The Astros’ 2026 rotation was a mess, and the numbers leave little room for debate. Tatsuya Imai, Kai-Wei Teng, Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows, and Ronel Blanco combined for 59 starts, which made up 36% of the staff’s workload, but that group spent most of the year getting hit hard.
Teng posted the best ERA of the bunch at 5.52 in 10 starts. Everyone else came in at 5.79 or worse.
Burrows had the roughest line of all. In 17 starts and 93 ⅔ innings, he finished with a 6.05 ERA, allowed 21 home runs, and was the clearest example of how badly things went. As a whole, that five-man group went 14-24 with a 5.85 ERA, issued walks at a 4.51 per nine innings clip, and gave up 52 home runs.
Even if Javier and Blanco are fully healthy in 2027, there’s no realistic way to expect this same mix to suddenly turn into a strength. The encouraging note is that Imai and Javier both looked much better after moving to the bullpen late in the season.
But that doesn’t solve everything, especially with Steven Okert and Bryan Abreu now free agents and no longer part of the bullpen picture. Houston still needs help at the top of the rotation, and it also needs arms that can provide the kind of durability and impact Okert and Abreu brought.
That’s the challenge facing new general manager Randy Flores, who has already had to move fast after taking the job and naming Brad Ausmus the new manager. November is slipping away, and the Astros need to be more aggressive in the coming days if they want to line up answers before the imminent Dec. 1 lockout.
Hunter Brown and Peter Lambert were the two main starters in 2026, with Hayden Wesneski joining them as a healthy and steady presence. Wesneski could fit as a fifth starter, but Houston’s bigger need is obvious: rebuild the front of the rotation with an elite arm and a reliable mid-rotation piece.
There is at least one part of the schedule Houston can feel good about. The Astros play a few games each year in Sacramento, and they closed the regular season there with a 9-0 win over the Athletics in Game 162. Sutter Health Park was a hitter’s paradise in 2026, and Houston took full advantage in that final series, scoring 34 runs in four games, winning 3-1, and launching 13 home runs in just 36 offensive innings.
The bigger question is what that environment would have done to Houston’s pitching if the Astros had to spend half a season there. The Athletics managed only three home runs in 146 plate appearances there, but that doesn’t change the larger point: if Houston were the home club, it would be facing every opponent in that park.
And Houston’s staff already had enough problems. The Astros’ starters allowed a 12.8% home run-per-fly-ball rate in 2026, the second-highest mark by an American League team.
The only club worse was the Athletics at 15.1%. What makes that even stranger is that Oakland’s battered rotation still finished with a 4.65 xFIP and a 4.53 xERA, numbers that sat very close to Houston’s 4.52 and 4.65.
The takeaway is plain enough. The Astros need a plan, and they need it quickly.
Not every appealing arm on the free-agent market fits what Houston needs, and there may not be enough time to clean up every issue before Dec. 1.
But the club has to make a few smart moves now, then keep working toward the larger fixes that can steady both the rotation and the bullpen.
In Other News...
Brad Ausmus Sends Astros Fans A Clear Message About Expectations
Brad Ausmus is back in Houston in a very different role, officially introduced as the Astros new manager and becoming the 21st skipper in franchise history. For a fan base that knows him well from his 10 seasons as a player, the reunion carries a familiar feel, but this time the expectations come with a dugout card and a much bigger spotlight. Ausmus arrives with prior managerial experience from Detroit and Los Angeles, along with a recent stint as the Yankees bench coach, giving the Astros a veteran hand at the top.
What stood out in his introduction was the standard he set right away. Ausmus made it clear the goal in Houston should not be framed in terms of incremental progress or merely staying competitive, but winning the World Series every year. It is the kind of message Astros fans are used to hearing from a franchise that has lived at the center of the sport, and now the question is how quickly that mindset translates from the podium into the day-to-day demands of a new season. [Read more 🡒]
Astros May See One Intriguing Rotation Gamble Worth Making
Dustin May is back on the market, and the Astros are among the teams weighing whether his arm is worth a multi-year commitment. The right-hander declined his mutual option with Milwaukee after helping the Brewers out of the bullpen during their World Series run, and now the free agent is drawing interest from the Cubs, White Sox, Padres and Houston as clubs sort through the kind of pitching depth that can shape a season.
For Houston, the appeal is obvious enough to at least keep the conversation going. Mays 2026 line was uneven, with a 7-9 record and a 4.70 ERA across 31 starts for the Cardinals and Brewers, but the larger question is whether there is still enough starter upside to justify a gamble. The Astros have shown a willingness to look for value where others see risk, and Mays next contract could tell a lot about whether they view him as rotation help or just another arm to monitor. [Read more 🡒]
Astros May Need To Pay Up For A Rotation Fix
The Astros are expected to spend part of their offseason trying to shore up the starting rotation, and Tyler Mahle has emerged as one name worth watching. The veteran right-hander finished the 2026 season on a strong note after being dealt from the San Francisco Giants to the Atlanta Braves, a stretch that helped restore some appeal around a pitcher who could fit the kind of rotation help Houston is seeking.
Mahles late-season rebound figures to make him attractive beyond Houston, though, and that is where the challenge comes in. The Braves may also have interest in bringing him back, which could push the price higher and force the Astros to decide how far they are willing to go for a proven arm with momentum on his side. [Read more 🡒]