ASTRONOMICAL DEALS

Let's celebrate the return of the Astros with loads of food & drink specials

Let's celebrate the return of the Astros with loads of food & drink specials
Astros home runs earn free milkshakes this weekend. Photo by Becca Wright

The Houston Astros will begin their entirely controversy-free quest to earn another American League pennant in Seattle of Friday, July 24. Even though no one will be taking anyone out to the ballgame in 2020, Astros fans can still root, root, root for the team either at home or at a number of local bars and restaurants.

We've rounded up over a dozen specials. Some are only available on either Opening Day or this week but others will be offered every time the Astros take the field.

Be More Pacific

The Filipino restaurant in the Heights celebrates Opening Day with happy hour specials from open until close. Get $3 draft or packaged beers, $4 wines by-the-glass and well cocktails, $5 San Miguel beers, and $6 signature cocktail. On the food side, take $1 off all orders of lumpia and tikim, $2 off pulutan, and feast on $2 tacos.

The Burger Joint

Both locations of the casual burger restaurant will be giving away free milkshakes to dine-in customers for every Astros home run hit this weekend. In addition, get a special Crush City Dreamsicle shake.

Eight Row Flint

Over in the Heights, this ice house's Astros Party Pack offers a lot of value for $50. Get a 6-pack of Karbach Crawford Bock (plus koozies, an ice-filled beer bucket with the Astros logo, and other Karbach swag), an order of ballpark nachos, two hot dogs, and three mini bottle of Balcones Texas whiskey.

The Flying Saucer

The downtown craft beer bar is raffling off the last three of its infamous Mike Fiers "Snitches Get Stiches" glasses with a drawing on opening day. To enter, buy a 4-pack of 512 Brewing's pecan porter.

Hay Merchant

Chris Shepherd's pub offers half-off Houston beers when the Astros are winning.

King's Bierhaus and King's Biergarten

All three locations of the German restaurant will celebrate Opening Day with $5 Texas draft beers and $5 Astros dogs — a grilled kasewurst topped ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, and relish on a soft brioche bun.

La Calle

The downtown taqueria's companion cantina will offer happy hour pricing on Opening Day and during all Astros games this season. The offers include 50-percent off the cantina food menu and select cocktails, plus $2.99 draft beers and Tecate cans, $3.99 frozen margaritas and boozy aguas frescas, and $5.99 caguamas (32-ounce bottles of select beers).

Continue on CultureMap to see the rest of the list.

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Can the Astros overcome the loss of Kyle Tucker? Composite Getty Image.

The Chicago Cubs acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros on Friday, paying a big price for one of baseball's best hitters.

The Cubs sent third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith, one of their top infield prospects, to the Astros for Tucker, who is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.

Be sure to watch the video below as the crew from Stone Cold 'Stros reacts to the trade and lays out what the future holds for the new-look Astros.

Tucker was limited to 78 games this year because of a fractured right shin, but he hit .289 with 23 homers and 49 RBIs for the AL West champions. He batted .284 with 29 homers, an AL-best 112 RBIs and 30 steals for Houston in 2023.

Tucker, who turns 28 on Jan. 17, joins a crowded situation in Chicago's outfield, but the Cubs are reportedly looking to trade Cody Bellinger, who also can play first base. They also have talked to Seiya Suzuki's agent about the outfielder's no-trade clause.

The Cubs have finished second in the NL Central with an 83-79 record in each of the past two years, and there is increased pressure on president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to get the team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The Cubs announced later in the day that they had agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year contract with catcher Carson Kelly, a Chicago native. He played for Detroit and Texas this year, batting .238 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 91 games.

The New York Yankees also were in the mix for Tucker before the trade was completed.

“We certainly had many conversations with the Astros.” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “At the end of the day I’m glad that Mr. Tucker is not in the American League East or the American League at all. But it’s a big get for the Chicago Cubs.”

Paredes is an option for Houston at third base if Alex Bregman departs in free agency. The 25-year-old Paredes hit .238 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs in 153 games this year. He made the AL All-Star team with Tampa Bay and then was traded to Chicago in July.

Paredes, who bats from the right side and is known for his pull power, chuckled as he talked about taking aim at the Crawford Boxes in left field at Minute Maid Park.

“I feel very happy. It's not only a beautiful stadium, but it's a stadium that benefits my hitting,” he said through a translator.

Even with the acquisition of Paredes, who also can play first, Astros general manager Dana Brown did not close the door on a reunion with Bregman.

“Pretty much Alex Bregman's status is still the way it is,” Brown said. “Nothing has changed since the last time I've talked to you guys.”

Wesneski, a Houston native who played college ball for Sam Houston State, will compete for a spot in the Astros’ rotation.

The right-hander, who turned 27 on Dec. 5, went 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA over 21 relief appearances and seven starts this year. He was on the injured list from July 20 to Sept. 20 with a right forearm strain.

“It’s just a dream-come-true kind of thing,” Wesneski said. “I am excited to be an Astro.”

Houston is hoping the addition of Paredes and Wesneski will help the team continue its impressive run as one of baseball's best teams. It has made the playoffs for eight straight years, winning the World Series in 2017 and 2022. It was swept by Detroit in the wild-card round this year.

“Look, make no mistake. We're still going to compete,” Brown said, “and this is probably one of those moves that I think in the future people will see and understand like, yeah, wow, I understand it now, I get it. ... I would say that this is more to strengthen our opportunities down the road without losing any footage in the current year.”

While Paredes and Wesneski could have an immediate impact, Smith also was a key component of the deal.

Smith, 21, was selected by Chicago with the No. 14 pick in this year's draft out of Florida State University. He hit .313 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 32 games over three minor league stops, finishing the year with Double-A Knoxville.

“It's a really good first-round college bat with power, with a chance to hit, and he's pretty athletic as well,” Brown said. “So we're really excited about Cam Smith.”

Tucker was Houston's first-round pick in 2015, taken No. 5 overall. He made his big league debut with the Astros in 2018.

Tucker had a breakout performance three years after his debut, hitting a career-best .294 with 30 homers and 92 RBIs in 140 games in 2021. He won a Gold Glove the following year.

The Tampa, Florida, native is a .274 hitter with 125 homers, 417 RBIs and an .869 OPS in 633 career games — all with Houston. He also has appeared in 64 postseason games, batting .229 with eight homers and 28 RBIs.

Kelly gets $5 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal with Chicago includes a $7.5 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout. He can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses during each of the three seasons; $250,000 each for 81 and 91 games started.

The Cubs were in need of more depth behind the plate. They also have Miguel Amaya, who played in a career-high 117 games this year, and Matt Thaiss, who was acquired in a trade with the Angels on Nov. 20.

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