Trucks filled with gear are already heading for Palm Beach, Florida to the Astros Spring Training facilities ahead of players reporting next week. Pitchers and catchers will be in Florida the beginning February 13 and position players on February 18. Believe it or not, the 2025 season is right around the corner.
This has been one of the more tumultuous winters for a franchise that has remained remarkably stable over the last decade thanks to a talented farm system and good team management. And while this offseason didn’t exactly blow things up, there will be a lot of new faces replacing older ones and some real intrigue for young players trying to make the roster. So, we are going to take a look at some of the position battles going into camp. Let’s start with the pitchers.
Starters one through four aren’t difficult to predict. But, once you get beyond that, there is a lot of uncertainty. Let’s unpack.
Locks
Framber Valdez
Hunter Brown
Ronel Blanco
Spencer Arrighetti
Likely
Hayden Wesneski
Possibles
Colton Gordan, Ryan Gusto, A.J. Blubaugh, Miguel Ullola
Injured List
Luis Garcia (IL until All-Star Break), Lance McCullers (IL until All-Star Break), Cristian Javier (IL until ?), J.P. France (IL until ?)
Gone are Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi. But, that doesn’t mean the Astros rotation has fallen apart. Their four starters are arguably their four best pitchers last season. Valdez is in his free agency season, which could make him even better given the potential payout at the end of the year. Brown, after a couple of seasons trying to figure it out, came into his own after a rocky start in 2024 and looked like an ace by the postseason. Blanco came out of nowhere to throw a no hitter and become a reliable part of the rotation, and Arrighetti has a stellar rookie year. For their first four starters, they are in good shape starting 2025.
It’s really beyond the top four where it gets interesting. Wesneski, who was acquired as part of the Kyle Tucker trade, makes the most sense here. He can pitch in the rotation or out of the bullpen. He was fairly successful with the Cubs in a hitter-friendly park. His ability to move to the pen gives the team a lot of flexibility when and if things change.
Speaking of, there are three would-be starters on the IL including Garcia, McCullers and Javier. At this point, it is safe to say Javier’s return is unlikely in 2025. Garcia is targeting the All-Star break as is McCullers, though his availability is far from guaranteed.
If they can get Garcia back in even decent form, Wesneski can move to the bullpen. And the team has former starter J.P. France, who should return from injury during the year and could provide an additional option.
Beyond the vets, there are several minor leaguers to keep on your radar. Gordon is the team’s 12th ranked prospect and was excellent at Sugar Land last season, going 123 innings. Another lefty certainly wouldn’t hurt. Like Gordon, Gusto is on the 40-man roster so a potential starting or bullpen candidate. He was supposed to pitch the final game of last season, but it was rained out. He threw 143 innings with a 3.40 ERA at Sugar Land in 2024.
Blubaugh (#10 prospect) is a pitcher expected to compete for a spot in 2025. He spent most of his time in Sugar Land last year pitching 124 innings including 24 starts going 12-4 with a 3.83 ERA. Don’t sleep on Ullola (#8 prospect). He is flying through the farm system. He led the minors last year in BA against (.163) and was third in strikeouts (171 in just over 130 innings). He will likely start the year at Sugar Land, but don’t be surprised if he is in the majors at some point in 2025.
