Houston

Astros

The team says Velázquez is on his way to play in Asia next season. One imagines those foreign player spots in Japan and Korea will be filled pretty quickly this winter, as fringy major leaguers weigh the guaranteed paycheck versus the possibility of a lengthy lockout. The 27-year-old Velázquez hit .188/.257/.406 with six homers in 113 plate appearances for the Cardinals and Astros this year. He’s a lifetime .208/.282/.429 hitter with 37 homers in 728 plate appearances since debuting with the Cubs in 2022.

The Astros said that the surgery was to “address a labral injury and hip impingement that were identified shortly after the season ended.” Loperfido is not expected to miss time during the regular season, but he will be behind in spring training, which could make it hard for him to make the MLB roster out of camp.

Not having a GM or a manager isn’t keeping the Astros from adding to their staff. Watson has been an assistant hitting director for the Guardians the last two years.

Medick, 35, spent the last four years in the Yankees’ system, serving as a Triple-A pitching coach this year. He had a very brief career in the minors in the Diamondbacks’ system, posting a 1.17 ERA in 30 2/3 innings as a Rookie-ball reliever in 2014. That wasn’t enough to keep him around, though, and he finished his pitching career in indy ball in 2018.

Chandler Rome says it’s unclear if the team is still considering any of its current assistant GMs — Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff — for the head job replacing Dana Brown, who was let go in August. Kleine, Barfield and Flores are all assistant GMs for their teams. Kleine previously interned for the Astros in 2007 before being hired by the Brewers and working his way up.

This seemed like a given after Espada was not extended during the season and then met with the Mariners about their managerial opening earlier this week. In addition to Espada, catching coach Tim Cossins, game plan coordinator Tommy Kawamura, third-base coach Tony Perezchica, assistant hitting coach Anthony Iapoce and assistant pitching coach Ethan Katz will not return to the Astros next season.

Back in August, Astros owner Jim Crane told the media that Joe Espada would manage the team for the remainder of the season and a decision on his future would be made after the season. Even though he’s unsigned going forward, Espada’s contract doesn’t officially end until the end of the month, so the Mariners needed and received permission to talk to him. In three seasons as the Astros’ manager, Espada has gone 256-229, winning the AL West in both 2024 and 2026, but the team underperformed this season and looked listless in a playoff loss to the White Sox.

The 2024 MLB Draft pick had a breakout season, becoming the first minor league catcher in 45 years to post a 30/30 season when he hit 32 homers and swiped 32 bases. He also slashed .252/.391/.531 in 123 games while climbing from High-A Asheville to Triple-A Sugar Land. While he may not supplant Yainer Diaz just yet, he could emerge as the backup catcher for 2027 and a potentially valuable bat on the roster.

Altuve’s 28th career postseason home run puts him one behind Manny Ramirez for the all-time lead. He had a chance to put Houston ahead in the ensuing frame but wound up flying out to right field with the bases loaded. It’s fair to wonder how much longer Houston will be able to sustain things with its current nucleus, which is comprised largely of remnants from the dynastic run earlier in the decade, including Altuve, alongside newer faces who have yet to lead the club to sustained playoff success. In some ways, being swept by an upstart White Sox team feels like a fitting end for this group with Chicago beginning to chart its own course in a fashion reminiscent of Houston’s own unexpected rise roughly a decade ago.

Alvarez had a couple chances to turn the tide in this one, most notably when he stepped to the plate with a pair of runners on-base and the Astros trailing by two runs in the fifth inning and lined out to left field harmlessly. The 29-year-old presumptive AL MVP Award front-runner went 1-for-8 as Houston was swept in the best-of-three series in their home ballpark.