The Astros are at an organizational crossroads, and which direction they choose will go a long way toward determining the future for the M's.
The Houston Astros were eliminated from the Major League Baseball playoffs this week, falling in a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park.
The Astros won the weak American League West at 81-81, five games better than the Seattle Mariners (76-86). It was a major disappointment for the Mariners, who were unable to capitalize on the weak division and win it for the second consecutive year.
And while the threat of the Astros always looms over the Mariners, they do appear to be at an organizational crossroads. And what they choose to do could have a major impact on the M's and their ability to win the division again moving forward.
About the Astros contract situations
The Astros have an aging core, and several key players are nearing the final years of their contracts. Will the Astros hold onto those players and make continued runs at the playoffs as they age further? Will they double down and spend more money to supplement the aging group? Or, will they start to trade off some of the veterans and look to reload a depleted farm system?
And could the labor issues ahead change some of their calculus?
| Player | Signed Thru |
|---|---|
| Jeremy Pena | 2027 |
| Tatsuya Imai | 2028 |
| Josh Hader | 2028 |
| Yordan Alvarez | 2028 |
| Christian Walker | 2027 |
| Hunter Brown | 2028 |
| Issac Paredes | 2027 |
How the Mariners did against the Astros this season
For all the Mariners woes this season, the one thing they did well was beat the Astros. They went 10-3 against Houston, marking the fourth consecutive season that they took the season series from their division rivals.
As the Astros have aged, they've had more injuries and been more susceptible to being beaten. Furthermore, they've failed to develop prospects at the same rate that they did in their run from about 2015-22. Houston won the World Series in 2017 and 2022. They got to the World Series in 2019 and 2021 also.
What's next for Houston?
We spoke to ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast and he gave his thoughts:
"I think Jim Crane, their owner, believes that they can contend.
The trajectory of that organization is so fascinating to me because under Jeff Luhnow, they were one of the more progressive, analytically driven organizations for better than a decade, and it led to a dynasty.
They were one of the first teams that tanked, designed failure, so they could pick at the top of the draft, have all that draft money, and they took advantage of it.
So that was how they got to this place.
And now they are as old school a team as there is in the sport, where Jim Crane, I think, feels like, 'hey, I can run this the way that I want. I could do the job of the general manager.'
He leans into Jeff Bagwell, a former player, in a way that you might have seen in the 1970s and 1980s, and they've gone through this slow decline.
So I do think that there has been an erosion there.
And what's keeping the Astros, let's be honest about it, what's keeping the Astros in the relevancy in the American League West is the fact that no other team in the division has seized this advantage and jump forward.
I stand by it. I really think that the next decade for the Mariners is going to be a really good one.
They're in a better position than some of these other teams, but it has to be taken away, and they have to essentially put the Astros to bed."
