Since the season came to a close, Astros fans have been getting a glimpse, through the turnarounds of the Orioles & Royals, that downtrodden franchises can rebound & play deep into October. While 70 wins might not seem like cause for celebration, it’s a big step for a club that lost over 100 games 3 seasons in a row.
The highlights of the year were Jose Altuve’s record breaking year that culminated with 225 hits & a league batting title (.341 average), the 1st time an Astro ever led the league; Chris Carter’s ascendance into one of the top HR hitters in the game; and the emergence of Dallas Keuchel & Colin McHugh as 2 of the better starting pitchers in baseball.
The Astros also had their share of lowlights, starting with Bo Porter’s dismissal in early September due to friction with the GM becoming public; the 
hacking of their database “Ground Control”; the continuing CSN Houston bankruptcy affair that left the team blacked out to 60% of the local market; and their failure to sign #1 overall draft pick Brady Aiken.
The Astros already started the offseason with a bang by hiring A.J. Hinch to manage the team. He beat out interim interim manager Tom Lawless, 3rd-base coach Pat Listach, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, Triple A Reno manager Phil Nevin, Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, and former Indians manager Manny Acta. So now that a big piece of the puzzle has been solved & the chilly air of October has arrived, here are 5 questions to ponder…
What can we expect from A.J. Hinch in his 2nd go-around as a major league manager?
After Bo Porter was fired towards the end of the 
season due to communication problems between him & Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, the Astros went looking for someone who would be in sync with the front office. They wanted a skipper who had previous managing or bench-coach experience, and they got that & more in Hinch.
Besides having managed a big league team, Hinch is a Stanford grad who has played catcher in the big leagues, worked in the front office, and headed up scouting, making him the baseball equivalent of the “Renaissance Man.” There were rumors he was overwhelmed in his 1st stint as manager with the D-Backs, where he had a .420 winning percentage working with a mix of an aging roster & young talent.
The Astros have a lot of young talent & things are not as dire as when Porter took over for a club at the beginning of a major rebuild, so having managerial experience & knowledge of other facets of the game, including the front office, should be helpful for Hinch this time around. He will need to assemble a coaching staff, although current pitching coach Brent Strom is almost certain to be retained.
Will the Astros raise their payroll?
Since the Astros once again had the lowest payroll in MLB at $45 million to start the year, one would have to assume there is nowhere to go but up. The question is … how much will the payroll increase this offseason? Will it be between $50 
& $60 million? Or could it jump to $70-80 million? If the CSN bankruptcy organization goes through, then the Astros will finally have the expanded carriage in the Houston market & payment of rights fees they lacked, which Astros owner Jim Crane said could help to support an payroll increase.
As Crane told the Houston Chronicle at the recent Astros Foundation golf event, they “will continue to move it [the payroll] up” & that the rights fees will “have a big impact on what we’ll be able to spend on the team.” All eyes will be on what the Astros’ final tally comes to next spring, because increasing the payroll also will signify to the fan base a commitment to win.
Where do the Astros need to upgrade this offseason?
For a team that lost 92 games, there is still a lot of work to do to improve the roster. They’ll have to address the bullpen again, as last season’s big offseason signings of Jesse Crain, Matt Albers & Chad Qualls didn’t materialize. Crain never saw the field for the Astros & Albers was gone for the season with tendinitis in his right shoulder after a strong April.
While the Astros showed improvement, they still ranked at the bottom of the AL in bullpen ERA . Luhnow will again be looking at relievers to fortify the late innings.
Luke Gregorson, Luke Hochevar, Sergio Romo, Koji Uehara, and David Robertson are some of the relievers who will be free agents. The Astros may also want to add another veteran free agent starter, because banking on a staff full of young pitchers is always tough to do, even with all the promise the Astros have on their Major League staff (Keuchel, McHugh, Brad Peacock, Brett Oberholtzer, Mike Foltynewicz, Nick Tropeano) & in the minors (Mark Appel, Asher Wojciechowski, etc.).
Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, James Shields, and pitchers of that ilk will be out of the Astros price range, but starters like Justin Masterson, Hiroki Kuroda, Jason Hammel, and Francisco Liriano are also free agents.
As for position players, the Astros can build around Jose Altuve, George Springer & a pretty solid DH in Chris Carter. While Carlos Correa is naturally going to take over SS when he is ready, it may not be until the latter part of the 2015 season or even ’16, since he is coming off an injury & will likely start the year at AA.
The Astros may pick up a veteran SS who can play the position until Correa is ready. Stephen Drew & ex-Astros Jed Lowrie & Clint Barmes are some of the free agent names the Astros could sign for the short-term.
Matt Dominguez is a fine defensive 3rd baseman, but he hit .215 with 16 HRs in 607 plate appearances with a WAR of -1.6. The Astros will probably look for hot corner help, and free agents include Chase Headley & Pablo Sandoval.
The Astros also could be in the market for another OF, because Jake Marisnick, Alex Presley, L.J. Hoes, and Robbie Grossman have not distanced themselves from the pack.
And after the team signed him to a long-term deal, Jon Singleton will get 1st crack to man 1st base in ’15, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a veteran brought in who could provide competition & play the outfield & 1st base, like a Michael Cuddyer, Corey Hart or Michael Morse, whom the Astros tried to sign last offseason before he chose the Giants.
Will the Astros make a trade?
The Astros under Luhnow have not been afraid to pull the trigger on deals, and last offseason started off with the acquisition of Dexter Fowler for Jordan Lyles & Brandon Barnes. Fowler is entering the last year before unrestricted free agency & is arbitration eligible, so the Astros will have to think hard whether he fits the long term plans with a contract extension or if they want to deal him before he hits free agency.
Jason Castro is another player the Astros could commit long-term to or deal, although his trade value has plummeted after hitting .222 following an All Star year the previous year. The Astros are not likely to spend a lot during free agency, so other ways to improve the roster will come via trade.
While the roster swaps might not be as eye popping as a Maserati on a city road, be on the lookout for possible deals.
Who will the Astros protect on their 40-man roster to avoid exposure in the Rule 5 draft?
The Astros have some hard roster decisions with the upcoming December Rule 5 draft, which is a byproduct of a top farm system. According to MLB rules, players eligible for the draft are players signed when they were 19 or older & have played pro baseball for 4 years, as well as those signed at 18 & have played pro baseball for 5 years. All players on the MLB 40 man-roster are “protected” & are ineligible for the draft.
Among the minor leaguers that will have to be protected on the 40-man roster or risk being exposed to the draft include Delino Deshields Jr., Vincent Velasquez, Michael Feliz, Roberto Pena, Danry Vasquez, and Ronald Torreyes. Luhnow & his sabremetrics staff will have tough choices to make in composing the final 40 man roster before the December draft.
-HST Correspondent R.G. Seal
