5 Things We Learned About the Astros in 2026

It’s not often that a playoff team has a fan base that is irate. You typically don’t see a GM change during a playoff season either. Yet both are true with the 2026 Houston Astros. A .500 team that snuck into the playoffs due to a miserable American League, only to get embarrassed and eliminated right away.

Of all teams to eliminate them, it was the Chicago White Sox. Houston had a decade of playoff experience and success compared to the White Sox, who have not been relevant in some time. Yet, the young and inexperienced team from Chicago handled Houston in a clean sweep.

Frustration is at an all-time high amongst the fan base, and I think that we all know a lot will be changing over the next six months. But for now, I want to highlight what we learned from this confusing, uninspiring, and downright sad season in Houston.

Pitching Was, and Will Be, a Problem

The Astros roster has peeled away stars for a number of years now. Leaving in free agency or via trade, a number of their important players from their dynasty-era teams continue to depart. While the lineup was able to manage due to the remaining star power, their rotation has floundered. Hunter Brown has been a major success story, but he has not been able to remain healthy and lead this rotation.

Outside of Brown, the outlook was pretty bleak. Peter Lambert was a great find (more on him later), and Hayden Wesneski showed enough to be encouraged. However, this team still needs a lot more arms. There’s not a ton coming through the farm system, and the Tatsuya Imai contract is going to hamper them in free agency. Then again, is this team really going to try to compete? I don’t think so.

How do they fix this rotation? Cristian Javier isn’t the answer. Mike Burrows looked far from one as well. I guess 2027’s plan was to promote a number of young arms, see which ones work out, and collect more in the farm system via trade. And when I say trade, I’m talking about a rebuild.

Changes Are Still On the Way

The tension around the Astros all season was palpable. Last season was underwhelming, and this season never really reached a height of convincing anybody that it was anything other than a repeat of last year. The changes in the front office were not a surprise, and I’m sure that the changes to the coaching staff won’t be either. I think moving forward with the current blueprint is irresponsible, and it’s time to face reality.

I’ve written about this in much more detail, so I’ll keep it brief. The Astros are in a position where they have high-end talent on contracts that are not going to last into their next competitive window. Let’s just be honest. This team isn’t going anywhere in the next two to three years. Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, Josh Hader, and others should soon join the list of former Astros.

Taking advantage of the trade value that these players have and reloading the farm system to hopefully rebuild into another dynasty is the only reasonable path forward. It’s going to hurt, and it’s going to take time, but it’s the right move. Who will be making these decisions? I don’t know, but if Jeff Bagwell’s involved, there are reasons for concern.

Jose Altuve Meets Father Time

I’m sure that the hardest part about being a Major League Baseball player is knowing that it will come to an end. Some get to decide when that end is, while others don’t. Altuve still has three more seasons left on his contract and is making $33 million next season, so I know that he’ll be on the roster. But can he provide any value outside of veteran leadership?

Altuve slashed .250/.306/.395 with 16 home runs and a 97 wRC+. His worst season in over a decade is part of a continued decline that we started to see last season. I don’t think that Altuve will suddenly fall off of a cliff, but him returning to a middle-of-the-order bat and offensive driver for this lineup is not something that I think is all that plausible.

I hope that I’m wrong. What Jose Altuve has brought to this franchise over his 16 seasons is immeasurable, and Houston will eventually have his jersey retired and his name remembered forever. Maybe we can see a late-career resurgence, even for only a year, similar to what we saw with Joey Votto in Cincinnati. I hope that Altuve gets to go out on top, but it’s looking less and less likely.

Peter Lambert Is an Answer To Their Biggest Question

The biggest question surrounding this team is how they are going to find pitching. It was a question mark coming into the season, and now it’s the biggest question heading into the offseason. We all know you need more than five answers, but at least Peter Lambert will be one of them.

Lambert came over from NPB, making 29 starts and pitching to a 3.82 ERA and 3.91 FIP. While he might not have the most overpowering stuff, he comes with a kitchen-sink approach that keeps hitters off balance and has proven that there’s a path where he can help this rotation. Not a star, not an ace, but a quality backend option, which is something to celebrate in the current state of the Astros rotation.

Was this just a lucky find, or is this proof that the Astros know what they’re doing? I guess it won’t matter so much when there’s a new front office in place. At this point, we have to celebrate all victories, no matter how big or how small.

Cam Smith Needs To Make a Leap

When the Astros traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, a big piece coming back was Cam Smith. A toolsy outfielder who quickly made his way through the minors and debuted with Houston at only 22 years old. In his rookie season last year, we saw flashes, but Smith needed to bring more impact at the plate. This year was supposed to be a breakout, but it looked more like a step back.

Being a superb defender isn’t going to be enough. Houston needs Smith to be a much better player at the plate. Slashing .210/.279/.390 with 21 home runs and 12 stolen bases is far from what we had hoped to see in year two. The swing-and-miss is still a problem, and making quality contact often enough seems to be a struggle.

Trading away a player like Kyle Tucker is the exact blueprint I’m asking the Astros to follow this season. Moving stars for young talent in order to build towards the future. Right now, Cam Smith is looking like the rebuttal to that path. In order for the Astros to not fall flat on their face, they are going to need Cam Smith to develop into a player that can fit in the middle of this order. He’s still young, very inexperienced, and far from a finished product. Next year is going to be crucial for him.

Final Thoughts

I hate to be so pessimistic about a team that went to the playoffs, but how could you not? I don’t think any of the Astros fans truly thought that they deserved to be in the postseason. Typically, you’d be able to find more positive takeaways from a season like this, but I’m struggling too.

As I said before, we are going to learn a lot about the Houston Astros and their future over the next six months. Will they change direction? Will all of the jerseys in your closet soon be a faux pas? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.