The Houston Astros enter this offseason with more holes to fill than in recent memory. Getting swept in the Wild Card round should definitely have the front office looking for creative ways to improve the team without blowing past the second tax threshold.

As we project next year's roster, one thing appears to be certain, the offense needs more attention than the pitching. The starting pitching should be in good shape with Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, and Spencer Arreghetti returning. Plus, Luis Garcia is expected to return after recovering from Tommy John surgery. We'll see about Lance McCullers…

The offense, however, is another story. Even with Alex Bregman in the lineup, Houston was only able to score one run in the first 15 innings of the Wild Card Series against Detroit.

There's no way around it, the Astros must add another bat even if Bregman returns. If the Astros are looking to upgrade at first base, there are several names to consider. Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Paul Goldschmidt, Christian Walker, Carlos Santana, and Pete Alonzo just to name a few.

However, many of these players do have some red flags. Age being the biggest one. Considering how the Jose Abreu signing turned out, the Astros might be best served avoiding players in their mid-thirties.

Of course, adding a younger player like Pete Alonzo (age 29) will cost significantly more money.

Should the Astros decide to stand pat at first base, they could continue using a platoon of Jon Singleton, Yainer Diaz, and Victor Caratini.

Since the Astros' payroll is bloated from the Jose Abreu, Lance McCullers Jr, and Rafael Montero contracts, shedding some cash through trades might be a good idea.

When looking at the projected arbitration numbers for the 2025 season, here's what really stands out. Jeremy Pena and Mauricio Dubon are both expected to make over $4 million next season. Jake Meyers is projected to make over $2 million, and Chas McCormick will likely command over $3 million.

Trading Dubon and Meyers could free up over $6 million that could be used to address other needs on the team.

Some other options to consider

The Astros might have a problem that goes much deeper than personnel. As a team, these hitters don't see enough pitches. They swing early and often and don't walk enough. Even Bregman has seen a steep decline in walks. Bregman walked 44 times this year, way down from the 92 free passes he recorded in 2023.

When players like Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker swing at the first pitch, it eliminates the possibility of picking up a walk when a pitcher misses in a deep count. Taking all the pressure off the pitcher. It also means less opportunities for a pitch to be hung in the strike zone and punished.

Plus, this approach leads to 5 pitch innings like we saw in the Tigers series, which allows quality pitchers to go deep in games with a low pitch count.

Altuve's stance on Bregman

This is the first time we've heard Altuve speak about a player's contract in this manner. Altuve essentially said the team has to do whatever it takes to retain Breggy.

But we have to keep in mind, Altuve's already signed his long-term deal, and they both share the same agent in Scott Boras.

Be sure to watch the video above for the full discussion!

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon. Find all via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.