Astros Rumors & News

The Crawfish Boxes "Jeff Luhnow has become pretty well known as a genius, stealing some excellent players off waivers and turning them into valuable assets. And while I think McHugh is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, I think his steal of Will Harris is probably one of the least talked..." January 19

USA Today "With spring training approaching and top free agents remaining unsigned, it's been an another icy winter for baseball's hot stove. Left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel is one of the best players still available and took to Twitter on Thursday night replying to a tweet..." January 18

SI "No proposed rules change would improve baseball’s pace of action issue more than a pitch clock, which is why Major League Baseball officials prioritized getting a pitch clock for the 2019 season at a meeting with Players Association officials Monday. The union, which has been cool to the..." January 18

Hardball Talk "The first Spring Training workout dates, both for pitchers and catchers and for full squads, has been released for all 30 of the Major League clubs. I find that rather weird given that there are scores and scores of players who don’t have jobs yet, but I guess a schedule is a..." January 17

MLB Trade Rumors "The Houston Astros submitted their arbitration bids yesterday after signing fellow arb-eligibles Lance McCullers Jr., Will Harris and Brad Peacock to one-year deals. Houston failed to reach agreements with shortstop Carlos Correa, starter Gerrit Cole and swingman Chris Devenski. All..." January 12

MLB Trade Rumors "The Astros announced Friday that third baseman Alex Bregman underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow earlier today. Bregman is expected to be limited at the start of Spring Training but ready for full duty by Opening Day. Bregman, 24, made..." January 11

ESPN "With $3 million at stake, the Boston Red Sox wanted to create the most compelling argument possible against Mookie Betts without alienating or insulting him. So last January, as they tried to convince a three-person arbitration panel that Betts deserved the $7.5 million..." January 11

Hardball Talk "There’s an offseason deadline today that, in the past, you may not have thought much about but which, this year, is a bit more important. It’s the deadline by which teams and arbitration-eligible players who were tendered a contract back on November 30 must exchange salary..." January 11

Bleacher Report "With the new year upon us and spring training around the corner, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain on the free-agent market. Both will eventually sign, and the consensus is they will land megadeals in excess of $200 million. According to The Athletic's Jim Bowden,..." January 10

The Crawfish Boxes "We’re undoubtedly in a slow part of the offseason, between the lull in major signings and two weeks until the Hall of Fame announces its Class of 2019. So I wanted to use the latter as a springboard for one of my favorite topics, the future of the Hall of Fame and which current players it..." January 09

Bleacher Report "With close attention being paid to the number of free agents still unsigned, Major League Baseball teams did something last season that hasn't happened since 2010.  Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), the $4,227,041,948 combined payroll for all 30 teams in 2018..." January 09

CBS Sports "If general managers of baseball teams still used paper calendars and magic markers, they would have circled those calendars years ago, drooling with anticipation for this winter. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are multi-tool superstars in their mid-20s, making them the kind..." January 09

The Score "It appears Dallas Keuchel could have avoided becoming a free agent this offseason. Keuchel rejected a five-year, $90-million extension from the Houston Astros during the 2016 season, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The 2015 Cy Young..." January 07

Mets Merized Online "The Mets have announced that they have acquired J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek in exchange for Ross Adolph, Luis Santana, and Scott Manea. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reported that the Mets were close to a deal for Davis first. Davis, 25, appeared in 42 games last season in which he..." January 06

Fish Stripes "We’re all getting impatient with this J.T. Realmuto situation. Midway between the end of the 2018 regular season and Opening Day 2019, the Marlins’ most obvious trade candidate doesn’t seem particularly close to changing uniforms. Jon Morosi of MLB..." December 31

The Crawfish Boxes "Just before Christmas there was a lot of chatter about trades involving Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker. And rightly so, considering the Astros had just signed Michael Brantley, he who played 134 games in leftfield—the spot likely vacated for Tucker in 2019—last season...." December 31

SNY TV "The Mets and Astros have recently engaged in trade talks, according to Marc Carig of The Athletic.  Houston has shown interest in right-hander Seth Lugo while the Mets have been doing "background work" on Astros minor leaguers. It is unclear if..." December 31

