Wednesday, February 11

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- There will be plenty of new faces when Astros pitchers and catchers hit the field Wednesday for the first workout of the spring, led by Japanese star Tatsuya Imai and fellow pitcher Mike Burrows, who came over in a trade from the Pirates and should be a rotation fixture.

The returning faces, though, are where the real star power sits, beginning with 2025 American League Cy Young Award finalist Hunter Brown anchoring the pitching staff. In the days that follow, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Peña will be among those walking through the doors at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches as Houston prepares to return to the postseason after a one-year hiatus.

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Here are some storylines to watch as camp gets underway:

Another trade remains a possibility

By now, it’s not a surprise that the Astros have too many infielders and would like to move one of them to get a left-handed bat. The two names to watch are third baseman Isaac Paredes and first baseman Christian Walker, though the two years and $40 million remaining on Walker’s salary make trading him difficult.

Paredes, an All-Star last year, was on pace to push for 40 homers before a hamstring injury cost him two months of the season. The Astros traded for Correa to take over at third, and with Peña at shortstop and Altuve returning to second base this spring … well, the numbers don’t add up.

If the Astros don’t make a trade, Paredes will move around the field and could spell Correa at short, Walker at first and Alvarez at DH. Of course, an injury to either one of those players gives the Astros the luxury of having a plug-and-play power bat in the lineup daily, but a two-time All-Star who turns 27 in a week has trade value.

The rotation has lots of options

The Astros made adding starting pitching depth their top priority of the offseason, which meant the additions of Imai, Burrows, Nate Pearson and Ryan Weiss, though they expectedly lost workhorse Framber Valdez in free agency. Imai and Burrows are locks for the rotation, with Brown and Cristian Javier. That leaves Lance McCullers Jr., Spencer Arrighetti, Weiss, Pearson, Jason Alexander, AJ Blubaugh and Colton Gordon as names to watch for the final spots in what could be a six-man rotation.

Whoever doesn’t make the rotation to begin the year -- or the bullpen in the cases of Blubaugh, Pearson and perhaps Weiss -- will be in the rotation at Triple-A, giving Houston some dependable depth to safeguard against the kind of injuries that ravaged the rotation last year.

Correa’s impact will be felt

One of the reasons the Astros brought Correa back to Houston in last July’s trade with the Twins was his leadership ability -- an aspect that had been missing following the departure of Alex Bregman after the ’24 season. Correa slid right back into his leadership role, calling a team meeting after a loss in August, and he hasn’t stopped there.

Astros manager Joe Espada and Correa shared a few lunches in the winter in Houston to talk about the state of the club. Correa said at last month’s FanFest at Daikin Park that some players didn’t have “the routine that they needed” to withstand injuries last year and hinted there would be some changes implemented this spring. Stay tuned.

Keep an eye on the kids

For the second year in a row, the Astros could be starting a rookie in the outfield. Last year, it was 22-year-old Cam Smith -- one of three players acquired from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade -- who started in right field on Opening Day after a position switch mid-spring from third base. This year, all eyes are on 25-year-old Zach Cole, whose electric debut last year opened some eyes.

The Astros traded top prospect Jacob Melton to open a spot for Cole, who can play all three outfield spots and could start in left field. Astros general manager Dana Brown has said Smith will have to perform at the plate to avoid being sent back to Triple-A. With Jake Meyers returning in center and Jesús Sánchez -- a lefty bat -- an option in right field, Smith will be in the heat of competition when camp starts with no guarantees of a roster spot.

• On Monday, I took my first shot at predicting the Astros’ Opening Day roster.

• Here’s an FAQ that covers everything you need to know for Spring Training.

• The 13 must-watch pitchers this spring include an Astro.

• That same pitcher is also a rookie to watch this season.

Single-game tickets for games in the first half of the regular season go on sale Feb. 25. That includes matchups with the Red Sox (March 30-April 1), Yankees (April 24-26), Dodgers (May 4-6) and Mariners (May 11-14). Fans who purchase at least one ticket during the Feb. 25 presale will get an email with links to purchase an additional game this season and get $10 loaded value per ticket for that additional game.

Three of the Astros’ World Series heroes from the 2022 championship team found new homes with this week with Valdez and Justin Verlander signing with the Tigers and Chas McCormick signing a Minor League deal with the Cubs, where he will be reunited with Bregman. The Tigers play at Daikin Park from June 15-17 this year, marking Valdez’s first trip to Houston as a visitor.

With the Tigers officially signing Valdez, the Astros gained the No. 134 pick in the MLB Draft because Valdez received a qualifying offer. In addition to having the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of this summer’s Draft, the Astros will also pick No. 28 overall (for Brown finishing in the top three for the AL Cy Young Award voting).

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