For quite a while, the Houston Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball. A perennial contender, the team continually appears in the American League Championship Series while making several trips to the World Series, including winning a pair of them. They have blended a mix of draft and development, with quality free agent acquisitions and trades that have molded them into a juggernaut in MLB. 2023 was not their strongest year as they didn’t run away with the division as in years past, but they are still among the favorites in the league. In a world where the Dodgers are spending billions to acquire players, the Astros have been relatively quiet this offseason, and that may be by design.

Back in November, Astros general manager Dana Brown acknowledged that the team doesn’t “have a ton” of financial flexibility heading into the offseason. Despite having needs up and down the roster, the Astros have been forced to stand on the sidelines and try to remain aware of the market should the right opportunity present itself.

As it stands, the only Major League free agent the team has signed was a two-year pact with catcher Victor Caratini. In need of a veteran backup catcher to assist Yainer Diaz and replace Martin Maldonado (who eventually signed with the White Sox), the Astros turned to Caratini for his prowess behind the plate. He has always been a notable pitch framer behind the plate and rated reasonably well with his blocking. After a brought 2022 campaign, Caratini bounced back with a .259/.327/.383 slash in 2023. He isn’t much for power, but he brings great bat-to-ball skills, making contact on 80% of his swings. A second catcher was the main item of business on their agenda, but their other moves have been focused on minor league contracts and transactions.

The Astros have a projected payroll of around $222 million and a luxury tax tab around the $237 million threshold. So, as Brown stated before, the team doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room to address everything they would likely want to, but they can still try.

The main area of concern now is trying to fill out the bullpen any way they can. They have acquired roughly four relievers this winter via waiver claim, trade, or minor league signing. The most notable arm is that of Dylan Coleman who was acquired in a trade with the Royals. After losing Phil Maton, Hector Neris, and Ryan Stanek, the Astros still have plenty of work to do to bolster the bullpen with reliable talent.

One name they have at least shown interest in is that of Robert Stephenson. After a spectacular 2023 season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Stephenson is likely one of the top remaining high-leverage arms. That fact alone is likely enough to keep the Astros from being unable to acquire his services as prices may surge higher than expected, but he would no doubt be a solid addition to their arm barn. That then leaves them with the task of pursuing middle-tier relievers that aren’t exactly top-of-the-line but serviceable enough with the potential to improve.

An obvious avenue to open financial flexibility would be to move some contracts on the edges of the roster. But even that doesn’t present a clear solution as the players making the most money are essential to the team’s build as it stands, and their other players are in the early days of arbitration. The Astros are at a point where trading away stars like Alex Bregman isn’t in their lexicon, so they will have to continue to maintain the status quo and continue building on the edges of their roster.

That is perhaps the most surprising thing about their offseason. Teams in obvious need of help, facing a budget crunch, will often swing big moves or trades to try and improve their roster, but the Astros are built differently. This is a team that just missed another appearance in the World Series and only lost three relievers. Relievers are typically easy to replace as you never know who will break out or become effective. The Astros remain confident in their strategy despite the financial pinch. There is little doubt that they will once again be a tour de force in the AL West and will make a strong case to reach another World Series in 2024. They have a plan and method in place that just doesn’t seem to fail when all is said in done. When an organization is as good as the Astros, it’s surprising when they have a quiet offseason.