MLB Trade Rumors "Although Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray reportedly isn’t on the block, he’s nonetheless drawing trade interest, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Both the Astros and Phillies “are very interested” in Ray, Cafardo writes. Arizona made one..." December 29

MLB.com "Dallas Keuchel remains unsigned with the new year looming, and the Astros have yet to make a notable addition to their pitching staff, which raises the question: is there a realistic chance the team will reunite with the left-hander? MLB.com's Brian McTaggart isn't ruling it out, but..." December 29

MLB.com "The buzz surrounding J.T. Realmuto has quieted down since the Winter Meetings, as teams have been unwilling to meet the Marlins' lofty asking price for their All-Star catcher. The Astros remain interested in the backstop, according to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi, but Miami has..." December 29

MLB Trade Rumors "Per Marc Carig of The Athletic on Twitter, the Mets and Astros have been “engaged” in recent trade talks, with the ’Stros reportedly “showing interest” in right-hander Seth Lugo. Lugo, 29, was primarily a starter throughout his minor-league career and..." December 29

Yahoo! Sports "It’s the season of giving, and it seems Major League Baseball players past, present and future are doing all they can to bring that holiday spirit to life. Among the most giving this holiday season is Alex Bregman. In a video posted to his YouTube on Christmas Eve, the Houston..." December 27

Yardbarker "The Angels, Brewers and Rangers join the previously reported Phillies as a few of the teams with interest in free-agent left-hander Dallas Keuchel, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. As a onetime American League Cy Young winner (2015) who ranks among the Major..." December 23

Hardball Talk "Bad news for the Astros and, obviously, for Joe Smith: the reliever ruptured his achilles tendon in an offseason workout. That’s the report from Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal. The injury happened last week. Smith had surgery on Tuesday. He’s..." December 20

The Score "No team has won more games over the last two seasons than the Houston Astros, whose outsized success since burning it all down - they've made the playoffs in three of the past four years, earning two division titles and the first World Series title in franchise history - has no doubt..." December 18

The Score "One day after reportedly agreeing to a two-year deal with outfielder Michael Brantley and being linked to designated hitter Nelson Cruz, the Houston Astros are back in the mix for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, according..." December 18

Fantasy Pros "Ken Rosenthal of The Athleitc reports the Astros are signing Michael Brantley to a contract in the two-year, $32 million contract range. (Ken Rosenthal on Twitter) Fantasy Impact: Brantley hit .309 with 17 homers and 12 stolen bases in 2018. It’s a nice move for..." December 17

The Score "After falling short of repeating as World Series champions, the Houston Astros could be eyeing a massive shakeup. Houston is reportedly talking to a pair of a pair of free-agent hitters in designated hitter Nelson Cruz and outfielder Michael Brantley, and the team's at least..." December 16

Hardball Talk "Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Rays and starter Charlie Mortonare nearing agreement on a contract. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the deal is for two years and $30 million in total. Morton, 35, is coming off of the best season of his..." December 12

MLB.com "In a city where money is thrown around indiscriminately, the Astros began baseball's annual Winter Meetings on Monday hoping to fill their needs by spending wisely this offseason, though their payroll could push closer to $200 million in 2019. Despite having 10 players eligible..." December 11

USA Today "Bryce Harper, a National League MVP at 23, is a free agent at 26, peddling his services in an industry that’s grown to nearly $11 billion in annual revenues. His combination of skills, age and marketing cachet make him an excellent fit for any major league franchise. Even the..." December 11

Sportsnaut "The defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves have already added two former All-Stars in that of Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann this offseason. In no way does this mean the up-and-coming team is done. Atlanta is now reportedly seeking out top-end starting pitchers during the Winter..." December 10

The Score "The San Diego Padres are looking to acquire one of baseball's most versatile players. San Diego is interested in signing free agent Marwin Gonzalez to play shortstop, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports. Gonzalez, 29, has appeared at every..." December 10

MLB.com "Astros president of baseball operations and general manager Jeff Luhnow said Thursday the addition of catcher Robinson Chirinos to a one-year contract for 2019 doesn't necessarily mean the team is through shopping for catchers. Chirinos, a well-respected veteran who played the..." December 08

