The Biggest Roster Weakness the Astros Must Fix Heading into 2027

The Houston Astros had a tough end to the 2026 season as they were swept by the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card round, and with that said, there is one key roster weakness the Astros must fix heading into 2027.

Recently, MLB and CBB analyst for Bleacher Report Kerry Miller named the biggest roster hole for each team in the MLB, and for the Astros, that weakness was the outfield.

Miller did note that the pitching was also in consideration, however he did mention the fact that a lot of the issues this year for Houston on the mound were due to health, and if the Astros can get healthy the struggles when it comes to pitching could be minimized in 2027.

On the other hand, Miller could not say the same for the outfield, as the Astros were forced to start 12 different players in the outfield and only had two players start at least 50 games, which included right-fielder Cam Smith with 139 games and left-fielder Taylor Trammell with 73 games.

Additionally, Miller also alluded to the fact that for the season, the Astros had an OPS of .662 from the outfield which was second-worst in the MLB.

What is even more revealing is the fact that designated hitter Yordan Alvarez played left field for 25 games where the team was able to post an OPS of 1.239, but taking away those 105 at-bats from Alvarez, the Astros were in dead last with an OPS of .632.

Clearly, Houston has to find a way to get a lot more consistency when it comes to the outfield, and specifically being able to generate consistent runs, because without that it will be very difficult for the Astros to win in 2027.

In terms of positive news, the Astros might have someone they can lean on in the form of center fielder Lucas Spence, as he had a solid finish to the 2026 season, but Miller did mention that in the minors Spence had a batting average of .237 over the 239 games he played, so it will be interesting to see if he can find consistency for Houston at the plate.

Essentially, the Astros need a lot more consistency across the board, and in particular they appear to be looking for reliable starters at left field and center field heading into 2027 as Miller did note that two years in, Smith had an OPS of .670 and appears to be one of the more consistent aspects of this outfield.

Overall, the Astros had a decent season as they went 81-81, won the AL West, and made the postseason, but the lack of consistency from the plate for the outfield was quite noticeable and was part of the reason that Houston struggled to put together runs in the postseason when they absolutely needed them.

So, moving forward, it will be interesting to see how the Astros do address this issue and if Spence, Smith, and Trammell are a part of the solution or if Houston does feel the need to look elsewhere for the answers, because if this inconsistency at the plate continues, the 2027 season could turn into a major struggle.