Housekeeping or The Beginning of Something?
The Astros made a handful of roster moves Monday, some expected, some interesting, and one that raises more questions than answers.
Houston added reliever Roddery Muñoz and catcher César Salazar to the 40-man roster, officially completed its trade for pitcher Evan Reifert, and outrighted Jake Meyers to Sugar Land.
Meyers has elected free agency.
The Astros now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
The End of the Meyers Era
Of the moves, Meyers is the most significant.
For all his offensive limitations, Meyers provided value with his glove in center field. The question was always whether his bat would develop enough to make him an everyday player on a team with postseason aspirations.
Apparently, the Astros have finally decided the answer is no. Or, at the very least, that his projected salary and roster spot were better spent elsewhere.
His injury history over the last several seasons didn’t help.
It’s one thing to move on from a player. It’s another to move on without receiving anything in return.
That speaks volumes and suggests either the Astros found little trade interest or that they simply decided the roster flexibility was more valuable than whatever they might have received.
It also begets another question: Who plays center field? It would seem at this point that Brice Matthews gets the first shot, but he has not shown he’s capable of performing consistently at the MLB level with the bat either.
In my mind, Matthews profiles as more of a utility player, and I’m hoping something else is in the works, even if it is just a plan at this point.
More Pitching, Please
Muñoz and Reifert should not be mistaken for the answer to Houston’s pitching problems.
I’m at a complete loss on what anyone sees in Muñoz besides an emergency arm - and it would have to be an inferno-level emergency - while Reifert represents another attempt to identify pitching talent that might benefit from the Astros’ development system.
That didn’t go so well last offseason; let’s see if the tide turns.
That Tampa is willing to part with him for cash should be cause for pause, as the Rays are not in the habit of giving away arms with talent without getting substantial return.
He was good at AAA Durham, allowing only 37 hits in 58 innings while striking out 81, but 5.3 BB per 9 (5.4 for MiLB career) isn’t encouraging given the Astros’ 650 walks last season.
There’s nothing wrong with taking chances on pitchers with interesting stuff. In fact, it’s something the organization needs to do, given its financial constraints and the cost of established major-league pitching.
But collecting arms and developing reliable major-league pitchers are two entirely different things.
The Astros need more of the latter.
What About Salazar?
Adding Salazar to the 40-man roster provides catching depth and protects another option behind the plate amid Christian Vazquez’s free agency.
I’m a Salazar fan, but I don’t believe the team is finished here.
While good in small doses, I’m not sure Salazar’s the answer as a backup over the course of 162 games, especially if he has to fill in for say two weeks.
The Bigger Picture
These aren’t the moves that will determine whether the Astros return to the postseason in 2027.
If they are, the answer is no.
But finally making a decision on Meyers is worth watching because it could signal a more significant restructuring of the roster.
The Astros have no manager, one open spot on the 40-man roster, additional decisions ahead, and plenty of questions about how they’ll improve a team that needs more than a little offseason housekeeping.
Hopefully, we’re just getting started.