WHY THE DELAY?
Here's one puzzling, no-brainer move the Houston Astros continue to drag out
Dec 22, 2022, 2:12 pm
Will they be back? Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Apology from Houston Astros broadcaster highlights glaring problem with "standards"
With Dusty Baker back chewing toothpicks into splinters, Michael Brantley recalled to active duty, a new .300-hitting first baseman, Jeff Bagwell whispering into Jim Crane’s ear, no shift gobbling up Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez base hits, and Yuli Gurriel staring at the phone waiting for a call, it looks like the Astros good-time machine is ready to roll intact for 2023.
Except for one important piece of the Astros brand.
The Astros TV broadcast team of Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum and Julia Morales is unsigned for next year. And spring training is only seven weeks away. Already? Time flies when you’re celebrating another World Series.
Kalas, Blum and Morales may not drive in runs or throw quality starts, but they are super critical to the overall Astros product. They are like comfort food, put on the Astros game, and you’re good until goodnight. The Astros are on TV more than 160 times – plus practically guaranteed playoffs – between spring and autumn. When there’s nothing on TV … wait, the Astros are on. We’re good. What number channel is AT&T Sports Southwest again?
What is taking the Astros this long to announce that Kalas, Blum and Morales will be back for another season? Just git’er done.
You know the expression, you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone? Well, we do know what we got when Kalas, Blum and Morales aren’t in the Astros TV booth.
We got Apple TV, ESPN and TBS, and it ain’t good. It was excruciating last season watching Apple TV turn an Astros game into open mic night at Giggles Comedy Club. ESPN and TBS are OK, but they don’t “get” the Astros like our regular crew. Kalas, Blum and Morales are just the right blend of attentive play-by-play, clever analysis and personality insight.
Kalas joined the Astros in 2017 after stints with Mets, Reds, Phillies and Tampa Bay. During the offseason, he works football, basketball and baseball games in Louisiana, and University of South Florida hoops. His dad was legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas.
Blum went straight into the Astros booth after hanging up his cleats – 15 years in the bigs with the Expos, Astros (twice), Rays, Padres, White Sox and Diamondbacks. He has a World Series ring from the 2005 White Sox, when he (gasp) homered against the Astros. He and his wife have four daughters, three of them triplets.
Morales is the dean of the broadcast team, having joined the Astros in 2013. Her father Victor Morales once ran for the U.S. Senate from Texas. She is married to former MLB player Matt Clark and she has her own line of baseball fashion called baseball y’all.
It’s important that we get our TV broadcasters under contract and settled in. Baseball on TV is big business. Each team is guaranteed $60 million per year from the national networks, with another $40 million (on average) coming from local outlets. Houston is a big time market, No. 8 on Nielsen’s national map. There are more than 2.5 million TV homes in the Houston area. Don’t make us fret over our announcers.
Borrowing from that sports media expert Buzz Lightyear, it’s time to get Kalas, Blum and Morales signed ... to 2023 and beyond.
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A new challenge awaits, and the Astros know what’s at stake
Jun 27, 2025, 2:05 pm
The Houston Astros didn’t just sweep the Philadelphia Phillies. They sent a message.
In three tightly contested games against one of the best teams in baseball, the Astros leaned on their elite pitching and timely offense to secure a statement sweep. Hunter Brown was electric in the finale, shutting down the Phillies’ lineup and showing the kind of dominance that’s become a defining feature of his game. Bryan Abreu slammed the door with four strikeouts to close out the win, and rookie Cam Smith delivered the deciding blow — an RBI single in the eighth to drive in Isaac Paredes, lifting the Astros to a 2-1 victory.
It wasn’t a series filled with offensive fireworks, but that’s exactly the point. Both teams sent out top-tier pitching throughout the series, and Houston was the team that kept finding a way. For much of the season, the Astros’ inconsistent offense might’ve been a concern in a series like this. But this time, it felt different. The bats showed up just enough, and the pitching did the rest.
Now, with Houston on pace for 96 wins at the halfway point, the question becomes: Is the league officially on notice?
Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing is certain, the Astros have the third-best record in baseball, they’re 17-7 in one-run games, and they’re playing with the kind of rhythm that’s defined their near-decade of dominance. Unlike last year’s uneven campaign, this version of the Astros looks like a team that’s rediscovered its edge. Whether or not they need to take care of business against the Cubs to validate it, their recent run leaves little doubt: when Houston is clicking, there are very few teams built to stop them.
Off the field, however, a bit of long-term uncertainty is starting to creep in. Reports surfaced this week that extension talks with shortstop Jeremy Peña have been put on hold as he recently signed with super-agent Scott Boras. The combination has led many to wonder if Peña might follow the same free-agent path as Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and others before him. Boras clients rarely settle early, and Peña, now one of the most valuable shortstops in the game, could command a price tag the Astros have historically avoided paying.
If Peña and even Hunter Brown are likely to get priced out of Houston, the front office may need to pivot. Isaac Paredes could be the most logical extension candidate on the roster. His approach — particularly his ability to pull the ball with authority — is tailor-made for Daikin Park and the Crawford Boxes. Last year, Paredes struggled to leave the yard at Wrigley Field, but in Houston, he’s thriving. Locking him in long term would give the Astros offensive stability and the kind of value they’ve typically targeted.
As for Cam Smith, the breakout rookie is far from free agency and will remain a cost-controlled piece for years. That’s exactly why his contributions now, like his clutch eighth-inning knock to beat Philadelphia, matter so much. He's one more reason why the Astros don’t just look good right now. They look dangerous.
And the rest of the league is starting to feel it.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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