem to die, no matter how many names leave after successful campaigns. The Astros have won four out of the last six American League pennants. Houston fans are thankful one team has a stable winning franchise in the city.

MLB insider thinks the Astros’ offseason was ok

Eno Sarris gave his take on the Houston Astros roster decisions in the offseason. In an article that handed out grades for all 30 teams, Sarris gave the Astros a B+ for 2023. But Sarris is worried about the Astros losing Verlander:

“Nailing down the GM spot was huge for the organization, and Dana Brown is a well-regarded executive with a great background in scouting for a few successful organizations. The Astros also got better at first base by signing José Abreu to a three-year deal, but will his worst slugging against fastballs (by 100 points) in 2022 be more of a sign of age than the org thought? Also, letting Justin Verlander go means not only losing some star power at the top of the rotation but making Hunter Brown the one-man stop-gap if the team needs pitching depth. Last year’s best starting rotation can probably handle it, though, so a good offseason writ large.”

That seems like a fair assessment. The Astros should be pretty strong in the season once they figure out their rotation. We’ll see how the Houston Astros roster can manage after a few months of gelling together in the early season.