Tampa Bay Times "Among several options the Rays have explored to sign or trade for a starting pitcher, they’ve expressed interest and had initial conversations with free-agent RHP Charlie Morton. Morton, 35, was most recently with the Astros, going 14.7, 3.62 in 2017 and 15-3, 3.13 last..." December 07

Athletics Nation "It’s tempting to call the A’s current rotation a disaster, but A) it doesn’t currently exist and B) it didn’t stop them from going to the playoffs last season. Regardless of last season’s bullpen-centric success, it’s highly likely the A’s..." December 06

ESPN "Free-agent catcher Robinson Chirinos has agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Astros. Chirinos, 34, who confirmed the agreement to Fox26, hit .222 for the Rangers last season with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs, both career highs. " December 05

CBS Sports "Changes to the way teams line up -- and are allowed to line up -- defensively could be coming to Major League Baseball. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has received "strong" backing from baseball's competition committee to try to "put something in place" to limit..." December 05

MLB Daily Dish "There are few rosters that are as complete as the Houston Astros. They have a loaded pitching staff and a lineup that is loaded from top to bottom. One can quibble over certain guys on the roster as to whether upgrades exist out there there in the world, but in the reality where money..." December 04

The Crawfish Boxes "Okay, I know Astros’ right fielder Josh Reddick had a down year at the plate last season. In fact, he had the 2nd-worst season of his career, judging by catch-all stat wRC+ and other catch-all stat WAR. So this post isn’t about making excuses for what was a..." December 04

Bleacher Report "The Arizona Diamondbacks reportedly don't want to trade Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke in a package deal, but perhaps they'll listen if the right team comes calling after both superstars. Houston Astros, that's your cue. Like many teams..." December 03

Houston Chronicle "The Astros did not tender a contract to catcher Chris Herrmann before Friday's 7 p.m. deadline, ending a 28-day tenure with his hometown team. A Tomball native who attended Alvin Community College, Herrmann was claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Nov. 2, ostensibly to..." December 01

MLB.com "The early stages of the offseason can make for some dreary days, but don't tell that to Alex Bregman and Trevor Bauer. They maintained an entertaining rivalry throughout the 2018 season, and even though the baseball has gone away for the year, the beef has not. It all started when..." November 28

Larry Brown Sports "The Houston Astros have been exploring ways to improve a starting rotation that was one of the best in MLB history last season, and one player they are interested in happened to pitch quite well against them in the playoffs. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the Astros have shown..." November 28

The Crawfish Boxes "Last week saw the release of the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot, and there are quite a few one-time Astros on the list. From holdovers like Billy Wagner and Roger Clemens, to newcomers like Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada, But when we’re talking about players associated with the Astros, there..." November 27

MLB Trade Rumors "The Braves have agreed to terms on a contract with free-agent catcher Brian McCann, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (via Twitter). It’ll be a homecoming for the Jet Sports client, who is from the Atlanta area and spent the first nine seasons of his Major League career as the..." November 26

The Score "The Houston Astros look like they want to upgrade their outfield in free agency, but it won't be with the cream of the crop. Houston has been active in discussions with the tier of free-agent outfielders below Bryce Harper, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, who lists A.J...." November 25

12 Up "?In an offseason already full of surprises, this one might end up being the biggest. Jose Altuve tweeted out a vague message on Wednesday, which naturally fired up fans all across the MLB landscape, especially in Houston. The former MVP is ?recovering from knee..." November 21

Houston Chronicle "Before Tuesday afternoon's deadline to set 40-man rosters in advance of next month's Rule 5 draft, the Astros selected the contracts of righthanded pitchers Bryan Abreu and Rogelio Armenteros along with catcher Garrett Stubbs. The action protects all three prospects from..." November 21

The Score "The Houston Astros lost out on acquiring James Paxton on Monday, but it appears as though they could have snagged him from the Seattle Mariners for a price they deemed too rich. Before the Mariners shipped the star southpaw to the New York..." November 20